The Dalles on the Columbia River
Sailing downriver at the first hint of dawn, in the still dark sky Venus shines brightly as the morning star and Jupiter gleams between Orion the Mighty Hunter and Taurus the Bull. Stars fade and soon the rising sun finds Mount Hood’s glacier- and snow-covered summit and the great stratovolcano glows pink in the morning light.
We are soon docking at The Dalles where we are greeted by Fred and Ethel, resident domestic geese, and The Dalles “Floozies,” our outlandishly garbed and made-up welcoming committee—there is plenty of local color here in historic The Dalles. Following our visit to the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center, perched high above the Columbia River, we break into groups to cycle, speed-walk, and just amble. Amblers have time for photography, birding, and just looking at flowers, rocks, trees, and the beautiful vistas along the great river.
An afternoon visit to Maryhill Museum leaves us amazed that such an eclectic collection of art could possibly be found in this improbably located mansion and its beautiful grounds situated high above the river and far from any city. After a visit to the award-winning Maryhill Winery we make our way back to National Geographic Sea Bird for dinner and an evening presentation on volcanoes by Grace, our shipboard geologist and naturalist.
