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Taking A Paddleboat Cruise
In May my husband and I took a wonderful steamboat trip on the Colombia River, 1,240 miles long, and Snake River, 1,038 miles long, aboard the American West's Empress of the North. This is the first time we had ever done a "niche" type cruise and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Yes, the clientele tends to be older, but, what a shame that the younger mature adults are missing out on all this fun. It is steam boating in the true sense of the word. The paddlewheel turns as you leisurely make your way up and down the rivers and through the many dams that have been erected since the time of Lewis and Clarke. The ship is patterned after the river boats that plied the waters of Alaska, Oregon and Washington over 100 years ago and has a distinctly Russian flavor. On the particular adventure that we took it was to follow the path of the Lewis and Clarke expedition so it was historical as well as fun. We boarded the Empress of the North in Portland, Oregon with no mishaps just a bit of a long wait. However, they did supply entertainment and refreshments while they prepared the ship for us. Once aboard we were escorted to a lovely stateroom that was right out of the riverboat era. It was roomy, beautifully decorated and had a balcony with two chairs and a table. There was a TV but we never used it since the real entertainment was the trip and the excursions which were included in the price of the cruise. The rooms reminded you of the river boat era but were very much up to modern standards. Just a little tidbit: The "Portland Penny" is how Portland got its name narrowly missing being called Boston. The partners Lovejoy and Pettygrove who had filed the claim staking the territory needed to come up with a name for the quickly expanding territory. Lovejoy being from Boston, Massachusetts was adamant that this would be the name, while Pettygrove equally adamant wanted it to be called Portland after his beloved Portland, Maine. Hence the "Portland Penny" when Pettygrove won two out of the three tosses. The artwork on the Empress was truly impressive. There were beautiful Russian artifacts and amazing pictures of the gold rush and life in the Northwest during the 1800's. I spent a lot of time just going up and down the four hallways perusing the artwork. (Every floor has a different theme). Our first night out of Portland we were invited to cocktails and hors d'oeurves at the Paddlewheel lounge which is in the back of the boat and has windows overlooking the paddle wheel. We were still busy getting situated so we grabbed a cocktail and took it back to our room to get organized. Dinner was in the Romanov Dining room and the atmosphere really was one of a riverboat. The food was very good served by a courteous and fun American crew. Dinner lasted about an hour to an hour and a half and then it was off to the Golden Nugget showroom to watch the Pat O'Neal and the River Boat Jazz band play great Dixieland Music. Well, if you weren't into it by then you never were going to be. What fun and you are sharing it with only 200 other passengers. After the show you could stay in the Showroom for dancing or go to the Paddlewheel Lounge for the duo of Kari & Jerry who were not only very good but extremely friendly. Of course, you are in a new place everyday and everyday brings a new exciting, educational and different excursion. Our first day out we where cruising the Columbia River Gorge taking in the breathtaking vistas, granite cliffs and waterfalls from which the Cascade Mountains takes it's name. We thoroughly enjoyed this trip and would recommend to other adults, this is not a ship for children. For more information on the cruises please contact Mary C. Hanna or visit http://www.cruisetraveldirectory.com/. About Mary Hanna: Contact:
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RELATED ARTICLES
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In less time than it takes to hoist a mainsail, these women (for they are usually women) find themselves huddled nervously on the deck of a boat, trying to come to terms with the fact that yachts are supposed to tip over, and that this is good thing. There are a surprising number of these reluctant sailors. Most, like me, would prefer never to set foot on a boat but, driven by the need to see their sailing-mad partners on at least one weekend out of twenty, occasionally venture out onto the water. In my case, my 'Reluctant Sailor' status comes largely down to a fear of venturing into an alien environment, where I am not in control. I do not like not being in control. When a yacht tips over, I want to know that it ? that I! ? can do something to correct it. When we are picking our way through a narrow channel, I want to know how to avoid hitting unseen rocks or other boats, and when my children are sitting on deck, I want to know how to rescue them if they fall into the water. Education is the key and unfortunately this means that I, as the terrified new owner of a yacht, now face the prospect of learning to sail, so that I am not frightened of sailing. But my reluctance stems not only from fear. There are many other reasons why I have no interest in sailing. It is cold. It is wet. It is usually raining, and always uncomfortable. Be honest now. How many good nights' sleep have you ever had on a yacht? And yes, while there are around three days out of every year when weather, location and company combine to make sailing a blissful experience, does that really make up for the other 362 days when it is not? My husband thinks it does. And so, nine years after we exchanged our dinghy for a baby and a pair of patio doors, I have finally relented. We have bought a yacht. He is happy. The kids are happy. And I?. I have come