The town of Hood River hosted us over night and served as our base camp for a morning filled with activities. As soon as breakfast was finished we split off onto two different busses. The first bus headed out of the town to Draper Girls Family Farm whereas the second bus went directly to the Western Antique Automobile and Aeroplane Museum (WAAAM). We were quite fortunate to have clean views of Mt. Hood (the tallest peak in Oregon) towering behind the Draper Girls Wildflower Garden. Bins of pears, apples, pumpkins and many other delicious looking fruits and vegetables tempted our wallets, while young pygmy goats energetically played in their pen. The WAAAM was larger and had a far more impressive and sizeable display than any of us had imagined. This collection of autos, antiques and planes was fascinating and took us on a historical journey through the 1900’s.
After lunch the National Geographic Sea Lion dropped lines and headed south down the Columbia River towards the little town of Cascade Locks where we docked just beside the Bridge of the Gods. A short bus ride brought us to Oregon’s most visited site; Multnomah Falls, which the combined two falls stand a remarkable 620ft. Most of us just enjoyed the view and the nice walkway while a few motivated souls charged up 11 switchbacks of the trail to the overlook.
Later in the afternoon we entered the lock at Bonneville Dam, the last of the dams of the journey and the most western dam of the Columbia River. It is estimated that commerce totaling $15 Billion traverses the locks of the Columbia every year. As the lock gates opened and we entered the free flowing Columbia we had great views of Beacon Rock which Lewis and Clark noted back in 1805.
