Columbia & Snake River 5-Star Paddle Wheeler Nowhere is the timelessness of rivers more apparent than here in the pristine Pacific Northwest where the Columbia and Snake Rivers wind through gentle hills, impressive mountains, vertical canyons and fertile fields. The land appears in 2014 just as it did to Lewis and Clark in 1805 majestic, unspoiled and unimaginably glorious. Experience a stunning paddle wheel journey on the mighty Columbia & Snake Rivers this fall. Historic & Lively Portland, OR - Two Nights at the 5-Star Award-Winning Nines Hotel - Fascinating Walking Tour With Top Local Guide - Yummy Culinary Tour Experiencing Portland s Wonderful Food - Fabulous Welcome Dinner in Excellent Local Eatery - Hotel next to lively Pioneer Square Tri-Cities - Sacajawea State Park - Visit Sacajawea State Park & Interpretive Center - Located at Confluence of Columbia & Snake Rivers - Experience the Lewis & Clark Journey From Illinois - Tour a Local Mercantile Store With Lots of Goodies! Astoria, OR Pioneer City - Explore the City on the Mouth of the Mighty Columbia River - Premium Tour Included Lewis & Clark Experience - Visit Station Camp & Fort Clatsop Interpretive Center - Awe-Inspiring Visit to Cape Disappointment & Coast - Learn Oregon History at the Heritage Museum Stevenson, WA Columbia Gorge - Included Hop-on / Hop-off Bus in Stevenson - Tour the Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center - Experience the Bonneville Dam & Incredible Salmon Ladder Clarkston, WA A Native American Experience - Experience History & Culture of the Nez Perce People - Learn role of Native Americans in Lewis & Clark Journey - Explore Clarkston, WA on the Snake & Clearwater Rivers - Entrance to Historical Society & Museum The Dalles, OR End Of The Oregon Trail - Included Hop-on/Hop-Off Bus Touring - Tour Original Courthouse Museum, First in the Rocky Mountains - Visit Fort Dalles Historic Military Base & Interpretive Center - Learn About the Legendary Oregon Trail - Explore Sunshine Hills Winery a 130-year-old Abandoned Wheat Mill
Columbia River Gorge Day By Day Oct 03 Day 1 Short Flight To Portland Oct 04 Day 2 Portland, Oregon Oct 05 Day 3 Board American Empress Oct 06 Day 4 Astoria, OR Oct 07 Day 5 Stevenson, WA Oct 08 Day 6 The Dalles, OR Oct 09 Day 7 Sacajawea State Park, WA Oct 10 Day 8 River Cruising Oct 11 Day 9 Clarkston, WA Oct 12 Day 10 Clarkston, WA 2 Nights In Portland 7 Night On 5-Star Paddle Wheeler Oct 3-12, 2014 Included Meal B=Breakfast / L=Lunch / D=Dinner Trip Features Two nights at award-winning Nines Hotel in Portland Wonderful Walking Tour With Top Guide In Portland Scrumptious Food Tour of Portland s Hip Food Scene Premium Lewis & Clark Tour Included in Astoria, OR Largest & Most Elegant 5-Star Riverboat in Northwest Complimentary Touring in Every Port (Hop-On Bus) Complimentary Beer & Wine With Meals Complimentary Cappuccino, Espresso, Bottled Water on Paddle wheeler Daily lectures with Riverlorian, the onboard historian. Balcony Stateroom With Spectacular River Views All Transfers Included Fully Escorted By Mark & Vicki Stewart Day 1 Oct 3: Short Flight to Portland, Oregon Today is the start of our journey in the footsteps of explorers Lewis & Clark. Our adventure starts in historic Portland, Oregon on the doorstep of the Cascade Mountains, with Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helens dominating the horizon. After a short flight from home and transfers we arrive at the awardwinning The Nines hotel. Located right in the middle of all the action across from Pioneer Square, The Nines will be a wonderful spot for our two-night stay. Enjoy the evening meeting fellow travelers over a wonderful welcome dinner in the Pioneer City. (D)
Day 2 Oct 4: Exploring Portland, OR After breakfast at the hotel, we are off to explore this historic city not through a bus window, but on foot. One of the best guides in the city will bring the streets of Portland to life, illuminating the history as well as life in the modern city. You will never look at Portland the same way after today s exploration. We ll end our walking tour right at Portland s famous Saturday Market, a 30-year tradition and the largest continuously operated arts & crafts market of its kind in the country. A great place for a quick bite, with food stalls and popular local food trucks. Enjoy a ride on the local Max train to return to the hotel (B,D) Day 3 Oct 5: Foodies Afternoon & American Empress We ll board the beautiful American Empress later this afternoon, but first we ll enjoy a relaxing