Hood River & Columbia River Gorge
On this crisp autumn morning, we were treated to a clear view of beautiful Mount Hood bathed in sunlight.
Our motor coaches whisked us from the ship to The Dalles and took us to the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center, an excellent museum of natural and cultural history of the area. A nature walk was offered by a museum staff.
After the museum visit, we drove along the Columbia Gorge Scenic Highway to Rowena Crest. With an elevation of 800 feet above the river, it offered a panoramic view of the Columbia Gorge and the graceful winding roads below. Mount Hood was still visible on this sunny day.
By late morning, we were divided into several groups with different itineraries. One group took a leisurely interpretive nature walk with Jim while some of us embarked on a 4.5 mile aerobic walk which took us through the Mosier Tunnels that connected the west and east side of the Cascade Mountains along the river. It is a reopened section of the Historic Columbia Gorge Highway closed to vehicular traffic. We passed many cyclists and joggers along this scenic path of brilliant red, yellow, orange and green foliage. Another group headed to Hood River to explore the town and do some shopping. Yet another group headed up to Rasmussen Orchard for apples, pears and jams and a walk through the pumpkin patch.
We came back to the Sea Lion at the Cascade Locks for a delicious lunch of hot chili and cornbread. Our ship traveled downstream and passed through the Bonneville Lock and Dam by late afternoon. This was the final lockage of our voyage. The Sea Lion passed through 8 dams and locks twice, for a total of 16 passages! The remainder of this afternoon, we sailed through the beautiful scenery of fall foliage and we had a magnificent view of Multnomah Falls. At 620 feet, it is the highest waterfall in the gorge and among the tallest in the U.S.
This evening, the Sea Lion sailed on under the bright light of the full moon.
On this crisp autumn morning, we were treated to a clear view of beautiful Mount Hood bathed in sunlight.
Our motor coaches whisked us from the ship to The Dalles and took us to the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center, an excellent museum of natural and cultural history of the area. A nature walk was offered by a museum staff.
After the museum visit, we drove along the Columbia Gorge Scenic Highway to Rowena Crest. With an elevation of 800 feet above the river, it offered a panoramic view of the Columbia Gorge and the graceful winding roads below. Mount Hood was still visible on this sunny day.
By late morning, we were divided into several groups with different itineraries. One group took a leisurely interpretive nature walk with Jim while some of us embarked on a 4.5 mile aerobic walk which took us through the Mosier Tunnels that connected the west and east side of the Cascade Mountains along the river. It is a reopened section of the Historic Columbia Gorge Highway closed to vehicular traffic. We passed many cyclists and joggers along this scenic path of brilliant red, yellow, orange and green foliage. Another group headed to Hood River to explore the town and do some shopping. Yet another group headed up to Rasmussen Orchard for apples, pears and jams and a walk through the pumpkin patch.
We came back to the Sea Lion at the Cascade Locks for a delicious lunch of hot chili and cornbread. Our ship traveled downstream and passed through the Bonneville Lock and Dam by late afternoon. This was the final lockage of our voyage. The Sea Lion passed through 8 dams and locks twice, for a total of 16 passages! The remainder of this afternoon, we sailed through the beautiful scenery of fall foliage and we had a magnificent view of Multnomah Falls. At 620 feet, it is the highest waterfall in the gorge and among the tallest in the U.S.
This evening, the Sea Lion sailed on under the bright light of the full moon.
