May 23, 1804

We are finally leaving for the Mandan Indian Village where we will spend the winter. Our ship is a long narrow keelboat boat full of barrels of whiskey, gunpowder, and food. Even with the keelboat’s 22 oars the boat is still very hard to maneuver up the great Missouri River. At this time only about an hour into our journey we have already been caught on 4 sandbars and have had to duck countless times to avoid be hit with a tree limb. Captain Lewis fell today when he was walking with his dog Seaman on a narrow path above the Missouri. I hear that without his knife that he used to stop his fall he would have been dead. Even with all these mishaps I still feel confident about this expedition and I hope that we will all return safely.

Until next time,

Cameron Allen Randolph

My Group

Heather is a great entertainer. She is a good friend and swimmer. She is good with children and wants to try new foods.

Morgan is a good violinist and she is good with animals. She likes to observe plants and cook.

Christina is energetic, has a positive attitude and is helpful. She wants to learn about all the unknown territory.

Micheal is a good companion and he is brave. He can also help anyone who needs it.

Curtis is a good hunter and marksman. He is also a great musician, and craftsman.

Harrison is a good sketcher and he can document the journey west. He also is a good cook.

Sophie is a great fisher in any weather. And she will amaze us with her outstanding fashion.

Chris will be our strategist, dancer and he is very brave.

Joe is great at playing with children, a good motivator, and he is very fast.

Sam will be our musician, builder, and journalist. Sam wants to find lost civilizations.

Sarah will be another musician playing the guitar. She will also be a good fisher, drawer sailer and a good companion. She hopes to discover new animals, people, and music.

Dear Captin John

Dear Captain John,

I think that I would an excellent member of this trip because of my navigating skills cooking skills, and then my sense of humor. I show my navigating skills when I pilot our boat to the islands. I make very good pancakes every weekend, and I can make just about everybody laugh.

I want to discover and see the Pacific Ocean, look at all the western animals and trek through the California wildflowers. I would like to bring home some wildflowers and maybe some interesting rocks.

Thank You for considering me,

Cameron Allen Randolph

Introduction

Dear Captain John,