Wayne and I have lived in Washington State our entire lives. It is a diverse state with both dry arid areas as well as rain forests. The Columbia River gorge is a geographical marvel. He was the one who felt it would be good for us to take a cruise up the Columbia viewing the multitude of dams and learning what we could about the state in which we live.

A cruise sounded good to me. Little did I realize that educational cruises are nothing like other cruises. No TV. No phone. No pool deck. No locks on the doors. While it took a bit of adjustment, we had a wonderful time and learned a great deal. The people I met were equally fascinating. I got two book ideas from this adventure. Jingle All the Way is one and seeing that Wayne and I had also taken a cruise on the Amazon River I figured, why not combine the two.