Cruising the Columbia River
Brisk morning temperatures greeted our expedition as we travelled eastward up the Columbia River. Having transited through the lock at Bonneville Dam during the night before, we now had The Dalles Dam on the bow just after morning stretch and breakfast. It was all hands on deck to witness this amazing testament to human engineering and its ability to reshape nature. For those of us still not sure how a giant ship floats, it was even more startling to see the lock pick up the National Geographic Sea Bird and lift it straight up nearly 88 feet!
Coursing through Hell’s Gate, we saw a bald eagle perched on a basalt outcropping. The expedition of Lewis and Clark had passed this way going west just a little over 200 years ago. The basalt lined chute rapids of Hell’s Gate being impassable, they had to portage. As Clark wrote in the journal, “We were obliged to let the canoes down by strong ropes of elk skins … 23 October 1805”.
Staff Historian Harry Fritz regaled us with his presentation, “The Truth about Lewis & Clark”, delighting all with fascinating stories of Lewis, Clark and insightful tidbits about the mission of the Corps of Discovery. This certainly set the stage for our adventures still to come.
After an open house in the Spa hosted by Susan Weber, Wellness Specialist, we locked up through the John Day Dam just before lunch. National Geographic Sea Bird was now 215 miles inland from the mouth of the Columbia River; and after gaining 105 feet in elevation in the lock, we were on our way once again. We even noticed a few salmon trying to transit the lock with us.
After lunch, new shipboard friends enjoyed lively getting-to-know-you conversations. Staff Naturalist Verne Huser presented a visual display on “The Flora and Fauna of the Expedition”. We have already had several sightings of flighted feathered species like cormorants, Canada geese and mallards and great blue heron. As the miles melted by, we really started to relax and realize cruising the Columbia can be so much fun!
Our incredible first day on the Columbia River was capped off with the appearance of a special guest, Private Joseph Whitehouse (as played by period-costumed Staff Naturalist Verne Huser). The ‘one-man show’ portrayal of this Corps of Discovery member brought down the house at evening recap!
