The National Geographic Sea Lion began the busy day with a very fitting 5:30 am departure from our Hood River marina which hosted us for the night. We headed slightly under 2 hours up -river to the town of The Dalles which was established due to its proximity to the no-longer existing Celilo Falls, which was once the greatest salmon fishery the world has ever known. This was a trading hub for natives from the Pacific Coast, Canada, the Dakotas and California due to the abundance of salmon and interesting geography.
Our first adventure was a windy ascent up to Rowena Crest where we had breathtaking views in all directions but especially of the Columbia River Gorge and the columnar basalt that speckled the landscape. The sinuous curves and scenic road has often been used for auto commercials because of the shockingly spectacular views. Our next stop was the fantastic Columbia Gorge Discovery Center where we were greeted by a presentation of local birds of prey including; A rescued iconic red-tailed hawk, great horned owl and an American kestrel. After a wonderful demonstration and close up looks of these magnificent animals we scattered into all direction to take in the Discover Center’s vast amounts of local history.
The afternoon was spent across the river in Washington, beginning in the Maryhill Museum built by the very interesting businessman, Sam Hill. The story of this place is far too peculiar to even attempt to summarize in just a few sentences. Our historian Jim Rawls prepared us the previous night with a phenomenal lecture on the area and the characters involved. The museum offered an unusual and eclectic combination of art combined with surreal views of the Gorge. Following the museum was an emotional visit to the mock Stonehenge created by Sam Hill to commemorate local soldiers. After a quick descent and stop at a tasty little fruit stand, we were shuttled back from the Maryhill State Park by expedition landing crafts to our floating home. To top off the action packed day, we spent cocktail hour rising up the 105ft John Day locks (which just happen to be one of the tallest set of locks in the world) into Lake Umatilla where we continue our eastbound historical journey.
