National Geographic Sea Lion transited east in the Columbia overnight and we awoke to an entirely different landscape. On the east of the Cascade Mountain Range, we started to see columnar basalt valleys accompanied by a much drier climate. We admired the new views and then spent the morning transiting through the John Day Dam Lock, rising over 100 feet.
After crossing through the dam, we spent the afternoon exploring the Umatilla National Wildlife Refuge with its wonderful wetlands and migratory birds.
