As the sun rose across the Snake River, a magenta glow began to illuminate National Geographic Sea Lion as it approached Little Goose Dam and Lock, eventually reaching the Palouse-Snake River confluence. After transiting the lock, National Geographic Sea Lion set anchor and guests set out by Zodiac for transfers to Palouse Falls and cruises up the River. The majesty of Palouse Falls did not disappoint, highlighting sculptural mastery of enormous Missoula Floods over 15,000 years ago. Guests on Zodiacs cruised up the Palouse River spotting porcupines, mule deer, coots, and cormorants while penetrating deep into the deep Palouse River Canyon. Guests finished their adventure paddling the confluence of the Palouse and Snake River Basins, intimately exploring retired Lyon’s Cable Ferry while navigating great bulrush and cattails along the mouth of the Palouse River.
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.
