| The Empress of the North is a sparkling | | | | were blamed for the deaths that resulted. |
| vessel operated by American West Streamboat | | | | The passengers may also enjoy a visit to the |
| Cruises, just a little over her first | | | | Three Rivers winery (Washington and Oregon |
| birthday. She is a red and white | | | | produce wonderful wines, though not nearly as |
| paddlewheeler with bunting and high, flared | | | | well-known as their neighbors in California) |
| stacks (that conveniently fold down for the | | | | and a magnificent lunch at the beautifully |
| low bridges) and is four decks high. The | | | | restored Whitman Hotel before returning to |
| huge paddle wheel at the stern is also | | | | their waiting river home.Overnight, as the |
| painted red, while the hull is gleaming | | | | passengers are sleeping, the ship leaves the |
| black. The art in each of the corridors, | | | | Columbia to enter the Snake River. She |
| neatly listed and described in an in-room | | | | continues upriver and through the last |
| guide, is nothing short of spectacular. It | | | | remaining locks to Lewiston, Idaho, the |
| is themed for Russian nobility (she spends | | | | easternmost point on the voyage. This is a |
| her summers in Alaska, sailing the Inside | | | | much anticipated adventure as the entire |
| Passage). There is a collection of Faberge | | | | ship's complement of passengers are moved to |
| eggs, matrushka (nesting family) dolls, | | | | a fleet of jet boats, the only commercial |
| lacquer boxes and other Russian artifacts | | | | craft that can navigate this rugged river and |
| opposite the Purser's Office and gift shop. | | | | its terrain. They proceed up about thirty |
| The Romanov Dining Room is similarly | | | | miles to where the Snake meets the Salmon |
| decorated from Imperial Russia. Her rooms | | | | River. This is beyond any roads and |
| are spacious and nicely decorated and most | | | | accessible only to intrepid rafters and |
| have verandahs to watch the scenery and | | | | canoeists and a few float fishermen plus |
| passing ships drift by during the day. The | | | | hikers and backpackers. One can also find |
| rooms all have TV sets with DVD players, with | | | | some petroglyphs made hundreds of years ago |
| a lending library of discs in the gift shop | | | | by area natives and view some mountain sheep. |
| available at no cost and clock radios with CD | | | | At that point, one meets the confluence of |
| players. There is also satellite TV from | | | | three states, Oregon, Washington and Idaho |
| most of the networks, CNN and others always | | | | and it's where the jet boats reverse to a |
| available as well as a camera mounted on the | | | | takeout point from which the passengers are |
| pilot house to share the Captain's view with | | | | returned by bus to the ship.The next day the |
| the passengers.In addition to the dining | | | | river tour stops near Klickitat, Washington, |
| room, there is a show lounge (which is also | | | | to make a trip to the Maryhill Museum, the |
| the lecture hall during the day), the | | | | creation of an eccentric millionaire which |
| Paddlewheel Bar, serving evening drinks and | | | | houses an impressive array of art. It has |
| appetizers before dinners (two seatings, but | | | | the largest collection of Rodin work on the |
| no assigned tables) with dancing before and | | | | West Coast, native art, beautiful chess sets |
| after the evening meal and the Calliope | | | | of exquisite artistry, a sculpture and a |
| Lounge which serves light breakfasts and | | | | floral garden overlooking the river below. |
| lunches each day.The first night, always a | | | | This is where the Empress of the North closes |
| little awkward, features a "Welcome Aboard | | | | in on the final stop of the voyage. It was |
| Dinner" and usually indicates that the | | | | the destination and goal of Lewis and Clark |
| standards of the kitchen are high indeed. | | | | at Astoria, Oregon, at the mouth of the |
| Each night's menu had a choice of hot or cold | | | | Columbia River basin and adjoining the |
| appetizer, two soups, two salads and four | | | | Pacific Ocean.Here the steamboat overnights |
| entrees, one of which was vegetarian. Two or | | | | and spends a second day. Buses take the |
| more desserts plus fruit or ice cream ended | | | | passengers into the beautiful town of |
| each meal. Overall, most have only wonderful | | | | Astoria, Oregon. The town is full of |
| experiences with all of the cuisine. Staff | | | | wonderful restaurants and shops and it has |
| is young and enthusiastic, cordial and eager | | | | the Astoria Monument. The monument is a |
| and very personable. Whether they did or | | | | column full of art and chronicles of the |
| not, they certainly seemed to be thoroughly | | | | town's history. It also features a spiraling |
| enjoying themselves, from the deckhands to | | | | stairs with a climb of one hundred sixty-two |
| the cabin stewards and stewardesses to the | | | | steps and a viewing platform with three |
| waiters.The first full day on the Empress | | | | hundred sixty degrees of vista of Washington |
| provides a stop at Stevenson, Washington and | | | | State and the ocean. Cape Disappointment is |
| a visit to the Columbia Gorge Interpretive | | | | where the Lewis and Clark Expedition finally |
| Center, an excellent museum of the history of | | | | found their goal of the Pacific Ocean, but |
| the Gorge, its settlement, growth and | | | | spent three weeks here in continuous rain. |
| progress including a commercial salmon | | | | Fort Clatsop, on the Oregon side, is where |
| fishing wheel, lumbering machine and railroad | | | | they built a shelter and prepared to leave |
| memorabilia. At the fish hatchery by the | | | | for the east and their homes. The tour buses |
| Bonneville Dam, perhaps the best-known dam | | | | provided by American West stop at some |
| and power plant on the river, passengers have | | | | excellent National Park Service centers in |
| a view of the sturgeon pond and Herman, the | | | | the immediate area, each dedicated to |
| sturgeon, who was more than 200 years old and | | | | explaining still more of the incredible |
| still growing as sturgeons do, a living link | | | | journey made by Lewis and Clark and their |
| with the area's past. Finally, passengers | | | | Corps of Discovery two hundred years before. |
| are able to view the spectacular Multnomah | | | | It was an amazing journey in which their |
| Falls, a trademark beauty of this part of the | | | | estimate of distance was only twenty-six |
| river.The next day brings the Empress to | | | | miles off, without any instruments of |
| Umatilla Landing, again in Washington, with | | | | measurement. The nation is indebted to these |
| visits to Fort Walla Walla. The Whitman | | | | men for exploring and mapping the entire |
| Mission at Fort Walla Walla is where the | | | | passage, together with the flora and fauna |
| Whitman family of missionaries were the first | | | | found along the way.The buses return the |
| of the non-Native Americans to settle. They | | | | passengers to the Empress and it sails back |
| might have remained had not a measles | | | | to the starting point to disembark the |
| epidemic - to which the natives had no | | | | passengers. |
| immunity - cost them their lives when they | | | | |