Hood River
Another beautiful morning with perfect light greeted us to a new day as we approached The Dalles Dam to enter the lock and continue descending in altitude. Mount Hood was beautifully illuminated by the magical light of the early morning as we sailed on the calm waters of the Columbia River.
We had a full morning of activities. Our first stop was at the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center, where an interesting collection of historic photographs and artifacts transported us back in time to the days when the west was still a wild frontier waiting to be tamed. Following that interesting stop, we rode our motor coaches along the Scenic Highway to Rowena Crest. From the top we got a fantastic view of the Columbia River Gorge. From the heights we could admire a scenic landscape with native fishing operations, small sport fishing boats, and barges transporting as much wood and wood chips as 110 railroad cars.
We continued our exploration toward Hood River. Here we took different hikes on the historic Columbia River Highway. Some joined our Wellness Specialist, Amy for an aerobic walk through Mosier Tunnels, others joined our Historian Junius for a medium-paced walk, and the rest polished their photographic skills on a leisurely photo walk.
We returned to the National Geographic Sea Bird to continue our way toward Astoria, our destination for tomorrow. We continued enjoying the dramatic scenery and the warm, clear day. We travelled through the final dam and lock of our journey, Bonneville. From now on we find ourselves on the free-flowing part of the majestic Columbia River, heading west towards the Pacific Ocean.
