Day 4

Today’s ride was dedicated to the father of my former colleague and good friend, Piyu Roy, who passed away yesterday in India.

For some reason, I never watched Part II of Ken Burn’s documentary about Lewis and Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery. What sticks out in my mind about Part I is the story of the Corps camping for days where the three rivers, Gallatin, Jefferson, and Madison converge to give rise to the Missouri River. They had to figure out which tributary to take in order to get to the Columbia River. Sacagawea was not familiar with this place and Lewis, Clark, and the Corps had to make a decision as to which river to travel so they could make their way to the Pacific. As with so many historically significant decisions, they seemed to use the time they had to consider all of their options and they made the correct decision to follow the Jefferson. That decision led them to encounter a larger group of Shoshone in 

“… one of the country’s greatest historical coincidences, the chief of the Shoshone tribe they met was Sakakawea’s brother, Cameahwait. This reunion with her brother, which took place at Camp Fortunate, the present location of Clark Canyon Reservoir […], brought assurance that the Corps would be met with peace and cooperation.”¹ 

Their Shoshone guides led them west where they were finally able to traverse the Bitterroot Mountains, eventually reaching the Clearwater River near Orofino, Idaho. A  few months later, they made their way to where I am typing this tonight, Astoria, Oregon. 

When I return home, I will watch Part II to find out if they made it back to St. Louis. 

¹https://www.usbr.gov/gp/lewisandclark/waterway.html#:~:text=The%20two%20captains%2C%20after%20many,Missouri%20River%20on%20June%2013.