At 6 a.m. under clear skies, National Geographic Quest approached the lock of Little Goose Dam on the Snake River. Many of us rose early to watch the process of locking our way down the Snake toward its confluence with the Palouse River. At the Palouse we “dropped the hook” and began another day of adventures with kayaking, visiting Palouse Falls, and taking Zodiac cruises up the Palouse River into the rugged and beautiful Palouse River Canyon. In the afternoon, as we cruised downriver, Aaron our photo instructor gave a presentation on using our cell-phone cameras and showed us how to record a time-lapse record of the transit of our next lock at Lower Monumental Dam. We also learned about the Columbia River basalt province and the ice age floods from our geologist Grace. And Junius, our excellent historian, regaled us with his story of Mr. Jefferson and Captain Lewis.
4/27/2024
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National Geographic Sea Bird
Astoria, Oregon
We reached the penultimate day of our journey in Astoria, Oregon, where the Columbia River collides with the open ocean. We were met with a typical Pacific Northwest day of gentle rains punctuated by moments of sunshine. The guests were divided to conquer this gem of a city, nestled under bridges; half headed across the river to Washington to visit the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center at Cape Disappointment, while the other half visited the Columbia River Maritime Museum and Astoria Column. The museum and the interpretive center are both excellent examples of what the west coast can offer with regard to history and culture. Each has thoughtful exhibits that cover broad swaths of topics, and are staffed with informative and helpful faculty. After a hearty lunch on board, the groups swapped in order to have the best of both worlds. Finally, all met back aboard for the week’s final recap and guest slideshow.
