Hood River & Columbia River Gorge
We disembarked from the National Geographic Sea Lion and traveled by Zodiac to the nearby shore, where buses awaited at Maryhill, on the north bank of the Columbia River. Our ship continued its voyage down river, so that we could rejoin it later in the day. Our day’s adventure started with a visit to the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center, a wonderful museum that reflects the unique diversity of the cultural and natural history of the area.
Then, another quick ride along the banks of the Columbia transported us to the Historic Scenic Highway. Originally constructed as the Columbia River Highway during the period from 1913 to 1922; today a portion of the highway, including the Mosier Tunnels, is closed to vehicular traffic and has become a very popular hiking and biking trail. At 4.5 miles in length with modest grades, it presented a perfect opportunity to observe the heavily wooded hillsides that are covered with many species of plants, both small and large, including Douglas Fir, Ponderosa Pine, Poplar and Big Leaf Maple. Members of our expedition hiked and cycled the length of the historic trail; while others took a shorter interpretive walk with Staff Naturalist Verne Huser.
The afternoon allowed some time to explore downtown Hood River. Nearly daily winds that funnel down through the Columbia River Gorge over the flat water make this windsurfing heaven. We departed shortly thereafter to rejoin the National Geographic Sea Lion as the rendezvous scheduling worked just right. This allowed us to be in position to watch the sunset as the National Geographic Sea Lion passed through the Bonneville Lock, the last such transit of our voyage.
The Lewis & Clark Corps of Discovery expedition passed this way just over two hundred years ago; and our retracing their steps has given new meaning to the amazing accomplishment of these brave explorers. Our hope is that our voyage is a testament to that element of the human spirit that keeps us seeking, exploring and learning.
We disembarked from the National Geographic Sea Lion and traveled by Zodiac to the nearby shore, where buses awaited at Maryhill, on the north bank of the Columbia River. Our ship continued its voyage down river, so that we could rejoin it later in the day. Our day’s adventure started with a visit to the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center, a wonderful museum that reflects the unique diversity of the cultural and natural history of the area.
Then, another quick ride along the banks of the Columbia transported us to the Historic Scenic Highway. Originally constructed as the Columbia River Highway during the period from 1913 to 1922; today a portion of the highway, including the Mosier Tunnels, is closed to vehicular traffic and has become a very popular hiking and biking trail. At 4.5 miles in length with modest grades, it presented a perfect opportunity to observe the heavily wooded hillsides that are covered with many species of plants, both small and large, including Douglas Fir, Ponderosa Pine, Poplar and Big Leaf Maple. Members of our expedition hiked and cycled the length of the historic trail; while others took a shorter interpretive walk with Staff Naturalist Verne Huser.
The afternoon allowed some time to explore downtown Hood River. Nearly daily winds that funnel down through the Columbia River Gorge over the flat water make this windsurfing heaven. We departed shortly thereafter to rejoin the National Geographic Sea Lion as the rendezvous scheduling worked just right. This allowed us to be in position to watch the sunset as the National Geographic Sea Lion passed through the Bonneville Lock, the last such transit of our voyage.
The Lewis & Clark Corps of Discovery expedition passed this way just over two hundred years ago; and our retracing their steps has given new meaning to the amazing accomplishment of these brave explorers. Our hope is that our voyage is a testament to that element of the human spirit that keeps us seeking, exploring and learning.
