"OCIAN in view! Oh! The joy!" Traditional Cache
ohjoy!: I hate to part with this one due to the inscription on the bench. However, I'm not planning any trips down there in the near future. Archiving to prevent others from having to write DNFs.
"OCIAN in view! Oh! The joy!"
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The name of the cache is a variation of a hastily scrawled journal entry written by William Clark on November 7, 1805 upon reaching the end of the Columbia River. The actual version from his journal reads as follows:
"Great joy in camp we are in View of the Ocian, this great Pacific Octean which we been So long anxious to See. and the roreing or noise made by the waves brakeing on the rockey Shores (as I Suppose) may be heard distictly."
They were actually looking at the Columbia estuary, not the ocean. They found the ocean later the same day. (And, no, Clark wouldn’t have been a top contender in a spelling bee!)
The culmination of the greatest expedition in American history ended at a picturesque headland dubiously named Cape Disappointment. The November morning of 1805 was wet and blustery. The surf was tempestuous with huge breakers dashing against the rocks. The party had at last arrived at the Pacific. The explorers were dumbstruck by the beauty and power of the surging bottle-green waves. The men offered a whooping cheer. They felt deservedly proud.
The Corps of Discovery traversed the beach here on what we now know as the Long Beach Peninsula. They skirted the igneous outcroppings and old growth forests. The skies were overcast and the shoreline was a meld of viridian and sorrel green. In the area of the current Fort Canby State Park they cut through the sandy isthmus. Climbing on the fishing rocks the men most certainly felt the weight of their accomplishment. In separate diary entries they acknowledged the vision of the third President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson. “Our mission is complete,” they state to their leader. To paraphrase the offerings of those scribes, “We have traversed the American continent and now stand before the Pacific Ocean.” There can be no doubt that the same sense of awe touched the lives of Sacagawea, 16-year old Shoshone woman, and York, William Clark’s black slave.
The Corps camped for eighteen days on the Washington side of the Columbia River in present day Pacific County.
The City of Long Beach has completed a beach trail following the final miles of the expedition from Ilwaco to North Long Beach. It is known as the Discovery Trial and extends a total of 8.5 miles. As you walk the trail, you will find sculptures, interpretive panels, and a Gray Whale skeleton.
This vista is as breathtaking today as it was more than 200 years ago. Exploring the area, take a moment to imagine the agony and glory of that 4000-mile trek, and the celebration upon encountering the Pacific Ocean. The vista continues to invigorate and to empower the viewer's imagination. Massive Sitka Spruce trees jut from the shoreline. The cacophonies of migrating wildfowl and breaking waves are timeless.
Along the trail are many benches where you can rest and ponder these thoughts of a time without vehicles or other facilities. My favorite bench (of course) is the one that reads, “Oh Joy!” “Reached the Real Ocian at Last.”
My heartfelt thanks to grossi for letting me know about this special bench. Enjoy your walk.
The cache is hidden about 80’ directly behind the bench in a small shrub.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
cyrnfr pbire jvgu angheny zngrevnyf, abg fgvpxf
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