SheSue Experience

I’m not talking about a canoe. This is about the Columbia Gorge Sternwheeler, a historically decorated paddle wheel boat. It cruises out of the town of Cascade Locks on the Columbia River. From May through October, the sternwheeler offers sightseeing, brunch and dinner cruises. I opted for the Landmarks of the Gorge cruise, a 5-hour cruise on Wednesdays.

45 minutes from downtown Portland, the town of Cascade Locks is right in the heart of the Columbia River Gorge. Find the Marine Park, then the visitor’s center. This is where you board. It’s very easy to find right off I-84. Recently over hauled, the visitor’s center is big and airy with high beamed ceilings. It has some historical artifacts including some history of paddle wheel boats. There is also the usual rack of travel brochures, a small cafe and a nice gift shop.

To board, you pass through the visitor’s center to the patio. Here you line up to get your photo taken before boarding via a long ramp. The boat has 3 decks. The 2 lower decks are set up like a restaurant with tables and chairs. The top deck is open air. I was seated with 2 friends at a nice window seat.

You are eating a lot on this cruise. Soon after leaving dock, they bring out a continental breakfast including assorted pastries, biscuits, and fresh fruit. After a couple of hours, out comes a buffet style lunch, quite the spread. And finally after another hour, they bring out a dessert buffet with many delectable delights. The lemon blueberry bars are to die for.

While cruising, you are free to roam about the boat. We wandered up to the top deck where you can visit the captain, 5 passengers at a time. This day we had 2 captains; Captain Tom who was very knowledgeable about the gorge area and Captain Misty, 1 of 2 female large boat captains west of the Mississippi. Between the 2 of them, they narrated for most of the trip. Their narration showed their love the of the area.

Part of the cruise was going through the locks at Bonneville Dam. The video here is taken from the top deck inside the locks as the doors closed. Then my camera battery died. Just after the doors close, the water begins to rise. It happens very fast. Then the doors open and you are on your way again.

I have traveled the Columbia River Gorge hundreds of time by car and foot. Being on the water was a completely different aspect. The river was low due to the time of year, so we didn’t get to see much of Multnomah Falls. According to the captain, this was the view that Lewis and Clark had. Instead we got see many other waterfalls that you don’t see from the freeway.

This was a beautiful and relaxing cruise. The food was great and the narration was fabulous. My only disappointed was that we happened to cruise on a day during forest fires on the back side of Mount Hood. This caused cloudy skies. On the other hand, how many can say they get to see snow (ash from the fires) on a warm sunny day.