Friday, October 4 - Columbia River Gorge

This morning, we woke up early as the ship passed through a narrow channel called Hells Gate, twelve miles or so above The Dalles. We had been out on the arid Columbia Plateau, and as we moved west toward the Cascades, we began to see more green every mile we traveled. After breakfast, the ship docked at The Dalles, and we traveled by bus to Rock Fort, one of the few Lewis and Clark campsites that are not under water today. Meanwhile, the Sea Bird cruised down ahead of us to meet us at Hood River, Oregon.

Then we went on to the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center where they have excellent exhibits on Lewis and Clark, the pioneers and the river the way it used to be, among other things. The floor in the main hall has an inlayed depiction of the Columbia River. It was a very interesting place.

We then rode by bus along the Historic Columbia River Highway (US 30 - yes the same one that goes through Pittsburgh) which provides great views of the Columbia River Gorge. At one time, the highway had deteriorated very badly. They have refurbished part of it, and the part that was too far gone to redo for vehicle traffic has been made into a hiking and biking trail. The bus dropped us off in Hood River, where our ship was docked. Before reboarding, we had a chance to walk around the town, the chief economy of which appears to be wind surfing.

We cruised down the gorge, and after passing through the Bonneville dam lock, we saw Beacon Rock and several waterfalls on the Oregon side, including Multnomah Falls.

Tomorrow, we head for Astoria near the Pacific Ocean.