morning before coming together to explore Portland s spectacular food scene. We ll take a culinary food tour for lunch, a chance to stroll from one scrumptious treat to another as we visit multiple award-winning restaurants with a local food expert. After lunch we say goodbye to the fabulous Nines Hotel and take a short transfer to the riverbank, where the gleaming American Empress awaits us. A week of wonderful food, music and exploration aboard a historic form of travel, the paddle wheeler. (B,L,D) Day 4 Oct 6: Astoria, Oregon Pioneer City We ll enjoy a guided tour as a group to re-trace the history of America s most famous frontiersmen. We ll begin with the exploration of Station Camp. Occupied for ten days by the Corps of Discovery (Lewis & Clark and their crew) and used as a departure point for an overland trek to their first views of the Pacific Ocean. Explore this historical point in America s history as the first leg of our exploration on the Lewis and Clark Trail. Then, we ll discover the last stage of the Lewis and Clark Expedition as we set off for Cape Disappointment overlooking the confluence of the Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean. It was at this site where the American Pioneers two-year expedition, and dream of discovering the Pacific Ocean via river, finally came to fruition. Explore the Interpretative center s extensive and thorough timeline that documents the entire journey of these intrepid frontiersmen and experience the beauty and power of the Pacific Ocean from the enclosed overlook as the waves crash along the banks below. We ll stop at Fort Clatsop, made famous as the winter encampment for the Corps of Discovery. Here, guests can enjoy exhibits in the interpretive center, exhibit hall, gift shop, view films outlying the historic journey and explore a replica of the forts built by Lewis and Clark in their attempts to maintain shelter during the harsh winters.
Great joy in camp we are in viuew of the Ocian, this great Pacific Octean which we been so long anxious to See. and the roreing or noise made by the waves brakeing on the rockey Shores (as I suppose) may be heard disti[n]ctly - William Clark Day 5 - Oct 7: Stevenson, WA Aboard American Empress s Hop-on/Hop-Off bus we explore downtown Stevenson, Washington. Stop at the Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center. Located in the heart of the Columbia River Gorge Scenic Area, the Interpretive Center brings life to human stories of natural history in our nation s most compelling landscape. Here, we can learn the local story of the geography and culture of the region and catch an under-water glimpse of spawning salmon passing through the Fish Ladders. Exhibits celebrate 15,000 years of history. Experience an incredible man-made engineering feat at the Bonneville Dam. Completed in 1938, the Bonneville Dame is an electrical power generator for the local area using hydro power. We ll enjoy a self-guided tour of this powerhouse as we learn about its progression and improvements over time, the exhausting build project that encountered numerous obstacles due to the unique geology of the area and the unique way the dam assists spawning salmon. Witness the ingenious apparatus that allows the salmon population to thrive in the Salmon Ladder viewing area and learn about the importance of this invention. (B,L,D) This morning early we dispatched Sergt. Pryar with two men in a small canoe up quicksand river with orders to proceed as far as he could and return this evening. We also sent a party of three hunters. - Meriwether Lewis Both Lewis and Clark were of the Virginia planter class. Clark spent much of his youth on the Kentucky frontier, while Lewis lived near Monticello and had the great advantage of Jefferson's tutelage. In the journals, Lewis is the more proficient of the two writers. While Clark will make a simple note like "musquitors & knats verry troublesom, - Smithsonian
