The Columbia River Corridor
We were greeted this glorious morning with a brilliantly painted sky. The veil of darkness was lifted as we negotiated the narrow passage at Hells Gate, just north of the mouth of the Deschutes River. After locking at the John Day Dam, we followed a pleasant aroma to the dining hall and enjoyed a down-home breakfast. The day became busy following breakfast. ‘Binoculars 101’ was mastered by many guests as they were successful in spotting several groups of California Bighorn Sheep. By 9:00am the guests were introduced to their spacious life preserver during the abandon-ship drill.
By late morning everyone relaxed in the lounge while our historian presented a very informative lecture on Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery. Following lunch, binoculars were again getting a work out spotting birds along the Blalock Islands. By 2:00pm we were approaching the McNary Dam. Most guests headed for the bow to listen to commentary on the lock and the dam complex. Once the Sea Bird entered Lake Wallula our naturalist gave a presentation on the connection between various river activities and land-uses along the Columbia River Corridor. Wallula Gap and the Twin Sisters highlighted our journey through the Horse Heaven Hills. Before nightfall we locked through the first dam on the Snake River, that being the Ice Harbor Dam. What a magnificent day; plenty of scenery, plenty of activity, and plenty of sun.
We were greeted this glorious morning with a brilliantly painted sky. The veil of darkness was lifted as we negotiated the narrow passage at Hells Gate, just north of the mouth of the Deschutes River. After locking at the John Day Dam, we followed a pleasant aroma to the dining hall and enjoyed a down-home breakfast. The day became busy following breakfast. ‘Binoculars 101’ was mastered by many guests as they were successful in spotting several groups of California Bighorn Sheep. By 9:00am the guests were introduced to their spacious life preserver during the abandon-ship drill.
By late morning everyone relaxed in the lounge while our historian presented a very informative lecture on Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery. Following lunch, binoculars were again getting a work out spotting birds along the Blalock Islands. By 2:00pm we were approaching the McNary Dam. Most guests headed for the bow to listen to commentary on the lock and the dam complex. Once the Sea Bird entered Lake Wallula our naturalist gave a presentation on the connection between various river activities and land-uses along the Columbia River Corridor. Wallula Gap and the Twin Sisters highlighted our journey through the Horse Heaven Hills. Before nightfall we locked through the first dam on the Snake River, that being the Ice Harbor Dam. What a magnificent day; plenty of scenery, plenty of activity, and plenty of sun.
