River Cruise Day 2: Spokane to Clarkston, WA

 An addendum to yesterday’s post: I was a bit distressed to find that the internet research I had done was on the wrong ship. I had thought we were sailing on a different ship. When ever I googled “American Queen Empress” (the cruise line is American Queen Steamboat Company) for deck plans and the like, it seems I was getting the American Queen which is 6-deck ship and not the Empress, a 4-deck ship.) I felt like an idiot, but still looked forward to the journey.

 

And on to today…

I breakfasted with charming folks: Vicky and Doug from California, Nancy and Bill from Pittsburg and Adella and Floyd from Tennessee. 

 

While I breakfasted, Barbara was exploring our hotel’s area of Spokane. She found the Spokane River Park and viewed the nation’s largest inner-city waterfall, but she declined to pay to ride the bucket tram for a 15 “ride” across the park to look at the falls up close and personal. (I don’t her blame a bit; I mean, after Iguazu and Niagara, falls are water moving over rock.)

 

On her walk she spied the Post Street Grill. So, we went there for lunch. Excellent food and our generation music on the sound system. Plus, I would have bought one of their t-shirts if there’d been one in my size – “I’m loyal to the craft.” I’d have told everyone my “crafts” were quilting and knitting. 

My Icelandic Cod and onion rings were great and Barbara enjoyed her first patty melt on pumpernickel, also, with onion rings….yummy. 

We loaded our belongings onto the tour bus and headed for Clarkston on the Snake River. Riding south on US 195, we were treated to acres and acres of harvested fields of wheat, interspersed with acres of the basaltic soil fields laying fallow for the winter wheat crop. The hues of brown and gold intermixed with slashes of black offered a panorama that was at once arresting and photogenic.  

I tried three times to capture a Dust Devil in motion but was frustrated each time. Regardless, I know I spied my hat-trick of the phenomenon. Barbara opined the landscape harkened her back to her childhood’s reading of Laura Wilder’s Little House on the Prairie novels; I argued it reminded me of sections of the Dakotas.

I tried to capture the arresting color palette of these hills, but was only marginally successful! 

 

A break came as the man across the aisle from me, picked up his cell when it rang, accidentally hit “speaker” and the whole bus company joined his daughter in singing “Happy Birthday.”  Driver Rick commented, “I missed the name but my congratulations as well, Wa-wa.” Birthday boy stood and announced, “Wendell, but close enough.”      

 

Coming over the ridge and viewing Clarkston from the heights caused the entire bus to get silent for a few seconds, after which Rick mentioned we had a 6-mile down slope to traverse before we got to the river. 

 

As we pulled into the docking area, Rick told us the busses that carried us here would be following us along the river and would be our land transports for the entire cruise. WOW!    

 

Embarkation was seamless and less than 15 minutes after our bus stopped Barbara and I were in our cabin. Not large but very comfortable and well-laid out.  We unpacked rather quickly and went out to explore a bit. 

We had our mandatory "life boat" muster...huge difference from the ones aboard Cunard, NCL and Princess lines. We just had to stand outside our cabin door with life vests on on while a deck officer walked inspection. 

At 6 the boat steamed down river for a dinner cruise, then returned to dock for passengers to re-engergize before tomorrow’s excursions began.  Barbara and I dined in the River Grill on deck 4, enjoying the buffet including prime rib, lobster tail, and salmon. The complimentary wine was good, the food scrumptious. We did not stay up late, though we spent part of the evening sitting on our private balcony relishing the peace of this river dock out in the wilderness.