up with some ground rules to keep me happy? The Force Four Rule ? The Reluctant Sailor will not set foot on the boat if the forecast even hints at winds above force 4. [This rule is an adaption of the existing 12 ° C rule for dinghy sailing] The Sunshine Rule ? The Reluctant Sailor will not go sailing if there is no prospect of sunshine over the period of the sailing expedition. The Anchorage Rule ? No anchorage will be acceptable to the Reluctant Sailor unless it is within 100 metres of a pub/restaurant/hotel, and preferably a small town with a guaranteed escape route. The Fair's Fair Rule ? The Sailing Fanatic will match every week/weekend that the Reluctant Sailor spends sailing with a week/weekend somewhere warm, dry and comfortable - preferably abroad. The Don't Shout Rule ? The Sailing Fanatic must not shout excitedly when asking the Reluctant Sailor to do something. The Reluctant Sailor reserves the right to tell the Sailing Fanatic where to stick his boat if he raises his voice. The Rain Rule ? Unless the presence of the Reluctant Sailor is required on deck to avoid capsize, collision or other near-death experience, the Sailing Fanatic will deal with all work on deck while it is raining. The Reluctant Sailor will be having coffee and Kit-Kat's in the cabin. The Maintenance Rule ? The Reluctant Sailor shall not be expected to maintain the boat under any circumstances. The words 'anti-fouling', 'sanding' and 'painting' are of absolutely no interest to the Reluctant Sailor. The Too Much Time Rule ? The Sailing Fanatic is not allowed to go into a huff when the Reluctant Sailor casually mentions that the Sailing Fanatic has spent the last four weekends 'fiddling with that wretched boat', and that the handsome divorcee from next door has moved in to keep the Reluctant Sailor company. The Packing Rule ? The Sailing Fanatic will keep his mouth firmly closed on the subject of packing for a sailing expedition. The Reluctant Sailor reserves the right to bring along anything and everything needed to sustain her through the ordeal, but will, if pushed, draw the line at the handsome divorcee from next door. The Children Rule ? The Reluctant Sailor will not be solely responsible for entertaining/controlling the children in the cramped and un-child friendly environs of a boat. The Sailing Fanatic wished for a family sailing experience and a family sailing experience he shall get. The Money Rule ? The Sailing Fanatic accepts that once the sailing budget is gone, it is gone. He will just have to wait for that essential bit of kit. Any suggestion that this is not fair will cut no ice with the Reluctant Sailor, who is perfectly aware of her moral high ground on the subject of sailing and money, and will calmly point to the outrageous expense of buying the bloody boat in the first place. Boat Washing 101 - Spring is Here, Lets Go Boating As a boat owner you know that washing the boat can be time consuming. You also know that the longer you put it off the harder it is to clean. The ideal time to wash a boat is after it has been used. In an ideal world we would have someone waiting for us after each use who would spend an hour cleaning it up and putting another coat of wax on it. If you have a pressure washer on the dock it behooves you to spray off the waterline before and after each use. It would also make sense to put a quick coat of wax on the hull. There are many products, which can quicken the boat cleaning process if you choose to do it yourself. There are many tools you can also use to assist you. One excellent tool is a roto-scrubber, which provides agitation and saves your muscles and back. Let's face it even a relaxing day on the water can make one fatigued. 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Shape Up and Ship Out For some, the ideal cruise consists of a lounge chair, gourmet food, and many, many drink umbrellas. And while I admit that sounds wonderfully seductive, there are those whose ideal cruise is a bit more active. Mexico: Going Native If you want to expatriate to Mexico to find an affordable cost of living then there is one thing you must do--Go Native! Boat Detailing - Final Process in the Reconditioning ? Applying the Protective Sealant on Gel Coat It is often recommended that you do not use any natural or pure Carnauba automotive waxes as they will tend to yellow the gel coat over time and not properly seal the boat from environmental marine contaminants, however we do not always agree with this. It is not recommended that you use any paste waxes except we do strongly recommend using 3M Ultra Performance, which is a paste wax. Do not use any acrylics, nor any Teflon products (Teflon yellows over time) as most of these products are gimmicks and they can be difficult to remove or properly apply.
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. . . government grants
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. . . government grants
akron/canton, albany government grants, albq, bakersfield, birmingham government grants, boise government grants, buffalo, charleston, cincinnati government grants, cleveland, columbia, sc, columbus government grants, dayton, daytona, fl, des moines government grants, el paso government grants, fort myers government grants, greenville, sc, honolulu government grants, jackson government grants, jacksonville government grants, knoxville government grants, lancaster government grants, little rock government grants, madison, milwaukee government grants, monterey, new orleans, oklahoma city government grants, omaha, philadelphia government grants, pittsburgh government grants, raleigh government grants, richmond government grants, rochester, santa barbara government grants, santafe, sarasota, spokane, syracuse, tampa government grants, toledo, virginia beach government grants