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Tuesday, June 10 -- We had a frightful storm early this morning. I used to live in
the midwest, but now live in Washington state. We don't see much lightning
out there. This modern replica of Camp
Dubois, the & C Lewis and winter camp of 1803-04, is
sponsored by the Wood River Heritage Council and built primarily by C.J.
Lanahan and members of the Discovery
Expedition of St. Charles, MO. I have worked with these folks for the
last six years and it is great to see things taking shape. Now, for the
first time, we have all three forts of Lewis and Clark re-created. There
is still some work to be done, but it will be ready for the DESC and other
re-enactors to spend the winter of 2003 there.
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 It was great
yesterday to see the confluence of the Missouri and Missippi Rivers
close-up. Missouri has just provided a wonderful access trail and roadway.
Soon they will build a state park in the point between the two rivers.
Today I am preparing my program and waiting for my partner, Don Popejoy. I
am really excited about this trip. |
 One of the things I love about these trips is coming back
each time and seeing changes. In St. Charles the new home of the Discovery
Expedition is nearly complete and it really looks great.Mimi & Darold
Jackson are moving all their exhibits from their old museum to the second
floor. The first floor houses all the boats of the Discovery Expedition of
St. Charles. This building and the boats were the dream of the late Glen
Bishop.
The men and women he inspired carry on his tradition of excellence an
dedication. This is the group which will recreate the entire journey in
the next three years. |
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 Wednesday,
June 11 - Our first day. The bus came in at 12 noon and Don and I
greeted the driver, Galen. We went to Wendy's for lunch and then began
preparing for the evening orientation. It looks like a lively and
receptive group. One of the men brought us a wonderful map and several
brochures. It really is wonderful to see the spirit of giving and
cooperation at the outset.
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 After orientation we ate dinner and then had
a wonderful talk by Debbie Crank-Lewis. To prepare us for our journey she
took us all the back to the Roman Empire. She said: "there was always
trade with the Orient," and then took us along the Silk Road, through the
Crusades, the fall of the Roman Empire, the search for new routes to China
and we soon got to Christoforo Colombo. That's where I usually start the
story, so it was great to get a deeper understanding of the longer
sequence of events and the political climate of the world at that time. Debbie,
a consummate scholar with many awards, told the story with witty, down to earth humor
and a simple style which endeared her to us all. She even looked up a
question I asked about two years ago, and included that in her talk. To me
that is the mark of a dedicated scholar. Thanks, Debbie. I am your fan for
life. All agreed this is a wonderful start to the
trip. In the next 17 days it will be our job to tell our 40 passengers the
rest of the story.
Keep checking into this website, because some of your friends and
relatives will be writing also. You can also e-mail us at
rutnut2002@aol.com
Tom Laidlaw, On-board Instructor |
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