Wallula Gap
Overnight rain and cloudy skies at dawn dampened spirits early, but our first breakfast on board and breaks in the cloud cover soon took over. We’d passed through the Dalles lock overnight and the John Day lock in the rain just before breakfast, aware of the guillotine gate through which we passed without losing our heads.
After breakfast, guest lecturer Bob Gatten of Greensboro, NC, gave an overview slide presentation on the Lewis and Clark expedition, which covered it from Jefferson’s mind to the Pacific, then back to St. Louis, a presentation that delighted the mixed group of 51 guests.
A question-and-answer session extended the group’s intellectual curiosity. A fire drill for the ship’s crew and an abandon-ship drill for the passengers barely broke the mood as the sun broke through the cloud cover. Passengers gathered on deck to watch the landscape go by, to watch a variety of birds and to spot a small flock of bighorn sheep.
An S3 lunch (soup, salad, sandwich) and a passage through the McNary lock led the Sea Bird party to a mid-afternoon trip ashore by Zodiac to Hat Rock, which Capt. William Clark named and described on Oct. 19, 1805—198 years ago today. Many of the party climbed the steep trail to get a closer view of Hat Rock, but others went for a run or a walk around the pond to identify trees, shrubs, grasses, and forbs.
The last of the shore party returned to the ship by Zodiac by 5 pm just in time for a wine-tasting and gourmet smoked seafood repast as the Sea Bird moved into Wallula Gap, the clouds returned, and the sun set without fanfare, a dark ending to a mostly bright and sunny day.
Overnight rain and cloudy skies at dawn dampened spirits early, but our first breakfast on board and breaks in the cloud cover soon took over. We’d passed through the Dalles lock overnight and the John Day lock in the rain just before breakfast, aware of the guillotine gate through which we passed without losing our heads.
After breakfast, guest lecturer Bob Gatten of Greensboro, NC, gave an overview slide presentation on the Lewis and Clark expedition, which covered it from Jefferson’s mind to the Pacific, then back to St. Louis, a presentation that delighted the mixed group of 51 guests.
A question-and-answer session extended the group’s intellectual curiosity. A fire drill for the ship’s crew and an abandon-ship drill for the passengers barely broke the mood as the sun broke through the cloud cover. Passengers gathered on deck to watch the landscape go by, to watch a variety of birds and to spot a small flock of bighorn sheep.
An S3 lunch (soup, salad, sandwich) and a passage through the McNary lock led the Sea Bird party to a mid-afternoon trip ashore by Zodiac to Hat Rock, which Capt. William Clark named and described on Oct. 19, 1805—198 years ago today. Many of the party climbed the steep trail to get a closer view of Hat Rock, but others went for a run or a walk around the pond to identify trees, shrubs, grasses, and forbs.
The last of the shore party returned to the ship by Zodiac by 5 pm just in time for a wine-tasting and gourmet smoked seafood repast as the Sea Bird moved into Wallula Gap, the clouds returned, and the sun set without fanfare, a dark ending to a mostly bright and sunny day.
