No Dilly-Dallying in The Dalles

by | Oct 15, 2025 | Uncategorized

I just love illiteration. Can you tell? My headlines are sooooo bad. And I know it. ?. But let’s move on to our next day of our Columbia River cruise. Yesterday’s stop was The Dalles, Oregon. That’s pronounced so it rhymes with Cal’s, as in the home run record for a catcher is Cal’s. The Dalles is a charming little city on the Columbia River. When we first saw this itinerary and decided to take the cruise, I was looking forward to this stop because, after 30 years of living in Washington, I was finally going to get to visit the Maryhill Museum and Stonehenge.

Before I tell you about our excursion, I want to show you some photos I got on the river after the sun came up on our trip from Astoria to The Dalles. Hope you enjoy them. It was a very pretty landscape. Don’t forget; if you click the first shot, you can scroll through with your arrow keys or by swiping. And PLEASE…don’t look at my photography on a phone. Please…

Now, more about the excursion for the day. When we got the list of excursions the cruise line was offering, we were shocked to see that Maryhill and Stonehenge weren’t on it. Just Maryhill winery. And since we are going wine tasting post-cruise in Walla Walla (a much better wine region), I decided that for less than the cost of the excursion, we could rent another van and drive up to Maryhill. I should add that when docking in The Dalles, we are only a short distance from Hood River, where we visited WAAAM to see its incredible display of automotive and aeronautical specimens. And American Cruise Lines (ACL) doesn’t do an excursion there either. Who would have thought they would skip two such interesting places?

But before we headed out to see Maryhill and Stonehenge, we had to wait until we docked in The Dalles, which was quite a while. As you may recall, we toured in Astoria yesterday, and that’s quite a distance from The Dalles. On the way between the two ports, we had to go back through the Bonneville Lock, and apparently, they are only open after 6:00 am. So we stopped at a park outside Vancouver, WA and waited until 6:00 am to transit the lock. Then it was off to The Dalles, where we arrived around noon. I had arranged for a van rental with Enterprise Rental Car, and it was about 1.3 miles from the port, so I took a nice walk to get there. One thing I can tell you for sure is that The Dalles is not the best place to walk on sidewalks. They will go a couple of hundred yards and then just stop, forcing you to cross a very busy street in the middle of a block or even a freeway off ramp from I-84. Apparently, The Dalles is not a big walking city.

Once I had the van, I headed back to the ship to pick everyone up and then it was off to the Maryhill Museum. I could tell you the entire story about how it was a huge house built by a guy named Sam Hill, but Sam is the Sam of “What in the Sam Hill” fame. People say that when someone has done something crazy. Building this big mansion way out here in the middle of nowhere was a crazy thing to do. He also loved art, so when he passed, they turned the house into an art museum. And I would say that it’s probably the most eclectic art museum ever. They have a huge collection of pieces by Rodin, a beautiful display of Native American beadwork, and more than 900 chess sets, which are amazing in their differences and creativity. They also have traveling exhibits that are not part of the permanent collection. While we were there, a wonderful collection of paintings showcased the different uses of light by American and European artists. And a totally enchanting exhibit called Théâtre de la Mode. Take a look at my photos and visit the website for more information about this interesting exhibit.

After our visit to Maryhill Museum, we continued to see Sam Hill’s version of Stonehenge, which he built to honor the boys who lost their lives in World War I. Since construction began before the war ended, it is the world’s first World War I memorial. It is a replica of how the British landmark of Stonehenge would have appeared when originally built by the Druids centuries ago. Here are the photos from that visit. 

After our stop at Stonehenge, we took a little extension to drive up and see Goldendale, a small community just north of the river. On the way, we all gasped as we pulled around a corner and were shocked by a vast prairie leading to a magnificent mountain. We all debated as to which of the Cascade it was but everyone wanted a photo, so I swung into the turnout and we got out to find out it was Mt. Adams in all it’s glory. Far in the distance, you could also see Mt. St. Helens with its top gone and just a little glimpse of Mt. Rainier’s top. Here are the photos from that quick stop.

That about covers yesterday. Another day of beautiful weather, for beautiful photos. The landscape and the museum provided the perfect subjects. Tomorrow we have a
“River Day” which is like a sea day except you spend it on a river and don’t stop. We will go through some locks and some more interesting country before landing in the flat plains of Washington’s Tri-Cities.

