Silversea Expedition Cruises To PORTLAND (Oregon)

Drive from Portland towards the Columbia Gorge where you will be rewarded with outstanding views of the Columbia River carving its path through the Cascades.

First stop will be the Latourell Falls, a waterfall along the Columbia River Gore, within Guy W. Talbort State Park. The Latourell Falls are 249 feet. Take a short walk/hike underneath an historic 1914 bridge to the base of Lower Latourell Falls, a 224-400 plunger over columnar basalt splashed with chartreuse-colored lichen. The walk/hike will be approximately a 1 mile roundtrip.

Continue on to Bridal Veil Falls (118 feet high), for a 2^nd longer hike of approximately 1.5 miles roundtrip. The hike leads to a scenic waterfall and river gorge.

Final stop will be Multnomah Falls, located on Multnomah Creek in the Columbia River Gorge, which are fed by underground springs from Larch Mountain. The flow over the falls varies, but is usually highest during Winter & Spring. Multnomah Falls is the tallest waterfall in Oregon, at over 600 feet and the 2^nd tallest year round waterfall in the US. Return to Portland.

Depart Portland and head North on the I5 interstate into the State of Washington and towards Mount Saint Helens, one of the Pacific Northwest's most-powerful and most memorable landscapes.

Experience this unique volcano and look out for flora and fauna that makes this impressive reforestation project so dramatic. Learn some interesting and unique facts about this and other volcanoes and their ever-changing faces.

Travel on the Spirit Lake Memorial Highway making a photo stop at either Elk Rock or Castle Lake Viewpoint.

Learn from the local guides about the eruption that took place on 18 May 1980, the most famous event in Washington State's geological history. Visit both the forested southern slopes of the volcano and the barren landscapes of the blast zone, unlike any landscape you have witnessed before. We will also visit the Johnston Ridge Observatory Visitor Centre to learn more about how volcanoes are monitored.

On May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens erupted in a mushroom shaped column of ash that rose thousands of feet skyward, turning day into night. In 1982, Congress created the 110,000 acre National Volcanic Monument for research, recreation and education. The Monument, which left to respond naturally to disturbance, is a one of a kind destination for mountain climbing, hiking, fishing and exploration.

Located in the heart of the Blast Zone, Johnston Ridge Observatory offers a wide-screen theater presentation, interactive displays, photos and artifacts from the 1980 eruption, and stunning views into the steaming volcano including the growing lava dome and the world's youngest glacier. Learn how volcanoes are monitored and discover how Mt. St. Helens has taught us new answers to old mysteries from other volcanoes around the globe.

Enjoy a gourmet picnic lunch and then drive back to Portland keeping a look out for flora and fauna on route.

Depart the cruise pier in Portland and drive out to the Pittock Mansion, located in the West Hills of Portland about 5 miles out of downtown. The French Renaissance-style chateau was originally built in 1914 as a private home for London-born Oregonian publisher Henry Pittock and his wife, Georgiana Burton Pittock.

It is a 16,000 square feet French Renaissance style home, designed to capture the view of downtown Portland and the Cascade Mountains. The Mansion's 23 rooms included a Library, Music Room, Turkish Smoking room, Sewing room, 5 large bedrooms and 2 sleeping porches.

The Mansion was designed by architect Edward T. Fouldes who trained at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the French Ecole des Beaux-Arts. Foulkes had a tough client in Henry Pittock, who wanted an architecturally impressive house with the very latest technology.

After the guided tour, explore the extensive outdoor grounds. The original Pittock estate was comprised of 46 acres of land and included the Mansion, the Gate Lodge, and a three-car garage, as well as greenhouses and a tennis court that no longer stand. The original landscape design created by C.C. Colburn features plantings of dogwoods, hydrangeas, rhododendrons, lilacs, magnolias, and-of course-roses!

Depart the Pittock Mansion and visit the Portland Japanese Garden, a living "classroom" that offers great opportunities for experiential learning to all who enter its gates. Enjoy a 45 minute guided walk around this impressive garden. Many lessons can be learnt about the way the trees grow and how moss forms on stone, but also about the lives and culture of the people who designed and nurtured this enduring art form. At the end of the garden tour, once you've reached the top of the hill, you will enter the Cultural Village designed by word-renowned architect Kengo Kuma.

The Cultural Village provides a place where visitors can immerse themselves in traditional Japanese arts through seasonal activities, performances, and demonstrations in the Atsuhiko and Ina Goodwin Tateuchi Foundation Courtyard.