Astoria-Megler Bridge, Oregon Oct 22, 2023

Imagine traveling for nearly two years across plains, mountains, and forests and finally arriving at this setting, where the mighty Columbia River empties into the Pacific near present-day Astoria, Oregon. That is the sight that greeted explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark in 1805 at the halfway point of their legendary 8,000-mile North American expedition that originated near St. Louis.

© Dan Mihai/Getty Images

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