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Day 9 -- 7/16/25 (Wednesday) Lewiston/Travel day

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  We followed the disembarkation procedure, had breakfast and then were transported to a hotel where we were supposed to wait for somebody to pick us up at 2 pm and take us to Lewiston airport for our 5 pm flight. Lewiston airport is tiny! There are only two flights a day – one in the morning and one in the afternoon – both to Salt Lake City. When we were booking our flights, the return flight from Lewiston was scheduled around noon, which was perfect. Then we got an email from Delta that this flight was cancelled and they rebooked us on the 5 pm flight. We accepted the rebooking without much thought, and that was a big mistake. From some people on the ship who were in a similar situation we found out that they opted for going to another airport instead. Some took a shuttle to Spokane, but for us the best option would have been to rent a car and drive to Boise (about 2.5 hrs) from where there is a direct flight to Orange County. And supposedly the drive is quite pretty. One is alwa...
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Day 8 – 7/15/25 (Tuesday) Clarkston

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During the night we went through two more locks/dams. They were loud! Bo woke up, but Al slept through both of them. In the morning we had an information session about Clarkston/Lewiston and about the next day’s disembarkation process for various groups. There were 5 groups: (1) morning drop off at Lewiston airport; (2) Spokane airport shuttle; (3) National Parks continuation tour; (4) car rental drop off; and (5) Lewiston afternoon airport drop off (us).   At 1 pm, we started the most anticipated tour – a jet boat tour of Hells Canyon. We were told to be prepared for heat, but the day was absolutely perfect – sunny and warm, but not hot. We went directly from the ship into boats, but our boat turned out to be defective. After an attempt to fix the problem, they relocated us into two smaller boats, which was even better.  The ride through the canyon was amazing – spectacular views all around. Most of the land on the river banks inside the canyon is only accessible by boat...
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Day 7 – 7/14/25 (Monday) Richland

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  Day started with the tour of Richland at 9:15 am. This little town has a surprisingly fascinating history. During World War II, it was home to the Hanford Project, which was part of Manhattan Project. It played a crucial role in the Manhattan Project by producing plutonium for the first atomic bombs. The Hanford site was selected for its isolation, access to water and electricity, and ability to build and operate top-secret plutonium production facilities. Reactors at Hanford produced the plutonium used in the Trinity test and the "Fat Man" bomb dropped on Nagasaki. When the construction of the Hanford complex began in March 1943, it was a remote, desolate area. The Atomic Energy Commission had acquired 670 square miles of land in the Hanford area for a project related to the war effort, but that was all that was known. The Hanford Engineer Works employed thousands of people in a secret project. These people needed housing so a planned community called Richlan...
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Day 6 -- 7/13/25 (Sunday) Hood River

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  After a quick breakfast (buffet) we had to board buses for Multnomah Falls tour. It was about a 30 minute drive and when we arrived, the place was very crowded with summer and weekend tourists. The falls are very tall and quite beautiful. We walked up to the bridge, but decided not to climb to the top because the view from there is not exciting. The best view is actually from the bottom platform. We explored the visitor center, which had a lot of information about the fish in the Columbia River and what is being done to help them migrate up the river from the Pacific via the locks and dams. Each dam has a fish ladder and other means of assisting the fish. The Columbia River salmon migration is a remarkable journey where salmon return from the ocean to spawn in the freshwater streams where they were born. This cycle involves several runs of different salmon species, including coho,   Chinook ,  sockeye , and  steelhead , each with its own timing ...
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Day 5 – 7/12/25 (Saturday) Hood River

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  First breakfast in dining room rather than buffet.     Also going through the first of 8 locks on the river: Bonneville Lock and Dam built in 1937. Quick passage and beautiful scenery. Before arriving in Hood River, we had the second lecture about the Lewis and Clark expedition – from the Mandan Camp to the Pacific, the area we were visiting. We arrived in Hood River around 12:30 pm and saw many wind surfers near the port area. Hood River is supposedly a capital of windsurfing because of its unique windy conditions. It's also known for its wineries, breweries, fishing and hiking. First we were taken by bus to the WAAAM Air & Auto Museum, which has one of the largest collections of still-flying antique aeroplanes and still-driving antique automobiles in the country. It’s a huge place and the collection is amazing. All planes are in flying condition and look like new. Planes from the 1930 are the most beautiful flying objects ever built (Bo’s opinion). Then we went to...
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Day 4 – 7/11/25 (Friday) Astoria

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  All morning we walked around the old, charming town of Astoria. Lots of history here starting with Lewis and Clark who spent their first winter (1805/06) near here in the fort (Fort Clatsop) that they built for that purpose. It was a miserable winter – they wrote in their journals that out of 130 days they spent in this area, it rained every day but 12. We were much more lucky – it was a beautiful, warm but not hot, day. We decided to have lunch in town, and since the best fish&chips place was a food truck with an extremely long line, we settled for the second best and had our fish and chips at Hurricane Ron’s (mostly because of their flowers). Then we boarded a 100-year old tram for a narrated tour of Astoria. It’s run by volunteers and costs $1. Then we walked along the river bank learning more about the Scandinavian origins of Astoria and also about the two kinds of river pilots needed to navigate around the mouth of the Columbia River. The Columbia River Bar is a tre...
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