The National Geographic Sea Bird docked this morning in The Dalles. As we continue our journey and explore the Columbia River Gorge area, we load onto coaches, heading for the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center. As we arrived at the Discovery Center, there was a presentation on several different raptors, and a chance to walk around the building and view the different exhibits from the area. By mid-morning, there was a chance to walk around the grounds with a naturalist who highlighted local plants and. There was also a chance to ride around in a motor coach, with our historian, and hear about the local history of The Dalles. Those who wanted to stretch their legs, rode a bike along the Columbia River and took in the wonderful scenery.
In the afternoon, there was a visit to the Maryhill Museum. The museum has pieces from Rodin, including a huge collection of Native American basketry, Romanian furniture, and fashion dolls on display from Paris. Once we left the museum, there were two options to visit a monument or a winery. Few visited Stonehenge, a World War II monument created by Sam Hill. The visit to Cascade Cliffs Winery and Vineyard, for a tasting and guided tour seem to be a crowd pleaser. An employee showing us a typical day in the wine making process escorted us around the building. The most interesting aspect was the process of punching down the grapes during the fermentation process. All enjoyed a wonderful day in The Dalles.
