Early in the morning National Geographic Quest whirled and stirred, and then came alive with activity as guests, staff, and crew awoke from a very peaceful night’s rest at anchor, just off the town of Pasco, Washington. Right in front of the ship was a very active train bridge over the Columbia River, with seven large freight trains passing over it before breakfast was finished! Once we got to shore, about 9 a.m., it was off in two bus groups toward the city of Walla Walla, Washington for our full day of activities! The two groups took turns going to the Fort Walla Walla Museum, the Whitman Mission and tour of the Tree Rivers Winery. We also joined up at the winery for a group lunch. Late afternoon it was back to the ship, cocktail hour and recap, dinner, and a post dinner lecture. Another full day on the Mighty Columbia!
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.
