Climate Change is Real

This evening we are passing through the third of eight locks on our way to Lewiston. We’ve already been through the Bonneville Dam and The Dalles dam, and now the John Day dam which will raise us over 100 feet. We have also gone from the rainforest environment on the west side of the Cascades to the dry climate east. The Columbia River Gorge changes  in character too. 

The guest lecturer on board is excellent—a wealth of information on Lewis and Clark and all things related to the river. He even dresses each day in authentic costumes. 

Most interesting is the epic story of the salmon and how they has been affected by alteration of the river. Obviously, the dams impact their ability to go upstream to spawn and then also for the young get to the ocean. But they are being successfully helped. 

At The Dalles is the Maryhill Museum of Art. It has eclectic collections, including many Rodins. It is in a house built by Sam Hill. He also constructed a complete replica of Stonehenge as a memorial to the fallen of WWI.  It is constructed of cement. 

By the way, before we left on the boat, we found the very first geocache ever placed in 2000 There is a plaque to commemorate it.

The Mighty Columbia

We’ve been on the Columbia River aboard the American Pride for five days. 

We first headed west from Portland to Astoria where Lewis and Clark wintered at Fort Clatsop. It was appropriately foggy and gray. 

In preparation for the trip, we listened again to Undaunted Courage. It brought everything to life. We could just imagine the Corps of Discovery paddling down the river 

We then turned around and headed east upstream. An excursion to Mount St Helens brought back the entire story of the eruption in 1980. What devastation, but 38 years later the forests are rejuvenated. Unfortunately, Mount St Helens was in the clouds. The river bed still runs gray from volcanic ash. 

The number one tourist attraction in Oregon is the Multnomah Falls. It falls 542 feet at the top and 69 feet at the lower falls. 

More Fun in Oregon

Monday, April 23

Spent a couple days in Bend with a high school classmate of Rick. They showed us some great scenery. Here is Mt Bachelor as seen from the Newberry National Volcanic Monument. Note the lava fields in the foreground. 

The next day we visited Smith Rock state park that was teeming with rock climbers 

After our exertions, we refreshed at one of the many craft breweries in town. Bend has the highest number of breweries per capital of any place in America. A tasting flight was a necessity. 

On our way back to Portland to begin our cruise, we stopped at the Evergreen Air and Space Museum to see Howard Hughes’ Spruce Goose. It only flew once in 1948 and then was in storage for 33 years. It’s quite a story on how it got from California to Oregon.  The plane is so huge that you can’t get it all in one photo. Men can actually stand upright inside the wings!!

Oregon Fun Facts

Did you know that it is illegal to pump your own gas in Oregon?  All gas stations have attendants like the good old days. 

The Oregon coastline is beautiful. There is a 12 mike stretch named the Boardman corridor after Samuel Boardman, father of Oregon’s state parks. 

The seafood is outstanding. You can rent cages and go crabbing yourself. 

We took the easy way and went to Tony’s Crab Shack on the pier in Bandon. His crab sandwiches are designated in the top 10 in Oregon. 

And one more lighthouse—this one is at Cape Blanco. It was built in 1870 and is still operating today. 

The adventure continues. 

Scottish Style Golf in Oregon

Bandon Dunes has three major courses that resemble Scottish links courses.  And they are lined with gorse, just like Scotland. The resort is lovely. 

The gorse. 

And the golfers. We are golfing each of the three courses. The weather has improved with increasing sunshine and only passing showers. 

Escape from Milwaukee

04-15-18

We were lucky to get out of Milwaukee today!  Below is what the city looked like from our dining room at 3:30am. It’s April 15th, and we had to wait for the runway to be plowed and the plane de-iced before we could take off!!  

Arrived Portland before noon (where it unfortunately was raining) and headed south. Stopped off in Eugene to take a look at the campus of the University of Oregon. Then drove west through a rainforest like area to the coast. 

It’s such a wet environment that all the trees have a thick coating of moss. 

Spring has arrived here and everything is very green with trees in bloom. 

Then south along the coast and the Oregon Dunes National Recreational Area—the largest expanse of coastal sand dunes in North America. 

There are 11 lighthouses along

The Oregon coast, this one being the Umpqua River L.H.