Maryhill Museum is the world’s most isolated art museum. —Time Magazine

 

 

Sunshine in Astoria

by | Oct 14, 2025 | Uncategorized

We arrived in our next port of call, Astoria, Oregon, to beautiful sunshine. We were parked right behind two Coast Guard cutters, so we felt perfectly safe ?. We had docked the night before around midnight, so we could get up and head out whenever we wanted. Kathleen and I had visited Astoria numerous times since 2022. Once on a big cruise ship and twice with our kids when we rented a summer place nearby, so we decided to skip all the American Cruise Line (ACL) excursions and just do our own thing.

After breakfast (more on the food later) I headed out to finally get in a nice, long walk. And I figured since it was so beautiful outside (especially after how stormy Kalama had been) I would make it a photo walk. And you get the benefit of it.

Astoria has a very nice river walk that runs about three miles along their entire waterfront. I walked that as well as some time downtown, all the while shooting away. Here are the first photos I took on the walk. Don’t forget: if you click the first shot, you can scroll through it using your arrow keys or by swiping. And PLEASE…don’t look at my photography on a phone. Please…

A few steps further down the road, this is what I was seeing.

On the way, I ran into a really cool, old railway car. Some of my favorite photos of this walk.

Still walking down the river walk as it curved around and went out to a place where I had a great view of a ship repair yard. Ran into a really cute little guy on the way.

At the end of my riverfront walk, I decided to take an alternative route back to the ship, passing through downtown. Glad I did because there were some great shots I could take, both funny and photogenic.

That just about concludes the day. We had a nice lunch at Fort George Brewery before heading back to the ship to watch my Seattle Mariners dominate the Toronto Blue Jays. What a great day. And dinner was pretty darn good as well.

With Victorian-era homes etched into hills overlooking the Columbia River, the picturesque settlement of Astoria is a port city with Scandinavian flavor. —Travel Oregon Magazine

 

We interrupt this trip to continue my 365

by | Oct 13, 2025 | Photography

For those following along on our Columbia River cruise, I hate to interrupt, but as you can see if you click the 365 in the menu bar, I am in the middle of a 365 project. That means I take one photo and post it per day. And then, on Sunday night, I usually create a post that compiles all the photos from that week in one place. A note gets sent out about that post, and those interested in my photography get to see it.

These are my photos, numbers 280-286. Enjoy, and let me know in the comments which is your favorite this week.

The earth is art, the photographer is only a witness. –Yann Arthus-Bertrand

 

Cold and clammy Kalama

by | Oct 13, 2025 | Uncategorized

Our first stop on this seven-night cruise is the Washington port of Kalama, billed as the “gateway to Mt. St. Helens.” 98% of the people on board were scheduled to take an afternoon trip by “luxury motor coach” to see St. Helens’ crater and stop by the visitor center. When Kathleen and I saw the weather (having visited Mt. St. Helens numerous times before), we decided to stay on board, and I could finish yesterday’s post. The other four members of our group decided to go ahead and go, as they had never seen the mountain before.

Unfortunately, the weather was not ideal. In fact, for most of the morning, it had been pouring. When they headed out just after lunch, they had high hopes that the clouds would be below them at the summit, but instead, they found themselves in the clouds rather than above them. As my brother Steve said (in a text from the “luxury motor coach”), “We got a nice bus ride.”

But later in the afternoon, while the buses were up in the clouds, the sky cleared for a little bit here in the port city of Kalama, so I got a chance to get off the ship and walk to the new Marketplace building, the port’s Interpretive Center and all the way into town without getting very wet from the passing showers.

This means I took some great photos (at least I think they are), especially one that showcases a very unique feature of our ship. When we sailed up to the Kalama dock, for some reason, we did not stop there. Instead, the captain went a ways down the bank and shoved the nose of the ship directly into the side of the river bank. Then, the front of the bow lifts up, and that’s how we got off and on the ship yesterday. I know it sounds strange, but here’s what it looks like in a photo I took after exiting the ship myself.

