Today, the Columbia and Snake rivers look significantly different than they would have 200 years ago. Both used to churn with cascades and rapids and danger could often be found around every turn. I imagine that most of both rivers would be largely unrecognizable to Lewis and Clark if they able to see them now: wide… still…. dammed 8 times.
Part of the fun of this particular cruise was getting to navigate the locks. We passed first through Bonneville (where we stopped to take a tour of the dam and its fish ladders) then The Dalles, followed by John Day, McNary, Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little Goose, and Lower Granite.
Throw dams into the pot of things I previously knew next to nothing about (despite growing up near one which, at the time of its construction, was the third largest and second highest concrete dam in the world).
Navigating the locks are incredibly interesting. First, a ship signals to the dam that she would like to pass through. The dam gives the green light and opens a set of doors, which the ship sails through. The doors then close behind the ship and you’re left in a narrow enclosure. The ship anchors herself to the walls of the locks by hooking onto a buoy (set in the wall) which, once filling begins, rises with the water. The ship also rises (or falls, depending on your direction), until eventually, she sits on the same water level as the river ahead. A second set of doors opens (or lowers, depending on the dam) and the ship sails through, paying no mind to the fact that she’s just risen 100 feet.
Navigating the locks (Haley Rowell)
The end result is genius: the dams generate power, the locks allow vessels to pass, and the fish chutes and ladders enable the salmon to spawn as normal.
The holiday of a lifetime. The company is Alaksa-owned and thhat makes a big difference to the experineces you get i.e. meet genuine First Nations tribes people. The amount of wildlife was beyond my expectation, and seeing everything on sucha small, intimate boat made it even more spoecial and unique.
Liz O
2 days ago
Adventure Life covered all the details in planning our trip to Ireland. Any questions we had were answered immediately. Any trip glitches, which always happen when traveling, were resolved immediately. There were no worries, just fun!
Kathleen Weller
2 days ago
It was an outstanding, up-close, educational vacation of nature, culture, history, animals and geology! It was everything they promised! Binoculars were plentiful on the boat, but I'm glad I brought my own. Food was excellent. Rooms had black-out shades. Pack/wear multiple layers of clothing (I carried a small backpack when off the ship). Crew were delightful and very accommodating! Remember to jump FEET FIRST first when taking the optional polar plunge! Spend as much time outdoors as you are able and ENJOY!!!
Janet Dutton
1 week ago
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
1 week 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.