Cruising up the Columbia
Our initial sunrise on the Columbia River was memorable as we had our first views of Mt. Hood bathed in pink light. Due to heavy barge traffic, we were delayed getting into the lock at the John Day Dam. While we waited we enjoyed the view of the peak and, looking carefully on the Washington side, we spotted Sam Hill’s Mary Hill Museum and his replica of Stonehenge. Our historian, Verne Huser, entertained and educated the guests with an overview of the Lewis and Clark expedition, then answered questions about the Corps of Discovery. He pointed out that we commemorate rather than celebrate the Bicentennial of the expedition, because descendents of the native people who helped the Corps of Discovery succeed do not celebrate their own demise, which was the “collateral damage” of the military expedition that sought the Northwest Passage. They failed to find the passage only because it did not exist. The expedition did not open the West so much as verify its existence and catalogue its resources.
The clouds parted and the day warmed as we cleared the lock and moved into eastern Washington and Oregon. Naturalist Sharon Grainger then presented a first-rate slide show of Columbia Basin flora and geologic features. As we moved eastward toward McNary Dam and Lock, we watched birds in the Umatilla National Wildlife Refuge and identified vineyards and orchards along the north shore.
Once through the McNary Lock, we gathered in the lounge to sample smoked sea food, fine wines, and chocolate. Horses and Nez Perce Indians dominated the recap period before another fine dinner as we reached the confluence of the Snake and Columbia Rivers.
Our initial sunrise on the Columbia River was memorable as we had our first views of Mt. Hood bathed in pink light. Due to heavy barge traffic, we were delayed getting into the lock at the John Day Dam. While we waited we enjoyed the view of the peak and, looking carefully on the Washington side, we spotted Sam Hill’s Mary Hill Museum and his replica of Stonehenge. Our historian, Verne Huser, entertained and educated the guests with an overview of the Lewis and Clark expedition, then answered questions about the Corps of Discovery. He pointed out that we commemorate rather than celebrate the Bicentennial of the expedition, because descendents of the native people who helped the Corps of Discovery succeed do not celebrate their own demise, which was the “collateral damage” of the military expedition that sought the Northwest Passage. They failed to find the passage only because it did not exist. The expedition did not open the West so much as verify its existence and catalogue its resources.
The clouds parted and the day warmed as we cleared the lock and moved into eastern Washington and Oregon. Naturalist Sharon Grainger then presented a first-rate slide show of Columbia Basin flora and geologic features. As we moved eastward toward McNary Dam and Lock, we watched birds in the Umatilla National Wildlife Refuge and identified vineyards and orchards along the north shore.
Once through the McNary Lock, we gathered in the lounge to sample smoked sea food, fine wines, and chocolate. Horses and Nez Perce Indians dominated the recap period before another fine dinner as we reached the confluence of the Snake and Columbia Rivers.
