Cruising the Columbia River

We just returned from a week-long river cruise in the Northwest United States.  This is the first time we've taken a cruise and must admit it was very nice!  There were lots of historical outings planned as the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery story plays prominently in this area as well as other local places of interest.  The food was fantastic and, best of all, we didn't have to do any driving!  

I'll share some of the highlights.

We spent the relaxing week on the the American Cruise Lines America West, a small riverboat with working paddlewheel.

There are numerous locks and dams on the Snake and Columbia Rivers.  It was so interesting watching the locking process.  I was surprised how quickly the river boat can go through!  It really is an engineering marvel!

The banks of the Snake River were pretty rugged.  We had a small balcony we could sit outside our room and watch the view go by or one could enjoy the view from various places around the boat.  We also enjoyed meeting many delightful and interesting people.  The boat's capacity was 100 but I believe there were only about 80 passengers.

As mentioned earlier, the Lewis and Clark story was a focus on this trip.  Dr. Rick Chromey, author, speaker and pastor, gave several interesting and entertaining talks on the Corps of Discovery.  These were really good and were very well attended!

One fun excursions we took was to the Western Antique Aeroplane and Automobile Museum or WAAAM.  This place has one of the largest collections of still-flying antique aeroplanes and still-driving antique automobiles in the country.  Once a month, several are taken out for a "spin."  We were really surprised at the extensive collection!

We were lucky to catch this view of Mount Adams on our way to the WAAAM.

The Muthlnoma Falls were stunning!  The two falls are a combined 620 feet, 10 feet shorter than our St. Louis Arch.

We walked to the bridge for a closer look.     

We celebrated the 4th of July at Stevenson, WA.  There were lots of fireworks along the river by the locals.  Here's a sample of the celebration-

Cape Disappointment, near Astoria Washington, had the largest collection of driftwood!  This is a state park so all that driftwood is protected.

These two shots were taken by placing my phone in a hollow piece of driftwood.  

One of our last stops was Mount St. Helens.  She was "a bit shy" during our visit which is what the locals say when the clouds cover the summit.  In the 40 years since this volcano erupted, nature is starting to recover.  

As we were driving down the mountain, we noticed the clouds were just lifting a bit!

We were welcomed home by this beautiful flower arrangement from our daughter!  One of her hobbies is growing her own flowers for making arrangements.  Isn't she talented! 

Thank you for stopping by and tagging along on our Columbia River cruise!  Wishing you a wonderful, blessed week!

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