Perhaps you’ve heard of a duo named Meriwether Lewis and William Clark?
Maybe not.
Growing up in Montana, my teachers probably spent more time than normal discussing the Corps of Discovery - the famed Lewis and Clark expedition (1804-1806) which saw a band of 33 men cross the newly acquired western United States to the Pacific Ocean (largely by river but occasionally on foot). I see references to Lewis and Clark everywhere - the Clark Fork River which runs straight through my hometown of Missoula, Montana, the Lewis and Clark Caverns… Pompey’s Pillar near Billings.... everywhere.
That being said, Lewis and Clark more or less skipped my area of Montana (despite all of their namesakes) and made their way into Idaho through Hells Canyon on the Snake River before making their way along the Columbia River towards modern day Portland and the Pacific Ocean. As they traveled, they acquired the help of another famous individual: Sacajawea.
The route we followed on the S.S. Legacy was the route of Lewis and Clark - complete with a jet-boat ride up Hells Canyon. While the landscape of the Snake and Columbia Rivers has been forever and drastically altered by the building of several dams, one can feel the sense of wonderment the Corps of Discovery must have felt while traveling west. Though the river is calm where it used to be turbulent and a series of waterfalls and petroglyphs have unfortunately been submerged beneath 60 feet of water, the cliffs and mountains remain the same and a sense of adventure can still be felt throughout the hills.
Petroglyphs (Haley Rowell)
Hearing our guides talk about the Lewis and Clark expedition while we sailed the same rivers was magic. Their tale is remarkable - the Corp traveled nearly 8000 miles through uncharted territory, unfavorable weather and treacherous terrain but only lost one man (Charles Floyd, who succumbed to appendicitis three months into the expedition). Sailing the Columbia brought this piece of history to life for me. Despite having heard about the expedition my entire life, it didn’t make sense until I saw it myself.
Excellent travel advice and service
This is my second experience working with Adventure Life. I’m sold. Jess Heuermann is an experienced traveler and provides a lot of useful information when planning a trip. These are the questions I like to ask at the outset - What’s it like to go here, there, what would you suggest, what do people report, can we add any additional side trips? Jess took the time to answer my questions and seek additional information to share with me. Petchie Colina is outstanding in helping with travel logistics and final preparations. Adventure Life has excellent guides and offers private guides and small group adventures. We enjoyed the opportunity to talk with the guides and drivers to learn more about their countries, cultures and histories. A highlight was having the guides pick local restaurants where we could share meals together. Highly recommend.
Claire Cordon
5 days ago
Our six-day tour in Iceland went smoothly with one exception. We had asked for two rooms each night. Somehow we were booked with one room with three beds. It could not be fixed at the first hotel in Reykjavik because the hotel was fully booked. Once informed of the problem, however, Adventure Life rebooked for two rooms for the remainder of the trip. As an 85-year-old traveler, I appreciated that one could participate at different physical levels at many of the stops. Iceland is a great place to visit but on the expensive side.
Mary Warren
6 days ago
Jess was very easy going and answered all our questions. It’s not easy dealing with 6 people at once but she did an outstanding job!
Diane Foster
1 week ago
Kassandra and the Adventure Life team have been incredible! Kassandra was very knowledgeable and attentive to our asks while making sure we kept within our budget. This was our first experience with a travel agent and we were blown away by the booking/initial exploration service. We will use Adventure Life again.