Columbia River Gorge

Today was another beautiful sunny, warm day - a perfect day for a river cruise. We already had reservations for a six hour cruise on the Columbia River cruising west to Multnomah Falls and east to Viento State Park.

While waiting to board the paddle wheeler, we met a couple, Linn and Philip, from Rockville, MD - close to my hometown of Harrisburg, well kinda close. We ended up sitting across from each other in the dining room and spent most of the cruise sitting on deck with them. A really nice couple who had come to Portland for a conference. We hope that when we head back up the east coast we can meet with them again.

That's one of the perks of fulltiming - you get to meet some really nice folks that you probably would have never met if we were not living this lifestyle. Even if we never see them again, we have the memories of a wonderful day spent with a nice couple.

Back to the cruise. After boarding we were treated to a continental breakfast that was an unexpected surprise. Shortly we started off going downstream, through the Bonneville Locks and on to Multnomah Falls. There we turned around and headed back up river. At noon we had a very good lunch of salad, fruit, chicken, beef and potato wedges. Then at two we had dessert of assorted brownies, lemon bars and cheesecake. All this time, we were cruising the river with the captain giving us a commentary on the history of the river and areas that we were passing. There certainly is a lot of history in this area along with the Lewis and Clark expedition.

As we approached the Stevenson, WA area the river became a playground for board sailing
(surfboards with sails), sorry I can't remember the correct name, and kite boarders (surfboards being pulled along by a big kite). I don't remember these things being around when I was in my youth, but these guys sure seemed to know what they were doing. There are a couple of pictures in the album, but they don't show the speed that they go. We also watched one lift out of the water about six to eight feet, then land back and keep on going. Conditions in this area of the river are perfect for this sport since there is a lot of wind here. All I could feel while watching them was the pain in my arms just thinking about hold onto one of the kites and trying to stay upright. Maybe when I was a lot younger???

Today was a memorable day - meeting new friends, going through Bonneville locks, cruising, beautiful weather, and seeing more of God's creation.

What's next? Other than moving on Friday to Washington I don't know, but check back often - you never know what will be here.

Pictures available for viewing at: http://picasaweb.google.com/SchultzTravelPhotos