Day 6 Oct 8: The Dalles, OR Welcome to The Dalles, Oregon; known as the end of the Oregon Trail! Today s Hop-on/Hop-off tour sets off to experience everything that The Dalles has to offer. First stop, the Original Courthouse Museum. This historic building was built in 1859 and is known as the first courthouse of the Rocky Mountains. Here guests can experience exhibits showcasing the history and culture of the local region and explore the courthouse. Next sight, The Dalles Visitor s Center where you can learn more about this Pioneer river town followed by a stop at the Fort Dalles Museum and Interpretive Center; an original military base built in the 1800s. You can experience unique collections of military and pioneer artifacts as well as the historic wagons that brought early settlers to the Oregon Trail s last stop. Before exploring the shops of the Downtown Shopping area we can stop at the Sunshine Mills Winery. Originally a 130-year-old abandoned wheat mill and now a state-of-theart Quenett boutique winery and home of Copa Di Vino a unique invention by entrepreneur and wine enthusiast, James Martin. Featured on ABC s The Shark Tank, guests can stop in at the one-of-a-kind wine tasting room to try a sample of the new wine trend that s sweeping the nation, one glass at a time. (B,L,D) Day 7 Oct 9: Sacajawea State Park (Tri-Cities) Experience Sacajawea State Park and Interpretive Center located at the confluence of the Columbia and Snake Rivers, marking a significant point in American History. We can explore the Interpretive Center on the Park grounds the features the history of Lewis and Clark. The on-site exhibits and fascinating presentations will highlight the history of this site and focus on the Corps of Discovery s voyage from modern-day Illinois to these grounds with the helpful guidance of their Native American interpreter, Sacajawea. Another wonderful stop is the Country Mercantile Store, a working farm and unique store filled with gourmet foods, jams, local items, homemade ice cream, hand-dipped chocolates and one-of-a-kind gifts for you to explore and take home as a special memento of your time in Washington. Enjoy a guided tour of the facility and the candy factory at this sweet location. (B,L,D)
Day 8 Oct 10: A Day of River Cruising Nothing beats a day of relaxing as our mighty riverboat glides by the banks of a beautiful river. Maybe listen to some live music, read a good book on deck, enjoy some wonderful food. Today is a full scenic cruising day on the Snake River. Picturesque canyon walls and crevasses will keep you guessing as to what lies around the next bend. Wildlife of many varieties can be spotted in the area, from bighorn sheep to gray wolves to bald eagles. (B,L,D) Day 9 Oct 11: Clarkston, WA Experience the history and culture of the Nez Perce people and travel to the Nez Perce National Historical Park. Learn about the historic and present-day way of life of these Native Americans whose name is derived from the French Pierced Nose. The Nez Perce people are well known for their involvement and assistance with the Lewis and Clark Expedition and you can learn first-hand how they were trusted by the Corps of Discovery through an exclusive presentation by the staff of Nez Perce National Historical Park. Travel to Clarkston, Washington, the brother city to Lewiston, Idaho. Nestled in the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater Rivers, this town was ironically never a stop on the Lewis and Clark trail but both boast the early American explorers names. Discover this historical town first settled in 1862. We will visit the Nez Perce County Historical Society and Museum that strives to preserve and interpret the history of the local region and culture. With rotating exhibits that chronicle the early history of the town and the surrounding area. After discovering the history of the town, we can enjoy free time in the downtown region for shopping and independent exploring or hop on the trolley for a ride around town. (B,L,D) We Set out early as usial the wind was high and ahead which caused the water to be a little rough and delayed us very much aded to this we had Showers of rain repeetedly all day at the intermition of only a fiew minits between them. My Situation a very disagreeable one. in an open Canoe wet and without a possibility of keeping my Self dry - William Clark Day 10 Oct 12: Homeward Bound (Short Flight) We disembark the American Empress today after 7 wonderful days on the rivers of the Pacific Northwest. It s been a ten-day journey traveling through a beautiful and historic part of our country. We have a short transfer to Spokane and then easy flights back to Southern California. (B)
THE HOTEL IN PORTLAND The Beautiful American Empress Paddle Wheeler
Simple & Straightforward - Pre-Cruise Hotel in Portland - All Transportation & Transfers - All Touring in Portland - Hop-on / Hop-off Bus Touring on Cruise - Premium Tour in Astoria - 24 Included Meals and All Breakfasts - Standard Wines & Spirits on Cruise - Specialty Coffees / Soft Drinks on Cruise - Fully Escorted By Mark & Vicki Stewart DEPOSIT $500 pp SINGLE TRAVELER FARE ADD $2,195