American Cruise 2nd

Tuesday September 17, 2019

Mt. St. Helens (Top Blown off)

Land Slide Remains

Mt. St Helens was “awesome”.  Recalling from 1980 in Wisconsin, our experience was just “Ash Clouds”.  But here we see the true experience of the event.  Literally blew the entire top of the mountain off.  Created the largest land slide know to humans.  Taking out everything in its path for some 20-30 miles.

Beached Ship to Disembark

Incredible!!   Flooding, mud, ash.  The visitors center had a very visual video of the event.  Very worthwhile visit.

Multnomah Falls

Our next visit was Multnomah Falls.  Rainy day but a   90 min bus ride there and back, but well worth it.  Interesting docking, beached the ship for a forward ramp departure.  There are over 1,000 falls in this gorge area, many inaccessible by normal  public transportation, back pack and hike only.  So we were grateful to see this one.
magnificent view of the falls.

WAAAM Museum

Packard

Afternoon we experienced the village of Hood River.  Toured the WAAAM ie; Western Antique Aeroplane and Automobile Museum.  Over three football fields of displays, all under roof.   Amazing!  Everything you can imagine on display, most in working order.  Easily could spend a full day here.  On to Dalles, Oregon tomorrow.





Wednesday September 18, 2019

Fort Dalles Anderson House

After a mid-morning breakfast, decided to take the “Discover Dalles” Shuttle. A hop on hop off tour of the area.  First stop the Columbia River Gorge Discovery Center.   Geological history as well as settlement history.  Then on to Fort Dalles Museum, a United States fort settlement providing protection for explores of the Northwest.  Lots and lots of history.  Final stop downtown tour of a “Neon Sign Presentation”.  Very interesting presentation of the development of Neon Signs.  More history, but good.

Neon Sign History

Thursday September 19, 2019


Continuing our journey upstream on the Columbia River to Pendleton, Or.

Pendleton

Hamley Resturant

Ship at Dock

Underground Bath

Brothel Option

Underground Gambling

Here we get to tour the “underground city”.  Created primarily to harbor cheap Chinese labor to build the railroads, expanded

Pendleton Woolen Mill

 to provide pleasure for the American Cowboys, brothels, gambling, drinking, bathing, etc.  Lunch at Hamley’s Resturant and then on to “Tamastsklit Reservation Culture Center.  (Try to pronounce that)  Anyway, very interesting.  Then on to the Pendleton Woolen Mill.  Many of you may know of the Pendleton products, expensive!

On the way back to our ship we viewed a video on “The Manhattan Project”.  This is the area it all took place.  The secret building of the “Atomic Bomb”.    

Hundred of thousands of people employed without a clue as to what was going on.  Scary

 but true!


Friday September 20, 2019


Our final leg and journey up The Snake River, final destination Clarkston.  My brides birthday today, Happy Birthday to Shari Mae.  I won’t say how old!   Chose to relax our final day on board.  

Tomorrow bags out and early departure for the airport at 8:30am.  Listened to the final presentation from our Lewis and Clark on board Historian.  He did a great job and certainly educated us in the settlement of the great Northwest.  Our trip rose river depth some 750ft from start to finish.  Numerous locks rising some 70-90’ each.

Snake River

See ya at home!