After exiting out of Harmony’s bow and getting up to the bank, there was a very nice walkway that took me all the way down to the entrance to the Mountain Timber Market. Think of this as a kind of mini-mall full of cool little shops and other attractions to entice travelers like me to spend some cash. I took a few pictures of this part of the walk that I can share.

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If you are ever driving south on I-5 and need a break, this would not be a bad place to stop. Really, a super building with lots of great shops, not to mention that totem pole.

After visiting the Market and listening to the great music, I headed further towards downtown. I shot a few more photos of the very nice park-like riverbank. There was an outdoor totem pole, a very nice hotel, and, of course, the river itself.

From the hotel, you can stroll past the marina, climb up three rickety, swayin’ metal stairs, cross a bridge over the railroad tracks, then come down even more rickety stairs to reach downtown Kalama. The town—more of a highway-side village—was mighty quiet on a Sunday afternoon. I was looking for a birthday card to send to a close friend, and honestly, the only option available was the local supermarket, which, it turned out, had a surprisingly fine selection of birthday cards. As I mentioned, downtown is really charming and quaint, so I’ve included some photos to give you a sense of the place.

After finding that birthday card, a funny magnet to act as a gift and some cool Christmas ornaments, it was back to the ship for me. On the way, what else? A few more photos to share.

One mystery I would like solved is that the last photo in that group was taken from a very nice pier that would have fit our ship perfectly. We know that because we drove by this pier on Monday on our way to Portland, and one of Harmony’s sister ships was attached to that pier. It would have made it a lot easier for all of us to access that Marketplace as well as the port’s Interpretive Center. No ships were docked there all day, so I have no clue why we didn’t use it.

That about covers Kalama. We had a great day with some very nice food and drink, which I will cover in another post.

There’s nothing greener than Washington state. They have the most beautiful vegetation on the planet. And the water is so clean.   —Fabio Lanzoni

 

Expectations Exceeded!

by | Oct 12, 2025 | Uncategorized

We have never sailed on American Cruise Lines (ACL) before. When speaking with people who have experienced it or reading reviews online, the results are typically mixed. Some love it, others not so much. One member of our Trilogy Travel Club really dislikes them, while another has taken three cruises with them and loved two of them and is going again. So, expectations were not high, but I came into this with an open mind.

As I write this, we are moored in Kalama, Washington, where 99% of the passengers will disembark to see Mt. St. Helens. Kathleen and I have decided to skip the three- to four-hour ride on the “luxury motor coach” and stay on board. We have been to the Mount St. Helens visitor center several times, and the weather is VERY rainy and cloudy (typical Pacific Northwest weather), so photos would look pretty dull. This led us to stay on the ship.

By the way, since I have been on board for almost a full day, I have decided this is a ship. It’s much too big to be a boat. We are on board the American Harmony. That’s her photo above that I stole from their website because I don’t feel like getting off and getting too soaked to take one myself. Hope that’s OK. I promise to get one myself later on the cruise, maybe when the weather improves in Eastern Washington.

Now, back to the trip. When you sail with ACL, you get an extra night at the hotel included before your cruise. At the hotel, everyone was informed of the departure time on Saturday morning and that their luggage should be ready to go by 7:00 am. Strangely enough, we were told to leave our luggage in the room, and they would come to pick it up—not outside in the hallway like on other cruises we’ve been on. There were then two options for departure. Some of the people taking the cruise would do a free pre-boarding excursion to Multnomah Falls. Since the six of us had visited the falls earlier in the week, we left the hotel at 11:00 am. We’re very glad we did because the ship carried more than 135 people; when we visited earlier, there was hardly anyone there. My photos from that day clearly show how great we had it. I think that other than the six of us, there were fewer than 20 people there.

Since most people were taking the falls tour, when it was time for the rest of us to head to the ship, there were only six of us and one other couple left. So, we got a really nice Mercedes Sprinter van for our 45-minute drive to where the ship was moored in Stevenson, Washington. We had originally been told we would board much further downriver, in the northern part of Vancouver, Washington, but the river levels at the edges were low, which meant we had to go further upriver, where dams controlled the water levels.

Once we arrived at the dock, it was a quick (but wet) walk to the gangplank, and we were on board. Since they had picked up our luggage at 7:00 am, it was already in our room (which was nice), so we could unpack and head to lunch. Here’s a quick look at our stateroom. Don’t forget; if you click the first shot, you can scroll through using your arrow keys or by swiping. Feel free to look at them on your phone. These aren’t meant to be art, just informational photos.

