Seattle Washington - June 1 - June 4, 2007

                Laura                          Rosemary           Diane              Mary             Nancy

A toast to you.  What a wonderful time.  Lots of ships to inspect, classes to attend and

of course parties to attend.

 On Sunday, February 18, we registered in the lobby at the Embassy Suites at the Airport in a special area that Majestic America had set-up and then proceeded into the restaurant where we enjoyed a light lunch compliments of Majestic America.  We were then taken by motor coach to our ship that was docked on Swan Island near downtown Portland. We were Welcomed Aboard by the Captain, his crew and staff.

 We had a nice balcony cabin on the Frontier Deck which was quite adequate with a very comfortable bed.   The ship is small enough that you can find your way around in short order.  Some of the benefits of this cruise were that fact that you got to know the other passengers, the crew was absolutely wonderful and every one of them pitched in to make the cruise enjoyable.

Even the entertainers in the evening accompanied us on the shore excursions and greeted us as we returned from our sightseeing tours. 

 The next morning, we entered the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area.  This is one of the most majestic areas along the river. We docked in The Dalles, Oregon, where following our lunch in the Romanov Dining Room, we boarded motor coaches to the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center.  The Center has numerous exhibits highlighting the Lewis and Clark Expedition: 1803-06.  The transit of Bonneville, The Dalles and John Day Locks complete a very full day.

 This cruise is a journey that traces the Lewis & Clark exploration of the Northwest.  While onboard we had various speakers throughout the cruise with regard to Lewis & Clark and the settlers who forged the Oregon Trail.  This is truly a journey of discovery and the local experts and the Native American performers, which are all included in the shore adventures, heightened each experience. 

 Feb. 20 – Today’s highlights included a tour of the Pendleton Underground.  No town has a more colorful history!  Pendleton was known as the entertainment capital of Eastern Oregon.  This is where the past becomes real.  In September every year, Pendleton is home to the second largest rodeo in the country.  After a great lunch in “Hanley’s”, we toured the Tamastsklit Indian Cultural Center.

 Feb 21 – Today we cruised the Snake River along its tumbling course to North America’s deepest canyon.  We docked in Lewiston, Idaho, and boarded jet boats for a ride through Hell’s Canyon.  This was the highlight of our trip.  We took pictures of a herd of Rocky Mountain sheep.  The Ram posed very regally for his picture on an outcropping of rocks along the river.

 The next day we were cruising on the river and were mesmerized by the turning of the paddlewheel and the ever-changing scenery.

 Feb. 23 – We passed Portland on the Columbia River in the middle of the night and docked in Rainier.  This was our day to journey to Mount St. Helens.  We crossed over the bridge into Washington and proceeded to the first Visitor Center where the 1980 eruption is brought to life through exhibits and films.  We were scheduled to continue to the next Visitor Center further up the mountain, however, it started to snow and we had to cancel those plans.  Instead, we journeyed by motor coach down the Washington side of the Columbia toward Astoria, Oregon.  Along the way we encountered a herd of elk, bald eagles and deer.

 Feb. 24 – We had docked in Astoria the previous evening and today’s highlights included visits to historic Ft. Clatsop where Lewis & Clark spent the winter of 1805-06 and the fascinating Maritime Museum, which has been rated the second best maritime museum in the country. At the mouth of the Columbia River, where it flows into the Pacific Ocean, it is so turbulent that the Coast Guard uses this area for their training.  There is a graveyard of sunken ships (over 200) at or near the entrance.

 Feb. 25 – We docked in Portland and disembarked the ship at around 9:00 am.

 All-in-all it was a tremendous “journey of discovery”.  There was definitely a surprise around every bend in the river.  We would have to say that our experience on the ship was outstanding.  No standing in line for anything, food was excellent, service exceeded our expectations and the shore excursions couldn’t have been better. 

 As we are both from Portland, we wondered why anyone would come to Portland in February and take this cruise during our rainy season.  What we found was that there were a number of reasons -  many people were from the mid-West and East and found the weather to be better than where they had come from and many of them had taken the Mississippi River Cruises and were anxious to experience the history of the Old West and especially learning more about the Lewis & Clark Expedition and they loved river cruising.