Saturday May 24 dawned bright, clear, sunny and warm as the Sea Bird locked through The Dalles Dam and tied up at a pier near the city. The Dalles is the most famous single spot on the entire Columbia River, for it is here at Celilo Falls that Native Americans fished for salmon and conducted a regional trade mart. The Falls are no more—they were inundated by the construction of the dam in 1957. After Chef Patrick Jordan fortified us all, we departed for a visit at the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center. The Center is a unique combination of a local history (Wasco County, OR) museum and modern interpretive displays. Sea Bird guests also appreciated the fine gift shop. Center Director Ken Karsmizki has been conducting archeological digs along the Lewis and Clark Trail for sixteen years in five states. He has found a glass bead, a brass bead, and a lead shot near Fort Clatsop, and thinks that the original location of the Fort may be up to a third of a mile further inland than the site of the modern replica. We will make a final and authoritative judgment on this matter when we visit the Fort tomorrow.
After a most educational visit, we bussed to Rowena Crest, a spectacular viewpoint along the Columbia River Historic Highway. The Highway, completed in 1916, allowed the first automobile traffic through the Columbia River Gorge. Abandoned and destroyed in later years, about one-third of the original has recently been restored and reopened. Along five miles of this beautiful parkway many of us hiked or bicycled just before lunch.
In the afternoon the Sea Bird cruised through the Gorge, negotiating the locks at Bonneville Dam, the first of the mighty dams that now harness the River of the West. The President of the United States, Franklin D. Roosevelt, dedicated the Bonneville Dam on September 28, 1937. That was the second most important event, which occurred in the country that day. Oregon’s impressive waterfalls were even more so this day, with high Spring runoff. Horsetail and Multnomah Falls produced more oohs and aahs than usual. Multnomah Falls has recently been surpassed as Oregon’s leading attraction—by a casino.
In the evening, after yet another indescribable repast, we watched a sneak preview of Video Chronicler Steve Ewing’s production. Since we all were stars, the applause was thundering. How can tomorrow be better?
