RIver Cruise Day 3: Clarkston, WA and Lewiston, ID

Breakfast in the River Grill was a good as yesterday’s dinner. B and I went down to the Main Dining room to alert the manager that we would be transferring our dinner table to the Grill. Several folks thought we were nuts, but we prefer the buffet which has exactly same offering as the Main Dining room as well as lobster tail and prime rib every night!

 My stomach was a bit queasy so I stayed “home” while Barbara took
the Hop On/Hop Off bus to the Lewiston Museum, across the river in Idaho, where she saw an original cable car, Idaho's first territorial capitol building and a Steinway "coffin organ." 4 Stars for her morning of exploration. 

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While at lunch, Laurence Cotton, our “riverlorian” dropped by our table to introduce himself. Discovering I was from Jacksonville area, he commented he would be the speaker at a Cummer Museum fete on October 4. Seems he is an acknowledged authority on Samuel Olmstead and this is Bi-Centennial of the gardening genius’ life.  (I immediately texted Natalie to find out about tickets because the Cummer website gave no hint of how to acquire one. I fear the event is sold out.)

 

After lunch we heard a marvelous presentation on the Nez Perce by tribal member J. S. Spencer who told great stories and sang the Nez Perce songs in this vibrant throaty contralto (YES, I know that’s a feminine tag, but it’s how I heard the music) accompanied by his rhythmic tapping on a drum tambourine. Shivers. His voice reminded me viscerally of the end of the film Hildago when the mustangs are loosed and running in joyous freedom.

We learned the Nez Perce believed in ancient times, the animal spirits walked upright, like men, and left their marks on the landscape as indicators of the presence. Hence the bear paw emblazoned on this hillside. 

Then we attended a “cocktail party” for those passengers staying after the cruise for the Mount St. Helens tour and the day in Portland. Only 22 of us are participating and we are in a separate hotel in Portland, the other passengers are in hotel in Vancouver. (Don’t ask, I have no idea.)

Back to 324 to read for a bit to chat about the experience. I tried, again, to capture the colors of this gorge.  

The quiet time didn't last long as we were notified that ship was about to enter the first of a series of locks we'd go through to reach the Pacific coast water level.  Locks were not new experiences for either of us as we've been to the Panama Canal and I have sailed the Thames from Westminster Docks to Hampton Court. Nonetheless, as we leaned on our balcony and the vessel descended 100 feet, we faced a wet, somewhat fishy-smelling intimidating wall less than an arm's length away.  We marveled and gaped at the construction challenges while the lock swallowed our ship. Very different experience from going through

a lock on a huge ocean liner or a wee teeny tourist barge.

 

Dinner: another gourmet delight: Champagne Shrimp. Unfortunately, the Grill was overrun with people tonight. The staff was run off their feet. Turns out a group had arrived just after opening and kept coming for 2nd and 3^rd helpings. The strained the easy flow as by the time we arrived, food and staff were being sent up from the main dining room to fill the gaps. How rude and ego-centric do you have to be stuff yourself just because the food is included in your trip fee. I shudder to think what the evening entertainments must be like when this type gets liquored up on the open bar. Sigh. B and I talked about it and decided to “stay in” tonight. I am having a good time and don’t want to risk my genial mood. The same thing has happened at every open bar event/wedding/reunion I have ever attended.

Our night started out quietly, then B flung open the balcony door exclaiming, “Marty, get out here. I’m looking at a UFO!” I rushed but I couldn’t see it moving like she could…her younger eyes are better than mine. I was reminded of my UFO experience when I thought they'd chosen me the first night I spent in my new home in 1986, but the strobing lights turned out to be an NAS Jax helicopter on "silent night maneuvers"...soo disappointing.  That said while I was up I got a really neat 2 second video of the ship's paddle wheel shadow reflected off the river. Unfortunately iMovie won't play on a Blogger post. Sigh. I'll post it on my FaceBook page.

I did get a gorgeous shot of the dam gleaming under a crescent moon as w exited the that lock