Multnomah Falls & Vista House

A few days later, we made a stop at Stevenson, WA where we had the opportunity to do a shore excursion to Oregon's highest, and most well known waterfall. We had a long drive on the Old Scenic Highway which was built in 1913 and is known as "King of the Roads" to get to the falls from our ship.

Multnomah Falls are majestic and gorgeous. At 620 feet tall, these falls are one of Orgeon's most iconic natural beauties.

The bridge was closed during our visit, which made for beautiful, photos, but was also kind of sad we didn't get to see the falls up close.

From Multnomah Falls we drove to Chanticleer Point for breathtaking views of the river and Crown Point.

Our last stop of the day was at the Vista House, known as the Crown Jewel of the Columbia River Gorge. 

Samuel Lancaster, Assistant Highway Engineer for Multnomah County in 1913, supervised the Columbia River Highway project. Lancaster’s proposal to construct a building on the summit of Crown Point was another reflection of his desire to inspire the traveler along the highway and to make the wonders of the gorge accessible.

As Lancaster described it, the Crown Point promontory was the ideal site for “an observatory from which the view both up and down the Columbia could be viewed in silent communion with the infinite.” Such an observatory would also be a fitting memorial to “the trials and hardships of those who had come into the Oregon country.” And it could “serve as a comfort station for the tourist and the travelers of America’s greatest highway.” He suggested it be known as the Vista House.

The volunteers at Vista House, often dress in outfits from when the observatory was built in the early 1900s.

Inside, there is a small gift shop, restrooms and an information desk. There are also stairs up to the second level, outdoor walk way where visitors can get beautiful views of the river.

After quickly touring through this one of a kind rest stop, I spent most of my time outside playing with several dogs that were passing through, like this sweet black and white collie.

Then we drove back to our ship and we set sail that afternoon. My parents and I would often sit out on their balcony and watch the world slowly drift by as we sailed through the river, we had particularly beautiful views now that we had hit the forested area of the gorge. I didn't know that so much of Washington and Oregon is desert!

Pendleton Factory Tour

On one of the days of our cruise, guests had the option of spending the day aboard the ship as it cruised down the Columbia River, or traveling the same distance on land with a few interesting stops along the way. My mom chose to cruise, while my dad and I opted for the land tour option.

The main stop of the day was at the Pendleton Woolen Mills and Factory. Pendleton has been a family owned business since 1909 and is known for their beautiful Native American designs and quality weaving.

All those black and white pictures on the walls are woven portraits on blankets, the detail was amazing.

We learned about the different kinds of wool and the different stages of it being turned into yarn.

Then we moved into the room where the blankets are woven. Most are made on digital looms that can weave a blanket in the blink of an eye.

Each blanket is inspected for irregularities or mistakes.

After the factory tour, we visited a little museum about the company's history.

Then we were given ample time in the outlet store, they sell everything from blankets, to luggage, to dress shirts, to kitchen towels. It was fun to browse through all the high quality items, but we didn't end up buying anything.

Hells Canyon

We actually didn't sail our first night aboard the American Empress, so our first day of the cruise was in the same spot where we boarded the ship, Clarkston, Washington. There were a few shore excursions to choose from for this stop, we chose a scenic jet boat experience in Hell's Canyon.

Hell's Canyon is North America's deepest river gorge The canyon was carved by the waters of the Snake River, which flows more than one mile below the canyon's west rim on the Oregon side and 7,400 feet below the peaks of Idaho's Seven Devils Mountains range to the east. Most of the area is inaccessible by road.

In 1806, three members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition entered the Hells Canyon region along the Salmon River. They turned back without seeing the deep parts of the canyon. It was not until 1811 that the Wilson Price Hunt expedition explored Hells Canyon while seeking a shortcut to the Columbia River. Hunger and cold forced them to turn back, as did many explorers who were defeated by the canyon's inaccessibility

After cruising on our jet boats for a couple of hours, soaking in all the natural beauty of the gorge, we made a rest stop at Idaho Garden Creek Ranch, owned by the Nature Conservancy in Hells Canyon. The Idaho Garden Creek Preserve, once a working cattle ranch, is now a facility welcoming its visitors to explore and enjoy this section of the Gorge. We had the opportunity to stroll through the orchard, looking for deer and turkeys, while enjoying some refreshments.

Then it was time for our 2 hour ride back to our ship. We kept our eyes peeled for some wild life among the rocky cliffs.

We saw some mountain goats!

Our tour guide showed us a couple of areas where there are some preserved petroglyphs. The earliest known settlers in Hells Canyon were the Nez Percé tribe. Others tribes visiting the area were the Shoshone-Bannock, northern Paiute and Cayuse Native Americans. The mild winters, and ample plant and wildlife attracted human habitation. These pictographs and petroglyphs are a record of these Native American settlements.

We saw lots of unique and beautiful geological formations