Today we continued our adventure of exploration along the Columbia River. Our first stop was at Rowena Crest where we had sweeping views of the river and basalt cliffs. Then we drove to the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center and Wasco County Museum. The exhibits on the geology and cultural history of the gorge were varied and visually stimulating. Of great interest were the displays of two live raptors, representatives of the birds of prey inhabiting the gorge, and the exhibit of the items of cargo carried by Lewis and Clark’s Corps of Discovery. Some guests returned to the National Geographic Sea Bird by a 5.5-mile bike path, while others walked back via a shorter route. Others took a nature or photo walk around the natural area behind the Discovery Center. Yet other guests returned via motor coach to Lewis and Clark’s Rock Fort campsite, where the explorers spent time going downriver in 1805 and upriver in 1806.
After lunch on board, we traveled by motor coach across the Columbia River to the Washington side for a visit to the Maryhill Art Museum. Maryhill was built by Sam Hill, the Seattle businessman and attorney who was a great promoter of Good Roads in the Northwest. He was the driving force behind the Columbia River Highway along the Oregon shore between 1913 and 1922, which allowed drivers of motorcars to see the wonders of the Gorge. Hill’s Maryhill Mansion became an art museum for his eclectic collection of Rodin sculptures, Northwest Indian artifacts, and photos by E. S. Curtis, chess sets, and European furniture.
Sam Hill was so impressed with the huge number of deaths by soldiers in World War I that he built on his land overlooking the Columbia a replica of England’s Stonehenge, which Hill erroneously believed was a sacrificial site. Each soldier from Klickitat County who died in the War is commemorated by a bronze plaque on one of the Stonehenge columns. We had a brief talk about WWI and the enormous loss of troops and civilians in that long conflict, which began 100 years ago.
We drove on Maryhill State Park where we boarded our expedition landing craft for the short ride back to the National Geographic Sea Bird in time for refreshments, Recap, and dinner. Another very full and exciting day!
