East on the Columbia River
“Cloudy morning our horses much Scattered which detained us until one oClock P.M. at which time we Set out…” Such was the situation noted by William Clark on September 17, exactly 199 years ago today. Our day started cloudy and misty as well, however, there were no horses to be gathered and we proceeded to navigate through our first daytime lock of John Day without delay.
Along the Oregon and Washington shorelines, brilliant yellow patches of grass filled in the horizontal spaces of the wedding cake tiered basaltic cliffs. Four mule deer bucks stood in silhouette atop the slope and scanning with our binoculars, we could see their antlers from our river level vantage point.
A morning presentation by our historian, Tom Mullen, provided a foundation for understanding the events leading up to the purchase and ultimately the exploration of the newly acquired Louisiana Purchase. The program was beautifully illustrated with a number of works of art depicting various landscapes and events described in the journals.
In the late afternoon we came to the confluence of the Snake and Columbia Rivers. A towboat, The Cascades, had three barges of wheat and was coming downstream towards us. This portion of the Snake would not allow a safe passing of the two vessels, so we had to wait for The Cascades to pass. While we waited we received and accepted an invitation for a lift from the operator of the railroad bridge upstream, we continued north on the Columbia a short distance and marveled at this beautiful stayed cable bridge which spans the Columbia and connects the cities of Pasco and Kennewick, Washington.
During the day we came across vineyards and orchards along the Columbia and then the Snake rivers. The opportunity to sample the fruits of these agricultural endeavors came this evening with a wine and specialty food tasting event in our own lounge. Selected wines, cheeses, fruits, chocolates and smoked seafoods tempted the eye and pleased the palate. During this culinary extravaganza, our Expedition Leader introduced wine tasting terminology and assisted us in finding the “legs” of our wine. He informed us they were particularly hairy on the Syrah.
Our day ended with animated conversations over a sumptuous meal of Alaskan halibut or New York strip steak and a dessert of apple blackberry cobbler; a delicious end to our first full day of travel aboard the Sea Lion.
“Cloudy morning our horses much Scattered which detained us until one oClock P.M. at which time we Set out…” Such was the situation noted by William Clark on September 17, exactly 199 years ago today. Our day started cloudy and misty as well, however, there were no horses to be gathered and we proceeded to navigate through our first daytime lock of John Day without delay.
Along the Oregon and Washington shorelines, brilliant yellow patches of grass filled in the horizontal spaces of the wedding cake tiered basaltic cliffs. Four mule deer bucks stood in silhouette atop the slope and scanning with our binoculars, we could see their antlers from our river level vantage point.
A morning presentation by our historian, Tom Mullen, provided a foundation for understanding the events leading up to the purchase and ultimately the exploration of the newly acquired Louisiana Purchase. The program was beautifully illustrated with a number of works of art depicting various landscapes and events described in the journals.
In the late afternoon we came to the confluence of the Snake and Columbia Rivers. A towboat, The Cascades, had three barges of wheat and was coming downstream towards us. This portion of the Snake would not allow a safe passing of the two vessels, so we had to wait for The Cascades to pass. While we waited we received and accepted an invitation for a lift from the operator of the railroad bridge upstream, we continued north on the Columbia a short distance and marveled at this beautiful stayed cable bridge which spans the Columbia and connects the cities of Pasco and Kennewick, Washington.
During the day we came across vineyards and orchards along the Columbia and then the Snake rivers. The opportunity to sample the fruits of these agricultural endeavors came this evening with a wine and specialty food tasting event in our own lounge. Selected wines, cheeses, fruits, chocolates and smoked seafoods tempted the eye and pleased the palate. During this culinary extravaganza, our Expedition Leader introduced wine tasting terminology and assisted us in finding the “legs” of our wine. He informed us they were particularly hairy on the Syrah.
Our day ended with animated conversations over a sumptuous meal of Alaskan halibut or New York strip steak and a dessert of apple blackberry cobbler; a delicious end to our first full day of travel aboard the Sea Lion.
