Today we awoke to mist over the Columbia River, and then a brilliant sunrise that burned the mist away. We sailed up the Columbia and past Beacon Rock, so named by the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery in 1805, and viewed the many Native American fishing platforms that overhang the River.
The scale of the Bonneville Dam and power station was surprising, and as we entered the lock chamber behind a tug and barge, National Geographic Sea Bird seemed somehow smaller than before. The lock raised the ship about 90 feet before we docked at the old Cascade Lock.
A short coach ride took us back downriver to the 620-foot tall Multnomah Falls. Some of us walked up to the bridge above the lower falls and two guests made the strenuous hike all the way up to the head of the upper falls. The coaches returned us to the ship for lunch as the ship continued through the upper part of the Gorge to the town of Hood River.
We had a busy afternoon, with visits to three highly varied places: the Draper Girls farm where guests could purchase locally produced food items, the Western Antique Aeroplane and Automobile Museum with 120 airplanes and 140 cars all in working condition, and the Cathedral Ridge Winery where guests sampled the locally grown products. A very full and varied day of exploration!
