Klickitat, Washington
We awoke under clear skies, rather unexpected after the lowering aspect of yesterday evening. Mount Hood floated above a cloud base to the southwest, seemingly disconnected with the land.
This last day of our expedition together began with an adventurous disembarkation at the commercial dock at Klickitat, Washington. We passed piles of logs awaiting shipment as we boarded a bus for transportation to the amazing Maryhill Museum of Art. Built by the legendary Sam Hill, this unlikely structure is a palatial, 3-story building located on a remote bench high above the Columbia River. Guests were enchanted, surprised, and also bemused by the eclectic collection of American Indian artifacts, chess sets, Rodin drawings and sculpture, and articles from the royal house of Romania, among other things. The nearby replica of Stonehenge was our next stop. Hill built this structure as a memorial for the young men of Klickitat County killed in World War I, and he himself is buried here.
Back to the Sea Bird for lunch, then down the mighty Columbia in beautiful afternoon light. Our next stop was Bonneville Dam, where we enjoyed a tour of the power plant and watched salmon passing through the fish ladder on their way up stream. The salmon runs the past couple of years have been the best in a number of years, and we saw several handsome specimens.
After our last lock passage of the trip, we cruised through the spectacular Columbia River gorge, taking in the waterfalls and timbered cliffs decorating the Oregon side of the river. Our long look at the Pacific Northwest is about over, and we all feel a sense of wonder at the remarkable variety of places and things we have experienced over the past two weeks. This has truly been an expedition to remember.
We awoke under clear skies, rather unexpected after the lowering aspect of yesterday evening. Mount Hood floated above a cloud base to the southwest, seemingly disconnected with the land.
This last day of our expedition together began with an adventurous disembarkation at the commercial dock at Klickitat, Washington. We passed piles of logs awaiting shipment as we boarded a bus for transportation to the amazing Maryhill Museum of Art. Built by the legendary Sam Hill, this unlikely structure is a palatial, 3-story building located on a remote bench high above the Columbia River. Guests were enchanted, surprised, and also bemused by the eclectic collection of American Indian artifacts, chess sets, Rodin drawings and sculpture, and articles from the royal house of Romania, among other things. The nearby replica of Stonehenge was our next stop. Hill built this structure as a memorial for the young men of Klickitat County killed in World War I, and he himself is buried here.
Back to the Sea Bird for lunch, then down the mighty Columbia in beautiful afternoon light. Our next stop was Bonneville Dam, where we enjoyed a tour of the power plant and watched salmon passing through the fish ladder on their way up stream. The salmon runs the past couple of years have been the best in a number of years, and we saw several handsome specimens.
After our last lock passage of the trip, we cruised through the spectacular Columbia River gorge, taking in the waterfalls and timbered cliffs decorating the Oregon side of the river. Our long look at the Pacific Northwest is about over, and we all feel a sense of wonder at the remarkable variety of places and things we have experienced over the past two weeks. This has truly been an expedition to remember.
