Our morning wake-up call came just before seven a.m. at the Hood River Marina. The National Geographic Sea Bird arrived the night before from The Dalles, so we had a quiet and peaceful evening tied-up to the dock, not the noise of entering and leaving the locks!
Right after breakfast it was time to head out for the morning’s adventures, so we signed of the ship, boarded the buses, and made our way to several destinations. One bus left for the Drapers Girl’s Farm for some produce sampling, and a magnificent view of Mount Hood. The other bus was headed to the Western Antique Airplane and Automobile Museum, an incredible working collection of machines, some dating back as far as the early 1900’s! There was also an option of just going into the Town of Hood River, to walk and explore this quiet, and quaint community.
After a short time at the farm, our bus left for the museum to give guests a second option for the morning, either enjoy the museum, or have an additional chance to visit Hood River.
By 11:00 am it was time for everyone to return to the ship, the National Geographic Sea Bird to drop its lines, and for us to continue a few hours down river to Cascade Lock, where we would resume activities for the afternoon. The first activity would be a short bus ride to the famous, and magnificent, Multnomah Falls, the highest waterfall in along the Columbia River. This impressive falls drops over 600 feet to the Gorge floor, and then joins the Mighty Columbia. Lots of photos were taken, some moderate walks enjoyed, and soon it was time to return to the ship for one last event of the day, our transit through Bonneville Dam and Lock, the last barrier before the Columbia makes its run to the Pacific!
So, after a short cruise of roughly a mile downstream, we entered the lock on a perfect late afternoon, descended roughly 70 feet, sang “Roll on Columbia”, and headed toward the Pacific Ocean, Astoria, and our final day of this wonderful trip!
