by Jim Bellomo | 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 barge being pushed upriver
The lighthouse ship Columbia that is now part of the Oregon Maritime Museum.
As were two Coast Guard Cutters so we felt very safe.
The aft end of our ship.
The front of the Columbia
This reminded me of a good old fashioned church meeting for gulls.
There was a Scandinavian-themed park nearby with seven great trolls.
This boat was racing with the big guys.
Loved the color combinations on these old piers.
Looking across the river to Washington we can see a bridge we have crossed many times.
It always amazes me when a 10-story ship passes a 3-story building on shore
It just dwarfs them.
You know you always wanted to see the butt end of a sea lion. This guy wedged himself in there under an office building and was making a lot of noise.
Lots of ships in the river because Astoria allows them wait there are no charge until their dock upriver is open.
And these cormorants cracked me up.
They seemed to be courting.
A few steps further down the road, this is what I was seeing.
The state-connecting bridge that starts way over there in Washington State
There is a trolley that runs along the waterfront and when you walk you walk along the tracks
A close up of the bridge..
And a full bridge shot
With hotel.
They have a really nice marina as well.
On the way, I ran into a really cool, old railway car. Some of my favorite photos of this walk.
I found this incredible old railroad car that was just drop-dead cool.
Ferns growing inside.
Some great spider work.
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.
They have a really nice marina as well.
The path I was walking on.
I liked the color of this boat.
Saw this little guy and was impressed with his energy.
The bridge that takes you down to Seaside and Cannon Beach.
A panoramic shot of the bridge and the bay.
A whole bunch of old piers with a very rusty ship in the background
The Merchant Marine Memorial
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.
Does anyone want a credit union?
This is the Astoria Tower. We visited it in 2021 with our grandkids. It was very cool. To read more about it and see my photos from the top, choose August 2021 from the date list.
Love this sign on an old hotel.
In Astoria, Oregon today, I took a photo walk along the waterfront and through their downtown. There are a lot of great old buildings downtown, but I especially loved this old movie house, which is now an arts center with live performances, some movies, and other arts events.
I also love the way the downtown area decorates for Halloween.
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
by Jim Bellomo | 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.
We are in Portland tonight at the start of our two-week Columbia River trip with the October Bunch. Only four of us are here so far; the other two are on a plane and won’t arrive until 11:45. So, the four of us went out for pizza at a place our son-in-law says is “the best pizza in the world.” It’s called APizzaScholls, and I might just have to agree with him. We got two, which was way too much, but WOW! Incredible pizza.
Taking a food tour around Portland today, and as I sat in the middle of a really cool food cart pod, I happened to look up and saw this contrail crossing the sky. I took a shot that turned out to be lucky because I truly love the symmetry of it. It just looks cool.
My favorite shot. The sun peaked through and turned the water almost blue.
Today, we left Portland to explore the Oregon Coast. We spent some time touring the Tillamook Creamery, watching them make cheese, and then headed up to Cannon Beach, where I got this shot of Haystack Rock. I tried dehazing it, but there was just too much haze, and I kept getting artifacts. It drove me nuts. I also tried removing the people, but I think they added character.
Not much of a photo-taking day. In fact, this is the worst day for photography I have ever had while on a trip. We were around a lot of Portland today, but I didn’t shoot anything new. While the rest of the October Bunch (minus Kathleen and me) went to see the Pittock Mansion, I, their faithful chauffeur, parked and read my book. Directly in front of me was this beautiful forest. So I went into the back of our rental van, grabbed my camera, and there you have it—The Forest Primeval.
We are sailing on the Columbia River and were headed out of the locks at the Bonneville Dam when I spotted this river boat coming towards us.
We’re currently on a cruise on this ship. Today, we stopped in Kalama, Washington, on the Columbia River. I really like how they get us on and off the boat. When they arrive somewhere, they navigate the bow of the ship into the shore, open the front of the ship, extend a gangplank, and we can walk off through the front. Photographically, it was very rainy, so I had to sneak in shots between rain showers to get this one.
The earth is art, the photographer is only a witness. –Yann Arthus-Bertrand
by Jim Bellomo | 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.
