Cruise On, Columbia! History And Geology Of Mighty River Highlights Of Comfortable Cruise Aboard The Spirit Of ‘98

A couple of centuries ago, two intrepid tourists named Lewis and Clark cruised down the Snake and Columbia rivers.

Now, almost 200 years after their voyage of discovery, increasing numbers of travelers are making the same trip, but by luxurious ships instead of canoe.

The ride is considerably smoother and the food is considerably tastier. But the scenery is much the same, from the near-desert of southeast Washington, the rugged majesty of the Columbia Gorge (a national scenic area) and the cool green forests of the coast.

Several companies now offer “small ship” cruises along the Columbia (“small” because they typically carry fewer than 100 passengers, compared to 1,500 or more people aboard traditional cruise ships).

I rode last autumn on the Spirit of ‘98, operated by Alaska Sightseeing/ Cruise West, whose Columbia River trips resumed in March for the 1995 season. For anybody who has grown up in the Northwest and more or less takes the Columbia for granted, the trip is a revelation.

Our cruise began in late afternoon and darkness fell before we had left Portland for the short trip down the Willamette to an overnight moorage just upstream from Vancouver. But we awoke the following morning to find the green cliffs of the Columbia Gorge sliding past.

The federally designated National Scenic Area extends 100 miles along the Columbia, starting just upstream from Portland. To the south are abrupt cliffs on the Oregon side, sheathed in moss, with numerous waterfalls - including the famous, 850-foot-high Multnomah Falls - cascading over the side of the gorge.

The Washington side has more gradual slopes but the floor of the gorge is punctuated with enormous plugs of volcanic rock, including Beacon Rock, which looms 848 feet above the river and is a popular target for climbers.

It is fascinating scenery, and the leisurely pace of the ship - typically cruising at only 15 knots - allows plenty of time to take it in.

Most of our sightseeing was from the lounge on the main deck, which featured comfortable antique-style chairs and sofas, coffee at all hours, a conventional bar, and the periodic appearance of treats, from pastries baked aboard ship to hors d’oeuvres at happy hour. During our trip, the weather ranged from partial sunshine to sodden drizzle, making the outdoor deck less appealing.

There’s also narration over loudspeakers during particularly interesting passages, but the results were mixed on our trip. Outdoors, some of the speakers didn’t work, and in the lounge they were hard to hear (this was, admittedly, the ship’s last voyage of the season, which meant that some equipment was probably suffering some wear and tear; on the plus side, the entire crew was in an extremely good mood).

Besides scenery, of course, the overwhelming fact of life on the Columbia River today is dams - specifically, eight dams between Portland and the mouth of the Snake River. These dams produce energy for millions of homes and create thousands of jobs, but they have also turned the Columbia into a series of lakes and decimated native runs of salmon and steelhead.

Our first stop is the lock at Bonneville Dam, and the captain cautiously navigates us into a narrow concrete channel. Massive doors close behind us and water is pumped into the locks; within a few minutes, we rise 72 feet. The upstream doors open and we slide onto the placid waters behind the dam.

This first passage through the locks draws almost everybody to the deck, carrying cameras and camcorders. But by the third dam, the locks barely prompt most passengers to look up from their book or card game.

At Bonneville, we disembark for a quick tour of the powerhouse, then ride upstream by bus to two unusual destinations. The first is Maryhill Museum, perched on a bluff north of the Columbia about 90 miles east of Portland. This concrete replica of a French chateau was built in the early 1920s by Sam Hill, an eccentric businessman who hoped to create a utopian farming community on the parched hillsides of southeast Washington. The plan failed, but the museum remains; today it houses one of the country’s largest collections of Rodin sculpture, various other art collections, and an incongruous potpourri of personal effects from Queen Marie of Romania, who dedicated the museum in 1926.

The museum is interesting but eccentric. So is the full-sized replica of Stonehenge, built by Hill three miles away, to honor the servicemen who died in World War II.

