From the bright green banks of the Willamette River to the sagebrush steppe and basalt cliffs of the Columbia River, we traveled east aboard the Sea Lion. Our guests arrived in Portland, Oregon yesterday to a typical Pacific Northwest sort of day -- a bit of sun followed by a bit of rain followed by some more sun. After traveling upriver through the night, we awoke to bald eagles chasing osprey, and the orchards and vineyards of eastern Washington.
In mid-afternoon the Sea Lion moored at the town of Umatilla, where we could disembark and stretch our legs at the McNary Wildlife Nature Area. We went by bus and the ship went by river, and we met at the navigation lock of the McNary Dam. These locks are designed to accommodate barge traffic, so the Sea Lion fits easily into the lock chamber.
