After a night of cruising from The Dalles, we arrive in Kalama early morning.

Kalama, the second largest export city in the USA, is just down the river from Vancouver and Portland which are the other large ports ready to receive imports. Now we are starting to see the large container ships traveling the river. This one is from Shanghai, lots of goodies of cheap China items on this ship!

The ship has its own dock with a great view of the McMenamins Kalama Harbor Lodge and the Port of Kalama visitor and interpretative center. A trail leads to the main town of Kalama if you are so inclined to walk in the 100 degree heat to the town.

We take the tour to the lodge in the morning. A strange history is part of the lodge. It turns out that a man named John Kalama arrived from Hawaii as part of the British Hudson’s Bay Company’s bringing Hawaiians to work peacefully with the Native Americans (Chinook and Cowlitz) in the area in the early 1800’s. John Kalama and the other Hawaiians stayed and helped grow the town. The McMenamins (a family known for their Portland breweries) decided to build a hotel on this spot to honor the Hawaiian’s who settled the area alongside the Native Americans. The McMenamins modeled their hotel after the Pioneer Inn built in 1905 in Lahaina, Maui. This lodge is a replica of the recently destroyed Pioneer Inn.

Inside is Polynesian decor and gardens outside iinclude unusual plants for this area.

The McMenamins started their business in Portland in the 1980’s and they have an amusing sense of humor. They enjoy art and want everywhere to be covered with art – on the walls (and pipes) wood, paint or paintings. Throughout the hotel not only is there artwork, there are pictures of old Kalama, the names on the doors of the hotel include names of Kalama people to filming of “Twilight” here and references to Sasquatch. Lots of creative artwork. For example, the piece with Marlon Brando (whose son lived in the area) and Elvis (who visited in 1962) adding in a flying saucer in the background. The last picture is a tribute to Mt. St. Helens volcano close by and the nuclear power plant that was in the area at one time.

Then there is the men’s bathroom with pipes in the ceiling – very strange.

Hidden doors and rooms with art under blue lights – weird.

Part of the tour is to taste McMenamins liquor, wine, whiskey and cider.

The beer is in the restaurant which we sample after our trip to the Port of Kalama Interpretive Center.

The Interpretive Center exhibits explain the history of transportation in the settlement of Kalama: Indians in canoes, steamboats, Oregon Trail migration, and trains. Nicely done exhibits.

Back on the ship for the usual……laundry. Almost all of the ship passengers have left to take the tour to Mt. St. Helen’s. Been there done in 2006 as part of our trip to see Mt. Rainier National Park. Here’s Steve at Mt. St. Helen’s. The mountain was even smoking when we were there!