Columbia River
The canyons of the Columbia obscured the sunrise from us and, during breakfast, we approached the ominous guillotine gate of the lock at John Day Dam. At the 105-foot depth of this deepest lock in the world, it was dark and cool. But a short ride upward brought us finally to sunrise and our day began as we cruised into the smooth waters above the dam.
Crisp fall air, a hint of yellow leaves along the river, and hundreds of migrating waterfowl gave us the flavor of the season here in the plateau country. At the Blalock Islands in Umatilla National Wildlife Refuge, hundreds of ducks and geese were interspersed by the unmistakable shapes of pelicans. Perhaps a dozen American White Pelicans were in our midst and, as the ship cruised through the glassy calm water, a few of them spread their large black and white wings and glided in front of us, their dramatic flights perfectly reflected in the mirror-like water.
After rising up through the lock at McNary Dam, the ship made a brief stop just off of Hat Rock, a basalt formation deserving of this name given it by Lewis and Clark. Almost two hundred years ago, William Clark climbed the bluffs across the river from Hat Rock and saw the highest peaks of the Cascade Mountains for the first time. Since these mountains had been charted on Vancouver’s voyage just a few years earlier, the sight of the peaks was one of the party’s first strong links with their long sought goal of reaching the Pacific.
As we walked around Hat Rock, many of the group spied a Western Meadowlark singing and saw two Black-billed Magpies fly over. Both of these birds were first described by Meriwether Lewis.
After a good walk, we returned to the ship in time to taste several of the region’s best wines. We filled our glasses and then visited the tables in the lounge, each set with a different variety of local foods. The delicious wine and hors d’oeuvres were a perfect finish to our fall day outdoors.
The canyons of the Columbia obscured the sunrise from us and, during breakfast, we approached the ominous guillotine gate of the lock at John Day Dam. At the 105-foot depth of this deepest lock in the world, it was dark and cool. But a short ride upward brought us finally to sunrise and our day began as we cruised into the smooth waters above the dam.
Crisp fall air, a hint of yellow leaves along the river, and hundreds of migrating waterfowl gave us the flavor of the season here in the plateau country. At the Blalock Islands in Umatilla National Wildlife Refuge, hundreds of ducks and geese were interspersed by the unmistakable shapes of pelicans. Perhaps a dozen American White Pelicans were in our midst and, as the ship cruised through the glassy calm water, a few of them spread their large black and white wings and glided in front of us, their dramatic flights perfectly reflected in the mirror-like water.
After rising up through the lock at McNary Dam, the ship made a brief stop just off of Hat Rock, a basalt formation deserving of this name given it by Lewis and Clark. Almost two hundred years ago, William Clark climbed the bluffs across the river from Hat Rock and saw the highest peaks of the Cascade Mountains for the first time. Since these mountains had been charted on Vancouver’s voyage just a few years earlier, the sight of the peaks was one of the party’s first strong links with their long sought goal of reaching the Pacific.
As we walked around Hat Rock, many of the group spied a Western Meadowlark singing and saw two Black-billed Magpies fly over. Both of these birds were first described by Meriwether Lewis.
After a good walk, we returned to the ship in time to taste several of the region’s best wines. We filled our glasses and then visited the tables in the lounge, each set with a different variety of local foods. The delicious wine and hors d’oeuvres were a perfect finish to our fall day outdoors.
