Suddenly overnight, the hills lost their cover of lush green as National Geographic Sea Lion continued eastward along the Columbia River. Now the landscape consisted of naked basalt cliffs, dark brown and tan coloration and industrial hues. As we docked at the city pier at The Dalles, Oregon, a new day of exploration lay before us in the dry steppe terrain with the great river now almost 200 feet above sea.
It was off to the Columbia River Gorge Discovery Center and its wide array of exhibits and presentations about life in the National Scenic Area known simply as the Gorge. The changes brought to this place, since geologic time began, have and continue to shape the land and river. It has been an important center of trade and commerce even before white explorers and settlers from the east began to flood the Oregon territory after the exploration by Lewis & Clark and the Corps of Discovery. After enjoying the quilt of new knowledge gained there, some returned to the ship by bicycle over a six-mile trail along the river. Others continued by motor coach back into The Dalles for more historical perspective at the Lewis & Clark site, the Rock Fort, and other venues.
With Celilo Falls being the heart of native salmon fishing, people from all over the west came to the great river to trade for the life-enriching protein caught in the reoccurring seasonal fish runs. With the construction of the hydroelectric dam at The Dalles, Celilo was inundated and lost as it submerged under the rising waters. Now push boat tugs tend to barges of grain, French fries and other commodities along the river passing over Celilo without so much as the evidence of a ripple of its tumultuous past.
After a deck picnic lunch, we travelled upstream via motor coach to reach Maryhill on the hills high above the river. Sam Hill’s Museum of Art is a treasure chest full of an eclectic collection of sculpture, art, native regalia and much more. We also visited Hill’s Stonehenge Peace Memorial to the World War I dead from this, Klickitat County. It is a solemn centennial remembrance of the start of the Great War.
The day completed, we re-boarded our ship after a short ride in our expedition landing craft. We headed off again, upstream to the John Day Dam and we locked through being lifted vertically 100 feet in order to continue on our way as the sun set astern, to conclude a very special and beautiful day.
