October 1

Columbia River Cruise 2.0

October 1:  The Dalles

Yesterday we left Richland and began sailing just a little before dinner time.  So I went up to the top and took some photos of the setting sun and scenery.  It's the reason we've returned to this cruise....

Also, for those who have mentioned that this looked like a cruise they may be interested in, here's a shot of our stateroom.  They truly are small, but you really...REALLY are never in your room.  And on our level for example, just ten steps away is a huge living room with all kinds of comfortable furniture, 24 hour snacks/coffee/soft drinks and panoramic windows.

Last night at dinner, for the second consecutive evening, the entertainer for the evening sat at our dinner table.  We discovered that Perri was going to be giving a lecture on pictograms and petroglifs.  She said that while we would be passing by an area know for this (where she gives tours) we would not have a chance to stop and see them.  BUT, she told us the captain had said you could see one of the bigger ones if you were up early.  Kim and I had just gotten up when that announcement was made and because you would need binoculars to see it, we didn't rush up.  But after getting coffee we went up to enjoy the crisp morning air (49 degrees!).  We were surprised to see a gathering of about a half dozen people at the front of the ship, including Perri, and that the ship was right up to the shore line.  Turns out there was another petroglif that Perri had never seen before!  Here's the photos of it, including close-ups:

NOTE the highlighted area - this is where the petroglif is

What's also interesting is that these were drawn prior to the building of the Dalles Dam in the 1950s and that dam raised the water level over 40 feet, so who ever did this scaled the cliffs to etch this into the side of the cliff!  After breakfast we were approaching another lock and so I took some pics of the before and after as we were dropped nearly 75 feet.

Just a side note.....The Dalles was the official end of the Oregon Trail.  Here settlers would either settle or catch a ship to move farther west by river along the Columbia River as we will be doing.  Also, this marks the entry into the Columbia River gorge.  And if you think you've seen beautiful scenery, just hold on Nellie, it's about to get REAL!

Ed & Peg Off To Explore The Dalles

Cascade Cliffs Winery Excursion

We were off on our excursion a little after 2 pm when we took our bus back to the Dalles Bridge we'd crossed under this morning and drove over to the Washington side of the river.  There we drove along the scenic mountains and river setting while our bus driver Lynn told us about the area, and in about twenty-five minutes we reached the picturesque winery.

We were met in the vineyard by the owner's sister, Joanie, who offered us all a sampling of one of their white wines.  They are known for their red wines however and after an introduction to their history (they are the oldest vinery operating in the area) we moved to a shaded area where we had several red wines, and then later whites under a canopy of grapes.

After about forty minutes of sampling we got to see the grapes being crushed and separated from their skins, then to walk around the grounds where I took a few photos of their magnificent piece of property.  As a thank you for taking the excursion American Cruise Lines paid for all of us to keep our signature wine glass.