One of the benefits of being on Deck 4 is that both the River Lounge at the front of the ship and the Sky Lounge at the back of the ship are on our floor. The River Lounge is where performances, lectures, and other fun activities take place. Last night, our entertainment was a very funny guy named Kevin Neil. His performance was called “Cowboys and Curmudgeons” and, as I said, was hilarious in a dad-joke kind of way.

Here’s a merged panoramic photo of the River Lounge. Unlike the ship photo at the top of the page, you can click on the panoramas, and they will enlarge to fill your screen, allowing you to see the details if you want.

The Sky Lounge is a really nice space that combines a mini buffet, living room, game room, and snack bar all in one. It offers chairs, couches, and snacks available around the clock, along with complimentary drinks, including both alcoholic and non-alcoholic options. I am currently sitting on a very comfortable couch, enjoying a large glass of lemonade while writing this post. Here’s another panoramic shot of the Sky Lounge. On the far right in the back, you can see a bar that serves drinks throughout the day and evening, and it also serves as an alternative breakfast spot if you prefer to skip the dining room for that meal. We dined there this morning, and I had some really good lox and bagels with all the toppings, plus an excellent blueberry scone. By the way, the coffee on this ship is excellent, which is saying a lot because I am very picky about my coffee ?.

Behind the Sky Lounge is an open deck area with a few places to hang out when it’s not raining, as well as an alternative food option if you are not feeling like what’s being served in the dining room for breakfast or lunch that day. It does burgers, hot dogs, wraps for lunch and oatmeal or a breakfast sandwich in the morning. There is also a large deck for outdoor seating when the weather is better. Much of it is covered, but so far it has been empty due to the cold. Here’s a shot of the Sun Deck and the Back Porch Cafe.

That’s about it for Deck 4. Deck five above us only has staterooms and a little-used sun deck. But it is a great place to go and take photos when it’s not raining. For instance, I took this merged panoramic from up there as we headed west. It’s the “Bridge of the Gods.” We had seen it near Hood River last Wednesday when we drove out this way.

Deck three consists solely of staterooms and the pilot house/bridge, although decks 2, 3, and 4 feature a special alcove that we will discuss in a minute. On deck two aft is the gym. It’s a somewhat unusual gym/exercise area because, while one side features a variety of workout equipment, the other is equipped with tables and chairs that can be used for playing cards or enjoying drinks. Not sure I want to do that while I smell the sweaty folks working out, but you do your thing, I’ll do mine ?. Here’s a pano of that interesting room.

Deck two also has the laundry. Essentially, this consists of three stacked washers below three dryers in a small room, roughly the size of our closet at home. It is nice to be able to do some laundry, especially when we have already been on the road for six days and are trying to limit our luggage so it fits in the fan. It has been really busy until this afternoon. Strangely enough, the washer/dryer units are exactly the same ones Viking Ocean ships have. And since there is one laundry room on every deck on Viking Ocean ships with 950 guests and just one room on this ship with fewer than 200 guests, it’s really not that bad.

Another thing I really appreciate about this ship is the elevator that stops at every floor. Not for me, since I usually take the stairs on a cruise, but for Kathleen, who has knee and hip issues. I also like that around the elevator on decks 2, 3, and 4, there is a small, cozy room with couches, chairs, and tables. These are great spots to play games (with many options available), assemble a jigsaw puzzle (many are provided), or simply read a book (they have a small library). Here are pictures of each one.

I think that about does it for today. I just wanted to give you an idea of what the ship looks like. YIKES! I just realized I don’t have a shot of the dining room. A room that truly exceeded our expectations. It’s big, there is a very large amount of space between tables, and our waiter (and others) only have two tables to deal with each, so the service is amazing. More about that and the food tomorrow. Here’s a photo I took with my iPhone from just before lunch yesterday.

To sum up and conclude the headline…so far, American Cruise Line is far exceeding what I thought I would get. Except for a few small glitches (to be detailed later), I am totally impressed.

Exceeding expectations is where satisfaction ends and loyalty begins.  —Ron Kaufman