We Jumped Ship

by | Oct 18, 2025 | Uncategorized

Sadly, even though we had one more night on the ship and then two nights scheduled with the October Bunch in Walla Walla, Kathleen and I decided to leave the ship on our first day in Clarkston, rent a car and drive home. Kathleen has our regular travel cold starting up and has been coughing and sneezing for about the last four days.

I’m having some serious trouble with the after effects of my prostate cancer radiation treatments I thought were behind me last spring. These started while we were driving to Portland, and I’ve stayed in touch with my doctor the whole time (even doing some tests while we were still in Portland). The symptoms would improve, then worsen again. After a particularly rough night on Thursday, we remembered that, on other trips when we felt terrible, two things were true: we made others we were traveling with feel miserable, and we always wished we could be at home in our own bed. Usually, that’s not possible because it would mean flying home and dealing with all the hassles, but since we were somewhere we could drive home, we did (it was a LONG five+ hour drive but worth it). So, I finished the Pendleton post, and now I’m writing this one from our living room in Redmond. 

I do plan to finish this trip with my review of the entire cruise, including the service, little problems and, of course, the food. Please look for that in the next few days. For today, it’s just a matter of returning a rental car, going to the Kaiser clinic for some tests and hopefully medication, and just resting. More soon.

The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray. —Robert Burns

 

Cowboys and Nuclear Bombs

by | Oct 18, 2025 | Uncategorized

If that headline isn’t enough to grab your attention, nothing else will ?. But it seems like that’s what Thursday was all about. We woke up at the dock in Richland, Washington, where we were to board our “luxury motor coach” for a full-day tour in Pendleton, Oregon, the home of the Pendleton Round-Up, one of the biggest rodeos and wild west shows in the USA, and the home of plenty of cowboys and cowboy culture. When we got to the “luxury motor coach,” we met our guide, Rosemary, who would stay with us for the rest of the day. She turned out to be one of the best guides we’ve ever had the pleasure of traveling with. Born and raised here in the Washington Tri-Cities area, she was a treasure trove of knowledge about both Richland, Hanford, and Pendleton.

On our way down, she entertained us with stories about legendary cowboys, the underground tour we would take upon arriving in Pendleton, and a lot of local history. She even sang to us—quite well, I might add. She showed us a great video about Duff Severe (at right), one of America’s top saddle makers. You might not find that topic interesting, but I found it fascinating. Duff was a legend in the area and had been featured in National Geographic, other magazines, and TV shows. Rosemary suggested that if we wanted to learn more about Duff, we should look him up on YouTube. I plan to do that as soon as we get home.

When we arrived in Pendleton, we passed the enormous Pendleton Round-Up grounds on our way to our first stop, the Pendleton Underground Tour. We had an outstanding tour guide, Sue Ellen, and you could tell she loves her volunteer job. She walked us through an entire block of underground rooms that had been restored and turned into a museum (in their heyday, there had been more than 16 blocks of underground). Here’s some of what we saw.

The Underground Tour also had a really nice museum where we could see the work of Duff Severe. As he got older, his arthritic hands kept him from continuing to make full-size saddles, so he started creating miniature saddles as works of art. We got a chance to see his four most famous pieces (created for a casino owner, who passed away before they were finished). Each one represents a suit of cards. They were so beautiful and intricate, I shot photos of them both full-size and in close-up.

After our tour and viewing the exhibits, it was off to lunch at a nearby restaurant. A nice salad, a sandwich and a cookie. Nothing special, but good. Then we had free time to explore. For many, that meant shopping, but of course, for me, that meant photography and a nice photo walk around the downtown core. Here are the shots I got.

After our free time, it was back on the bus for a visit to the Tamastslikt Cultural Institute. I know that sounds a bit boring, but it was truly an amazing museum and cultural center all about the local Native American tribes. Both the good and the bad were covered in detail. If you are ever in Pendleton, this is worth a trip.

All of that and not a word about nuclear bombs? Well, on the way back to the ship, Rosemary told us more about the Tri-City area, including the Hanford Nuclear site, where the plutonium was developed that went into the bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, to help end World War II. She even had a very interesting video that she let us watch on the way back that showed the role that Hanford had and continues to have in our nuclear research.

That about covers our day in Pendleton. I had two other photos I took that I really loved, but they are kind of artsy and didn’t fit anywhere else. Here they are for your enjoyment…or not ?.

On to Clarkston, Washington and the Snake River. More later.

May your belly never grumble, may your heart never ache, may your horse never stumble, may your cinch never break.  –The Cowboy Blessing

 

River Day!

by | Oct 16, 2025 | Uncategorized

When you take an ocean cruise (on a BIG ship) you have sea days. That’s a day when you don’t stop in a port. Usually, the ship has lots of things for you to do on board. Well, yesterday was the river equivalent of a sea day, so I will call it a river day.

We had three locks to pass through on our way up the Columbia, so it meant it would take a little while to go east. I believe if there were no dams and locks on this river, you could go from Astoria to Clarkston (where we disembark) in about two or three days. But there are locks and dams, so why not embrace them the way the ship did yesterday, as we passed through the largest of the locks on the Columbia, the John Day Lock.

I was up early to shoot our first lock passage before dawn (and to work on yesterday’s post) and got a single photograph of that lock. It’s quite a gritty-looking photo, don’t you think?

From that point on until the sun rose, it was just a smooth sail upriver. When the sun finally gave me the golden hour, I was out with my camera to get some shots. I really like these, so…if you click the first shot, you can scroll through using your arrow keys or by swiping. And PLEASE… don’t look at my photography on a phone. Please…And take a second to blow up the last one because it might be the second-best panoramic shot I have taken…ever.

After my early morning photo shoot, it was off to breakfast and then back up to take pictures as we passed through the John Day Lock, the largest on the river. It is what is known as a guillotine lock, as the doors don’t open to the side, but lift into the air.

While we were going through the lock, the crew started a dance party. I love taking photos of people (it dates back to my years in the yearbook industry) so I just stood at the rail above them and shot photos. I took more than 140 but here’s the best.

After the party, it was back to exiting the lock and heading further upriver, where I could get more photos. Here are some of those.

That was about it for the photos. Soon after I took the last set, we left the Columbia Gorge and entered the flat, arid, desert-like landscapes of Eastern Washington. Last night during dinner, in the dark, we transited the last lock leading into Lake Umatilla. It was dark, and I was eating, so no photos of that ?.

Today, we are docked in Richland, part of Washington’s Tri-Cities (along with Kennewick and Pasco). We have a full-day excursion to Pendleton, an Old West town located just south of here in Oregon. Should be fun. More about that tomorrow.

Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world’s great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs. I am haunted by waters. ? Norman Maclean,

 

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