Hood River and Columbia Gorge
Darkness still covered the Columbia River as we approached The Dalles. Distant lights from the small river city shone brightly and reflected in the dark water as Western grebes dived and gulls flew before the path of our ship. Early rising guests were on the bow watching for a first-light glimpse of Mount Hood, the great stratovolcano that is visible from this stretch of the river, weather permitting. Here we began our journey into the Columbia Gorge where the great Columbia River has cut an 80-mile-long and often 4,000-foot-deep gorge through the rising Cascade Mountains. Today we will see many of its most beautiful sights.
We docked at The Dalles and took motor coaches through scenic hills to the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center where we viewed the excellent exhibits. Many strolled along pathways high above the Columbia River through a wild garden of plants known and often named by the Lewis & Clark expedition. Those on the path with a view of the river were thrilled to see the National Geographic Sea Bird pass by on the river below and give a blast of her horn in greeting as she sailed downstream to meet us at Hood River.
Our land tour took us along the graceful curves of the Historic Columbia River Highway. This road was built in the early 1900s, the first scenic highway in the country. The road follows the contours of the basalt bluffs and passes through forests of Ponderosa pine, Garry oak, Douglas fir, and apple and pear orchards. The road was designed to showcase the incredible beauty of the Columbia Gorge and reveals scenic panoramas of the Gorge at every turn.
Near the small town of Mosier we arrived at a section of the historic highway that is closed to vehicular traffic; here we hiked and biked, looked at rocks and trees and birds and thoroughly enjoyed being out on a mountainside overlooking the great Columbia River. Some practiced their new photography skills with Linda, our photography guru. Susan, our wellness specialist, led a group of hikers on a brisk four-mile walk while our purser, Sheryl, took a group biking. It was a wonderful day just to be out walking and talking with new-found friends in such a quiet and beautiful place.
At Bonneville Dam we saw how fish ladders work and looked through large indoor windows right into the fish ladder to see salmon on their way upstream to spawn. Many took advantage of the opportunity to tour the Bonneville power plant and see the giant turbines that generate vast amounts of electricity through the power of the water that turns huge turbines.
Back on our beloved ship, we passed through our last lock, along with a sailboat which was made fast to the side of the National Geographic Sea Bird for its passage through the lock. Following a sumptuous crab leg dinner we enjoyed a preview of the video made by Steve, our video chronicler.
