Discovering the Columbia River.

On May 11th, or 12th or 20th or… well it depends on which reliable source you check… 1792, just a few decades of centuries after the indigenous population discovered the Columbia River, and only 17 year after Heceta explored the mouth of the mighty river, Robert Gray 'discovered' the Columbia River. He was on one of the Viking Cruise Lines first trips: back before they had cabins for sleeping. It was pre-historic. He was the only person on the boat who could write. He got to tell early history of the Columbia in his own way.

The first night was spent at the Fur Bonnet Motel in Astoria. His blog entry for the dates mentioned run-down furnishings and a lack of attention to details by the staff, but if he ever passed through here again, ‘he would consider staying there again’. He wasn’t appalled, but neither was he impressed. The captain steered his boat up the river and spent the second night at the Wendy’s Wild West Emporium and Motel in Gresham. Trust me; you don’t want to know what he blogged about on that stay. Let’s just to suffice it to say the motel has long ago closed. His criticism was devastating.

The ship headed farther inland, spending the third night at a riverside hotel in Hood River. The dude had a great night at a reasonable price, but do you think he would mention that on his blog?

Asshole!