Back on board, we settle into a comfortable routine of cruising as the miles and dams slip by and the terrain grows drier and more rugged (considerably more interesting to outsiders than locals). Passengers mostly gather in the lounge, socializing or listening to lectures from the archaeologist aboard; there are even a couple of tables of bridge.

As on any cruise, meals are a highlight. Our ship doesn’t feature the lavish culinary excesses of the big cruise vessels; meals are good, typically with a choice of two entrees, with quality comparable to what you’d expect at a good restaurant. There’s no assigned seating in the dining room, which makes it possible to meet a lot of people - and is a definite plus for anyone who has ever wound up with insufferable meal companions on a larger ship.

At Clarkston, everyone disembarks for a day trip via jetboat up Hell’s Canyon, a 60-mile run through shoals and rapids, rather tame late in the year because of low water. The aluminum jetboats, each holding about 30 people, are heated but still chilly in the rear. The quality of the narration is excellent, and we have time to look at ancient Indian pictographs along the banks, but the picnic lunch at an upstream lodge is skimpy and bland (the company says the fare has been improved this year).

Our highlight was rescuing two young hunters, far up the river, who claimed to have been lost for two days; we drop them off at the Forest Service ranger station on our way back down.

I jumped ship at the end of the day, but the cruise continued back downriver to the mouth of the Columbia, with side trips along the way that included a winery tour, a steam railroad ride up the Hood River Valley, a tour of Fort Clatsop near the mouth of the Columbia, where Lewis and Clark spent the winter, and a visit to the Oregon coast. (One pleasant advantage of these cruises is that almost all the side trips are included in the basic fare; on larger ships, the add-ons can rapidly reach several hundred dollars per person.)

The majority of passengers on this trip had taken cruises before, in both small and large ships. Most were senior citizens and said they appreciated the relaxed ambience of a smaller ship and didn’t miss the amenities of a larger vessel.

I enjoyed my taste of the Columbia cruise, but I wouldn’t recommend it to everyone. If you don’t have some interest in history or geology, you’re likely to find it a bit dull.

And children and teenagers would find it excruciatingly boring, since these small ships don’t have swimming pools, nightlife and midnight pizza feeds. Take them to the Caribbean, instead.

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: IF YOU GO Getting there: Most Columbia River cruises leave from Portland. If you drive, you’ll need to find somewhere to park your car for a week. If you fly, it’s easy to grab a van from the airport to downtown, where the cruises depart.

When to go: July and August are the prime months for the Columbia River, since that’s when the weather is likely to be warmest and driest - and when the rates are highest. Spring can be delightful, but is also more likely to be wet. The Indian summer months of September and October are good off-season choices.

Cruise companies: Alaska Sightseeing/Cruise West began its Columbia cruise season at the end of March and has cruises through mid-November (most of its 1995 cruises are aboard the Spirit of Columbia, a smaller vessel than the one I traveled aboard). Seven-day trips begin at $1,395 per person, based on double occupancy. For more information, see a travel agent or call (800) 426-7702. Also available is a $4.95 video on the company’s Columbia, San Juan Islands and Alaska cruises; call (800) 841-6675. Special Expeditions offers a similar Columbia itinerary, with departures beginning April 22 and running through the end of October. Its seven-day trips begin at $1,990 per person, based on double occupancy. For information, see a travel agent or call (800) 762-0003. American West Steamboat Co., a new company, operates Queen of the West, an authentic sternwheeler that carries 163 passengers. Beginning July 13, it offers cruises of two to seven nights along the Willamette, Columbia and Snake rivers. It also features themed cruises - jazz, theater, etc. - and offers side trips to destinations like the Pendleton rodeo and Mount St. Helens. Prices for a seven-day trip begin at $1,070 per person, based on double occupancy. See a travel agent or call (800) 434-1232.

Portland information: Portland/Oregon Visitors Association. Call (800) 345-3214 or (503) 222-2223.