Today was another full and exciting day of exploration. We disembarked at the city of The Dalles where we were given a warm and boisterous welcome by local volunteers in period costume. We made a brief stop at Lewis and Clark’s Fort Rock campsite where they stayed while going downriver in 1805 and upriver in 1806. We then travelled on a portion of the old Historic Columbia River Highway to Rowena Crest Viewpoint where we had dramatic views up and down the Columbia. We have been surrounded by basalt and long stretches of history, both geologic and human!

Next was an inspiring visit to the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center and Wasco County History Museum. We saw displays of the cargo taken by Lewis and Clark on their long voyage and well-crafted exhibits of the geology and cultural history of the Gorge. Live birds of prey added yet another dimension.

The next phase of our busy morning was either a brisk walk or bike ride back to town, or a tour by coach to the Fort Dalles Museum where we saw the old Surgeon’s Quarters and many artifacts from life in the area.

After lunch back on the ship, we headed east by coach to visit Maryhill Art Museum. Maryhill was the home of Sam Hill, the Seattle businessman who inspired the Historic Highway along the Oregon side of the Columbia and settled in his new home on the Washington side. He later converted it to an art museum with an eclectic collection of Rodin sculptures, Native American objects, and other types of art. We then had a reflection on the centennial of the start of World War I at Sam Hill’s half-size replica of Stonehenge, built to commemorate the sacrifice of the service personnel of Klickitat County. A final stop at the Maryhill Fruit Stand resulted in lots of juicy purchases.