Umatilla, Oregon
This image shows the dark and moody sky that added a touch of visual drama to our afternoon cruise through the Blalock Islands near Umatilla, Oregon. Northwest skies are a presence on all our expeditions along the Columbia and Snake rivers, although most of us seldom pay them much attention unless the weather is genuinely threatening. Those of us who are photographers study the sky and seek to incorporate interesting cloud formations into our landscape images. On this voyage we have been blessed with very dramatic skies ever since leaving Portland yesterday afternoon--swirling clouds pierced by occasional shafts of sunlight.
This morning we greeted the new day at The Dalles Dam. Alas, a bank of clouds obscured Mt. Hood, Oregon's tallest peak, for much of the morning, though it was possible to glimpse parts of the snow-covered mountain at different times as we cruised up the Columbia River.
This was a full day of cruising punctuated by a slide lecture in the morning by Carlos Schwantes summarizing the Lewis and Clark expedition and another in the afternoon by Linda Burback on recognizing animals by the signs nature provides to any careful observer--such as by tracks, or scat, or other clues. Finally, our hotel manager Judy Blewitt hosted a wine and foods of the Northwest tasting in the ship's lounge, allowing us to savor the Pacific Northwest with our taste buds as well as with our eyes.
Just before dinner we entered McNary Dam as we continued our climb toward scenic Wallula Gap and beyond there, the confluence of the Columbia and Snake rivers.
This image shows the dark and moody sky that added a touch of visual drama to our afternoon cruise through the Blalock Islands near Umatilla, Oregon. Northwest skies are a presence on all our expeditions along the Columbia and Snake rivers, although most of us seldom pay them much attention unless the weather is genuinely threatening. Those of us who are photographers study the sky and seek to incorporate interesting cloud formations into our landscape images. On this voyage we have been blessed with very dramatic skies ever since leaving Portland yesterday afternoon--swirling clouds pierced by occasional shafts of sunlight.
This morning we greeted the new day at The Dalles Dam. Alas, a bank of clouds obscured Mt. Hood, Oregon's tallest peak, for much of the morning, though it was possible to glimpse parts of the snow-covered mountain at different times as we cruised up the Columbia River.
This was a full day of cruising punctuated by a slide lecture in the morning by Carlos Schwantes summarizing the Lewis and Clark expedition and another in the afternoon by Linda Burback on recognizing animals by the signs nature provides to any careful observer--such as by tracks, or scat, or other clues. Finally, our hotel manager Judy Blewitt hosted a wine and foods of the Northwest tasting in the ship's lounge, allowing us to savor the Pacific Northwest with our taste buds as well as with our eyes.
Just before dinner we entered McNary Dam as we continued our climb toward scenic Wallula Gap and beyond there, the confluence of the Columbia and Snake rivers.
