by Jim Bellomo | 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.
Sue Ellen starts the tour.
Gambling
Drinking
Sleeping…it all went on underground.
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.
Hearts
Spades
Spades. Full saddle
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.
The entire groups hears Rosemary talk about a statue of a madam.
Other bronze sculptures lined the downtown streets. So well done with amazing faces.
Pioneers…
A famous Black cowboy…
And the aforementioned Madam.
Even a local football legend.
This black beauty caught my eye.
And the old time signage I have seen on this trip has been awesome.
See what I mean.
Autumn was in full swing. It was sunny but chilly.
A door I really liked.
The Umatilla River flows just north of downtown.
This older gentlemen cowboy was a great subject.
And of course, it’s almost Halloween.
They did some inventive stuff.
Looking through downtown from the river.
There is a story to this sign but it’s too long to explain.
A typical downtown scene.
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 ?.
The Columbia at dawn.
Rosemary (our guide) had these awesome boots.
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
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
