ABOARD THE S. S. LEGACY – I’m not much for buying souvenirs. After years as a travel writer, my home already has enough stuff. Plus I have tons of notebooks, photos, memories and articles written to remind me of where I’ve been. But after tasting Walla Walla Sweet Onion Mustard at Fort Walla Walla Museum, I knew a jar would not last long in my house. Other passengers from the S.S. Legacy also were buying the tasty …
ABOARD THE S.S. LEGACY – When Vi Jones needed a new dress, she did what pioneer women did. She made it herself, right down to the deer antler buttons. “Those are very difficult to button,” Jones said, turning around to show a row of buttons down the back of her high-necked dress. “The buttons are irregular in size which makes it even harder to get them through the button holes. I always need help.” When our S.S. …
ABOARD THE S.S. LEGACY – Tightly clutching her Bible, Narcissa Whitman tries to explain why she chose to embark on a path that eventually took her life in a horrible massacre. The slaughter also destroyed the very people she sought to help. Of course, this isn’t the real Narcissa Whitman. She died Nov. 29, 1847. The woman standing before us on the S.S. Legacy is Assistant Heritage Leader Julie Kehr giving a first-person presentation of that long …
ABOARD THE S.S. LEGACY – Would I prefer mahi mahi with feta and avocado oil; roasted rack of lamb with honey tomato relish; or spanakopita? Decisions, decisions! But the folks on my S.S. Legacy cruise have made those tough choices a bit easier. “Choose half and half,” our server suggested, noting that we can have a split portion of two different entrees. So that is what I have done for most of my delicious meals aboard the …
ABOARD THE S.S. LEGACY – Such a beautifully sad place. Birds are singing in the distance. Sun is shining on glorious vistas stretching before us. We are on a shore excursion from our S.S. Legacy cruise on the Columbia and Snake rivers. But I can’t help thinking about the young men honored here. Residents of this place went off to fight for their county. And some never returned. When famed road builder Sam Hill created this memorial …
ABOARD THE S.S. LEGACY – Like a gigantic history book with pages reaching to the sky, the Astoria Column celebrates the Oregon city’s storied past. “The column was built in 1926 and is 125 feet tall,” said Sheri Mitchell, Astoria Column director. “You can go inside and climb the steps to the top for a fantastic view. There are 164 steps going up.” And 164 steps coming back down. Take note of that before starting a climb …
ABOARD THE S.S. LEGACY – The book on my cabin desk got me curious. Then I saw the display in a ship corridor with a fur-fringed jacket and some photos and thought I had better look into this man Chuck West, known as “Mr. Alaska.” “He is a legend in Alaska tourism,” said Ryan Downs, heritage leader on the S.S. Legacy. “He fell in love with Alaska as a bush pilot in the 1940s and wanted to …
ABOARD THE S.S. LEGACY – When Kevin Martin was a boy growing up in Missouri, his childhood ambition was to become a marine biologist or an archaeologist or maybe a doctor. In a way, he has become all three. “As a ship captain, I get to do a bit of all of those things,” Martin said. Although he spent his childhood in St. Joseph, Missouri, Martin developed a yearn for distant waterways. “In college, I went …
ABOARD THE S.S. LEGACY – Two aluminum water bottles are lined up on the desk in my cabin. Cloth napkins on the dining table take the place of paper. No Styrofoam or plastic cups are used on this vessel. Daily menus are printed on small pieces of paper, as are daily itineraries so that paper use is minimized. Recycling efforts are everywhere. “We take our commitment to conserve and protect the environment very seriously,” said Patrick Rice, …
ABOARD THE S.S. LEGACY – As a solo traveler for many years, I’m accustomed to finding my way to most anywhere I need to go. So it was a wonderful surprise to receive detailed confirmation information weeks before my cruise on the S.S. Legacy. Seems they are going to take care of all the details from my arrival to my departure – and everything in between. Stepping off the plane in Portland, Oregon, I’m greeted by a …
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