We planned on taking it easy on Monday. We did a great job - we did not accomplish a single thing. Tuesday morning I got up intent on at least a bit of maintenance. I found and caulked a couple of small leaks - that's enough for one day -right?
We planned on a dinner river cruise, so that pretty well took the rest of the day for cleaning up and getting ready.
You can tell what kind of day we had by looking east towards Mt. Hood - absolutely clear! The riverboat launched east of Multnomah Falls making this the third time we traveled along I-84. It's good that it is such a pretty drive.
Vista House from the Interstate
Our cruise was offered by Portland Spirit on the Columbia Gorge out of Cascade Locks, OR, a sternwheeler paddleboat similar to those on the Mississippi. On the Columbia River, however, the wheelhouse is placed forward to allow the captain a better view to judge the rapids. Since the river has a dam and locks now, we didn't have to worry about rapids.
I remembered to take a picture while we waited for our meal, but we ate so quickly I forgot to get a picture of the braised beef, garlic mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables. It was all great and we ate it all! No doggie bag for Sam - if we are lucky maybe he won't notice.
Our cruise passed under the "Bridge of the Gods." This bridge was built before the dam so it had to be raised 40 feet when the lake was created. That had to be an interesting project. I didn't notice anything about the bridge that would make me think it was aptly named - it was, in fact, pretty ordinary.
The sun sank in the west as we slowly paddled down the river and we got to see a little sunset color. There weren't any clouds for drama, but it was more colorful than the pictures seem to show.
I chatted for a while with Captain Tom. We discussed how the river had changed when the dam and the locks were built. He talked about the Indians living along the river and the fishing and the history of the area in general.
David had a little chat with Captain Tom.
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