Columbia River Gorge Discovery Center
Our days on the river have been filled with changing sights, adventures on calm waters of the Palouse River, of excitement in the whitewater of Hell’s Canyon, but today we get the added perspective of exploring a museum that gives us an overall perspective. The Columbia River Gorge Discovery Center near The Dalles, Oregon ties it all together. The geology of the region, the changing landforms, the wildlife and vegetation are all interpreted. The human history is viewed as well. Early explorers, pioneers on the Oregon Trail, the coming of commerce on the river, and a twelve thousand year overview of early people, living along the river, are all laid out before us.
One of these events is the Lewis and Clark expedition, or Voyage of Discovery. Here in an extensive display of their journey, is an interactive exhibit of the keelboat that carried them as far as the Mandan villages of North Dakota. One of our young guests enjoys the excitement of exploring the new country they are traveling through, much as did those adventurers of two hundred years ago.
Not all adventures are reserved for the explorers themselves. Those of us on the Sea Lion have had our moments too. We went ashore from an anchored Sea Lion, through wind-driven waves in Zodiacs, to a waiting motor coach, delivering us to this museum experience. I’m sure this has increased our appreciation for the trials that the Corps of Discovery went through.
Our days on the river have been filled with changing sights, adventures on calm waters of the Palouse River, of excitement in the whitewater of Hell’s Canyon, but today we get the added perspective of exploring a museum that gives us an overall perspective. The Columbia River Gorge Discovery Center near The Dalles, Oregon ties it all together. The geology of the region, the changing landforms, the wildlife and vegetation are all interpreted. The human history is viewed as well. Early explorers, pioneers on the Oregon Trail, the coming of commerce on the river, and a twelve thousand year overview of early people, living along the river, are all laid out before us.
One of these events is the Lewis and Clark expedition, or Voyage of Discovery. Here in an extensive display of their journey, is an interactive exhibit of the keelboat that carried them as far as the Mandan villages of North Dakota. One of our young guests enjoys the excitement of exploring the new country they are traveling through, much as did those adventurers of two hundred years ago.
Not all adventures are reserved for the explorers themselves. Those of us on the Sea Lion have had our moments too. We went ashore from an anchored Sea Lion, through wind-driven waves in Zodiacs, to a waiting motor coach, delivering us to this museum experience. I’m sure this has increased our appreciation for the trials that the Corps of Discovery went through.
