04-19-2025 Final Day on the Columbia, the Locks, and Multnomah Falls

 

Early morning on the Columbia River east of the Cascade Locks

Something we didn't really realize until we reviewed our itinerary in detail was that our river "cruise" was more about river ports than actually cruising on the river.  Much of the travel was completed during the night hours with arrivals after midnight and departures after dark.  This is reasonable for most people who are interested in exploring the ports along the Columbia River, but for us, it was a bit of a disappointment.  We were most excited to be on the river, to feel the motion of cruising, and watch the landscape as we passed. 

Our last day on the river gave us the best of everything, thanks to a few minor kerfuffles that required a bit of jockeying around for the ship captain.  First, he notified us that our departure time from the Port of Kalama would be earlier than scheduled because of the heavy river traffic ahead.  The captain hoped to get to the Cascade Locks at the Bonneville Dam before 4 AM to be ahead of some other ships and avoid long waits at the locks.

Mo and I set our alarm for 3:30 AM to be sure that we wouldn't miss the lock transit, but when we woke we discovered that our ship was quiet in the water and the locks were still more than 6 miles east of our location.  We put on warm coats and watched outside our stateroom for any sign of activity.  

We walked down the hall to the breakfast room for some coffee and finally went back to our room to wait for word from the captain.  After a time, anxious to see how far away we were from entering the locks, we went outside on the lower deck and settled into the rockers to watch the early morning light and wait for something exciting to happen.

The tiny lights of Bonneville Dam and Cascade Locks appeared in the distance just as it was turning daylight.

Passing Beacon Rock on the north shore of the Columbia

The ship was moving very slowly toward the dam, and then once again it came to a standstill

At last, the locks came into view, and we thought we would be passing through the lock

But no, American Jazz passed us into the lock as we waited another hour before entering

The captain told us later that the issue had to do with the Jazz's itinerary. She had priority since she was heading farther east all the way to Lewiston, Idaho. We learned much about the jockeying of ships on a busy waterway and what gets priority passage at different times.

Once our ship was in the lock, the gates closed, and the water began to rise, lifting the ship to the next level of the river.

Looking west from the lock toward the lower level of the River below the Bonneville Dam

Mo and I have both experienced going through locks on waterways, including the Panama Canal in an ocean liner, and the many locks on the Rhine in Europe.   Each experience is different, and I doubt I would get tired of the engineering magic that allows ships to shift levels on a river or between oceans.

The delight of this extended delay was the opportunity to cruise the Columbia River during daylight hours instead of in the dark as originally scheduled.  In addition to the delay at the locks, we needed to take on fuel, and the port at Stevenson, Washington, was closed for an undisclosed reason.  This necessitated that we travel additional miles to fuel at Hood River.

The Bridge of the Gods that crosses the Columbia from Hood River, Oregon to the Washington side

The extra time cruising the river on this beautiful morning was a highlight of our cruise.  We passed the old Columbia River Highway built by the CCC in the 30's.  (In the photo below shown above the new interstate highway)

 

We saw tribal fish traps where local people catch salmon as they have done for centuries.

We saw spectacular views of Mount Hood to the south of our route along the river

We saw a few hardy souls braving the morning chill and the seasonally cold river water to windsurf and windsail near Hood River, an activity that had made the town famous throughout the world.

The previous evening, before our visit on the bridge with the captain, we met his charming wife and listened to a few of her stories about her life with a river captain.  One of the interesting facts she told us in addition to his well-known prowess as a river captain, was his ability to dock the river ship right on the shoreline.

Sure enough, when we reached Hood River, we watched the ship turn perpendicular to the rocky beach wall and saw the captain drop the gangway right down on the side of the dirt road where the fueling trucks waited.  Our captain maneuvered that ship like a kid's toy.

Because the stop in Hood River was unscheduled, there were no official tours in town.  But the best tour of the afternoon was the included tour of Multnomah Falls, just half an hour by bus back toward the west from Hood River.

Mo and I have visited Multnomah Falls many times over the decades, but never together.  I hiked to the top of the falls in August of 1999 on a road trip from Spokane to Corvallis with daughter Deborah and grandson Matthew.  It was a hot day, and even when I was 25 years younger, that steep hike was a workout!

Sue at the top of Multnomah Falls in August 1999

Matthew and Deborah, after we hiked to the top of the falls in 1999

Since Mo and I have traveled I-84 past the falls, we have only watched for them in passing, never attempting to brave the crowds and the busy parking lot to visit.  We thought that visiting on a cruise tour was the perfect option to do so.  Let someone else drive and worry about parking, and we could simply enjoy the beautiful falls.

Multnomah Falls is the tallest waterfall in the state of Oregon and is the second-tallest year-round waterfall in the United States. However, there has been some skepticism surrounding this distinction, as Multnomah Falls is listed as the 156th tallest waterfall in the United States by the World Waterfall Database (this site does not distinguish between seasonal and year-round waterfalls. The World Waterfall Database disputes claims that Multnomah Falls is the fourth-tallest waterfall in the United States, which has been claimed in such sources as the Encyclopedia of World Geography. So which is it?  Second Tallest, Fourth Tallest, 156th Tallest?  Does it even matter? No matter where it lands in statistics, there is no question that it is one of the most lovely falls in the country.

The land surrounding the falls was developed by Simon Benson in the early twentieth century, with a pathway, viewing bridge, and adjacent lodge being constructed in 1925. The Multnomah Falls Lodge and the surrounding footpaths at the falls were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1981. 

Looking down from the bridge viewpoint

I got a shot of Mo on the bridge but never managed a decent photo of me

Currently, the state of Oregon maintains a switchback trail that ascends to a talus slope 100 feet above the falls and descends to an observation deck that overlooks the falls' edge. The falls attract over two million visitors each year, making it the most-visited natural recreation site in the Pacific Northwest.

As a result, there are now timed entry and parking limitations at the main parking lot.  Another reason why we have never stopped in the past few years and why we were especially delighted for the opportunity to take a bus tour to visit one of our home state's most well-known features.

Our tour allowed plenty of time for those wanting to hike to the top of the falls to do so.  Needless to say, neither of us had any desire to attempt the hike this time, but I did manage to get my walker up to the observation bridge for some great photos.

The trip to the falls was a beautiful way to celebrate the last day of our river cruise on American Pride. Our meal that last night was excellent, with Maine lobster, Seared Farm Raised Beef Tenderloin served with Brandy Peppercorn Sauce, and drawn butter.  Dessert was a choice of many including Oregon Hazlenut Frangelico creme brulee and Merlot Chocolate Mousse.

After dinner, we once again went to the second-deck lounge for complimentary cocktails and another wild hour of incredible music by Mario Carboni. 

Sue and Mo on American Pride with the Bridge of the Gods in the background

Mo and I were very happy with the Columbia River cruise on American Pride.  We enjoyed every moment, enjoyed seeing familiar places in our beautiful state of Oregon from the river perspective.  We enjoyed the relaxation, the food, the stateroom, and the ship.  I am not sure what some folks who left bad reviews experienced, but it was defitely not our experience and I left a glowing review for American Cruise Lines and the American Pride.