The Mountain Timber Market
Inside were these two guys keeping everyone entertained.
Above the first floor of the mini-mall, there is a long flat board. At least it looks that way from the bottom, but when seen from above is an amazing, incredibly long cross section of a totem pole.
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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.
The outdoor totem pole.
A very nice McMenamins hotel.
The river as seen from behind the hotel.
A passing paddle wheeler
And the city’s marina for small boats.,
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.
Some restored buildings shops
Really liked this one.
And I loved the name of this 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.
Looking down river
One more of the marina, mostly to prove there was blue sky in Kalama yesterday.
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
by Jim Bellomo | 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.
Our Stateroom—414. Midships on deck 4.
Inside…the bed. Very comfortable. Had a great night’s sleep.
The bed again. This time so you can see the small verandah.
The bathroom. Plenty of room, hot water and water pressure. There things I absolutely need in a cruise ship bathroom.
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 River Lounge
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 ?.
The Sky Lounge
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.
The Back Porch Cafe
The Sun Deck
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.
This is the exercise room/gym as well as having a place you can sit and enjoy the view?
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.
On deck two
On deck three
On deck three
On deck four
On deck four
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.
The Dining Room
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
by Jim Bellomo | Oct 10, 2025 | Uncategorized
This was one of my worst vacation days ever. I had a great breakfast, drove around Portland, took exactly five photos (three of the same thing), and then went back to our hotel to rest and pack for the cruise tomorrow. I am sure I have NEVER gone an entire day on a trip without shooting at least 100 photos, but here we are.
The biggest reason (getting out the Meldrew, Paul) is the hotel we are staying in. It is just too far from anything except the airport, and I really don’t care to take photos of planes taking off through a dirty, sixth-floor window. If we were downtown, I could be out taking lots of photos of the war zone that is NOT here in Portland. But we are way out here. And driving in isn’t so bad, but the parking is HORRID! I mean, really bad. Last night, I parked in a space so small and tight that it took me 14 gear changes from Drive to Reverse to back into it. I could never have gotten into it from the front. And it costs a fortune. Every place wants to charge me a lot to park for a much longer period than I need. At Multnomah Falls the other day, the only choice was $20 for all-day parking. We were there for no more than 45 minutes. Last night, I was charged $20 for “overnight” parking from the time we arrived at 7:00 pm to 6:00 am. We left at 8:30. Ridiculous!
I want to share a few thoughts about this hotel. It’s the Embassy Suites by Hilton, Portland Airport. Interestingly, I stayed here before when I was working with Jostens, and we had a sales meeting. It was just as disappointing then as it is now. The rooms are spacious and relatively clean. They offer a free breakfast—which is not even “fine”—and complimentary “appetizers” in the evening, like chips and salsa, trail mix, or hummus with cold pita bread. However, the real issue with this hotel is that it misleads you. When we checked in on Monday evening, the woman at the desk asked if we wanted our room made up every day. We said yes. Today is Friday, and our room was finally cleaned. Each day, I would go to the desk after returning from our outings, asking why our room hadn’t been cleaned, and I was told it would be done the next day—yet it wasn’t until today. I believe the delay was simply because the hotel saw us checking out before we actually checked back in with American Cruise Line, which had paid. It’s just sad. So that’s my complaint.
Here are the photos I took today, both with my camera and my phone. I think I took one with my camera.
Breakfast-NW Salmon Hash
Forest Primeval
And a final stop for the ladies at Voodoo Donuts
And thus concludes our four-day pre-cruise trip in Portland. We had fun, but even better, we enjoyed some amazing food. Tomorrow, I will return the rental car and board our ship (I’m not sure what to call it since it only holds 250 people) late in the morning. Due to low water on the river, we will need to take our “luxury motor coach” further east on the river to board in Skamania, Washington, about a 45-minute drive. We are scheduled to be on board by lunchtime at noon. I have a feeling that after a week of experiencing the best of Portland, the cruise food might be a bit of a letdown. We shall see.
There’s something that I can’t describe about the city [Portland] that I really love – just physically – how it feels to walk around there, and have coffee there. Also, the way that it’s a little overcast sometimes. Something about Portland just really resonated with me. —Fred Armisen
