Hells Canyon, 10/21/2024, National Geographic Sea Lion
Aboard the
National Geographic Sea Lion
Pacific Northwest
Today we awoke to gorgeous, moody clouds over the Lewis and Clark Valley before boarding jet boats to travel up the deepest river gorge in America. The wildlife was plentiful. We saw river otters, bald and golden eagles, big horn sheep, kestrels, kingfishers, and a late migrating white pelican.
After a full day with every type of weather you could ask for, we returned to National Geographic Sea Lion for an evening with our incredible speakers, Coco Umiker and JR Spencer.
Kylee Walterman grew up in central California where she was in close proximity to the ocean, mountains, deserts, valleys, and national forests; this is where she found a passion for the natural world. She attained a Marine Science degree with a biolo...
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Our visits to Hood River, Oregon and Stevenson, Washington offered a perfect slice of spring in the Columbia River Gorge. Multnomah Falls was rushing, wildflowers abounded on our hikes in Beacon Rock State Park, and the sun sparkled during a wine tasting event hosted by the Columbia Gorge Museum. Guests of National Geographic Sea Bird enjoyed the bounty of the season on our journey down the Columbia River!
Today we woke anchored at the Umatilla Wildlife Refuge, which was created in 1969 as a habitat for wildlife displaced by the John Day Dam on the Columbia River. It serves as crucial compensation for lost habitat and nesting grounds and is an important stopover for waterfowl migration along the Pacific Flyway. The refuge is composed of many small islands called the Blalock Islands, which are essentially a river archipelago teeming with life. These islands provide prime nesting and resting habitat for a variety of bird species, especially during migration season. We set out to explore with our Zodiacs and observed hundreds of birds across 14 different species. Highlights included great looks at soaring red-tailed hawks, a big group of American white pelicans and osprey, including an osprey with a fish in its talons. During lunch we sailed 10 miles downriver to Crow Butte, where guests chose from kayaking or a variety of shoreside walks. We are about halfway through our journey and looking forward to a big change in vegetation and topography as we progress westward towards the Pacific.
Guests aboard National Geographic Sea Bird traveling downstream along the Columbia and Snake Rivers, went ashore for a delicious day in the Walla Walla Valley. Most guests chose to spend the morning taking a tour of the Whitman Mission National Historic Site, a mid-19th century Christian mission that helped many who traveled the Oregon Territory. Another bus took guests to The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater, Oregon to learn about grapevines planted 40 years ago in the unique soil by the founders of Seven Hills Winery. Just before lunch, both buses took guests to downtown Walla Walla for a tour and tasting of Seven Hills wines, and a meal catered by TMACS. Next came a walking tour of downtown led by Nancy Helms-Lovell of Destination, Walla Walla. Stops included the century-old Marcus Whitman Hotel, Bright’s Candies, and tasting rooms for Spring Valley Vineyard, Mercer Wine Estates, and Mark Ryan Winery. Nearly every guest walked back to the bus stop having stopped at the Pine Cone Creamery for a scoop of ice cream. Dinner aboard National Geographic Sea Bird included chef Alan Griffith’s honey-glazed Pacific sablefish, a dish that featured Walla Walla sweet onions.
