River Cruise Season Just Around The Bend
In light of the Northwest’s recent flooding, it may sound strange to be thinking about cruising the region’s rivers.
But tours by the American West Steamboat Co., based in Portland, begin next month and run through January. Three-, four-, five-, and seven-night cruises are available and will include the Willamette, Columbia, and Snake rivers. Several shore excursions are planned.
Prices range from $279 to $3,945 per person based on length of the cruise and the time of season. For reservations or more information, call American West at (800) 434-1232.
Short takes: Bits and pieces from around the Northwest:
A task force in the Kootenays region of southern British Columbia is exploring the feasibility of rail excursions from Spokane to Golden, British Columbia; Banff, Alberta and surrounding areas.
Wet and wild: Events of interest relating to water:
A new Water Resources Education Center opened this weekend in Vancouver, Wash., the centerpiece of the city’s Waterfront Renaissance Project. The bulding features an exhibit hall, classroom, water sciences laboratory, computer game room, theater and art gallery.
The ninth annual Beachcomber’s Fun Fair is March 2-3 at the convention center in Ocean Shores, Wash. There’ll be dozens of exhibits and displays, door prizes, information booths about the Pacific Coast, guest speakers and a children’s Science-Go-Round. For more information, call the Ocean Shores Chamber of Commerce at (800) 76-BEACH.
Musician retreat: If you play chamber music, the Icicle Music Center near Leavenworth is offering a weekend of study and performance March 29-31.
The price is $265 per player and includes three daily meals and two nights lodging. Reservations must be made by March 1. For reservations or more information call (509) 548-6347.
Ballet in Canada: Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet is continuing its 1995-96 season in Vancouver, British Columbia, with “The Dream” by Sir Frederick Ashton, an adaptation of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
Performances are held in the Queen Elizabeth Theater. For dates, reservations or more information, call (604) 732-5003.
Artifacts: The Oregon Historical Society will exhibit more than 200 Indian artifacts in an exhibition called “Sacred Encounters: Father De Smet and the Indians of the Rocky Mountain West.”
About 85 percent of the artifacts have never been seen in public before. Artifacts include a pair of rare 17th century Blaeu globes, which depict California as an island, as well as a cassock worn by Father De Smet and handmade Native American dresses.
The exhibition is now open at the Oregon History Center in downtown Portland and runs through June 23. The collection will then be shown in Tacoma from Aug. 3 to Jan. 5 at the Washington State History Museum. For more information, call the Oregon Historical Society at (503) 222-1741.
, DataTimes MEMO: Send information about travel opportunities around the Pacific Northwest to: Travel Editor, Features Department, The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210.