This morning National Geographic Quest was making its way down the Columbia River toward the city of The Dalles, our destination for the afternoon activities. On the way, we navigated through two locks, John Day and The Dalles, before anchoring just off the city. Once everyone was on shore, two different groups headed off to their destinations. One left for Rowena Crest and the Columbia River Gorge Discovery Center, and the other toward Maryhill Museum and Stonehenge. From the Discovery Center, we were given several options besides exploring the museum, biking back to the ship, a naturalist-led or photo walk around the Center’s grounds. We all would meet back at the ship for our evening recap, and cocktail hour, before another superb dinner!
4/27/2024
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National Geographic Sea Bird
Astoria, Oregon
We reached the penultimate day of our journey in Astoria, Oregon, where the Columbia River collides with the open ocean. We were met with a typical Pacific Northwest day of gentle rains punctuated by moments of sunshine. The guests were divided to conquer this gem of a city, nestled under bridges; half headed across the river to Washington to visit the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center at Cape Disappointment, while the other half visited the Columbia River Maritime Museum and Astoria Column. The museum and the interpretive center are both excellent examples of what the west coast can offer with regard to history and culture. Each has thoughtful exhibits that cover broad swaths of topics, and are staffed with informative and helpful faculty. After a hearty lunch on board, the groups swapped in order to have the best of both worlds. Finally, all met back aboard for the week’s final recap and guest slideshow.
