Fact: Shortly after boarding the S.S. Legacy in Portland, Oregon (on the inland Willamette River, mind you), I found myself wondering how long it would be before we saw our first whale. I knew, of course, that I was cruising on a river. I knew that whales aren’t found on this river. Such a thought was so silly that I was embarrassed to say it out loud when my husband asked what was so funny.
While the Columbia and Snake Rivers don’t have any of my favorite marine mammals, they do have plenty of others. Throughout our cruise, our guides were eager to point them out. Our first noticeable sightings were salmon and sturgeon as they made their way up the fish ladders at Bonneville Dam, followed shortly by numerous shrikes (these birds impale their prey!), American dippers (these birds fly underwater!), bighorn sheep (most commonly sighted by their big white butts), plenty of deer (always deer), coyotes (several spread out across the grasslands), pigeons (not very bright) and (gasp!) stalkers of pigeons: the golden eagle.
I’m a fan of birds of prey. Whether they’re eagles, hawks or owls (not so much vultures), I’m fascinated by their flawlessly graceful forms - especially while hunting. My kayaking group was treated to quite the show while paddling up the Palouse River when three golden eagles began harassing a flock of pigeons. The pigeons frantically flew this way and that while the eagles swooped along their outer edges until eventually, one of the pigeons broke their formation and found itself alone. Almost immediately, it was snatched out of the air and carried away while our group of onlookers watched in amazement.
If only we’d had a British gentleman narrating the scene, it would have belonged on National Geographic.
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
2 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.