I made one small mistake in the script for this video. I said that the first test explosion of a plutonium bomb occurred in the Nevada desert. Nope. My mistake. The first test explosion happened in the New Mexico desert.
Oh, JYI, I know you made one small mistake in the script for this video! You said that the first explosion test of the plutonium bomb was in the Nevada desert like in the Nuclear Atomic Bomb Test Site Sequence, which was the alternate ending of Back To The Future Part One before the filmmakers switched to the clock tower sequence in Hill Valley, California for the climax of Back To The Future Part One on the Universal Studios Hollywood Backlot. The first test of the plutonium bomb blast was in the New Mexico desert. I love the trains in this video of the shore excursions while you and your wife did a seven day and night trip on the Snake and Columbia Rivers on the American Harmony cruise ship of the American Cruise Lines! As always, I am Thomas Comeau and I will see the replies from you, Jim Zim!
Thank you for sharing your videos. My husband won't travel anywhere and won't ride in a day longer than an hour. He is afraid of planes, so you have no idea how much I enjoy your videos. Stay safe and healthy.
I'm sure you'll enjoy the cruise! I definitely did, and I'd even love to do it again sometime, it was that good. Now you understand why I recommend Caitlin. She's very easy to work with, and it's really great to have her on your side just in case you need any assistance with arrangements. I get all sorts of offers, almost on a daily basis, to pitch products in my UA-cam videos... but I only will recommend something if I really believe I'm doing a favor to my viewers by telling them about it. Caitlin is definitely a recommendation I can make without hesitation.
Fun to watch. Being raised in Camas, and having lived along the river, I enjoyed this video. Live in Denver now, but like seeing interesting shots of the area.
Thanks! I really love the aerial shots from the drone, too. I have my commercial drone pilot license from the FAA... so, I'm actually legal. A lot of people on UA-cam that put drone shots in their videos are doing so without the required commercial pilot license from the FAA, because it's difficult and expensive to get. I sleep a little better knowing that I fly my drone legally!
I just watched your wonderful video about your shore excursions and it gave me a great insight into what to expect on my trip. I was a little concerned that the itinerary might not be for us but I am really looking forward to it now! Thank you!
Don't worry about the hot weather on the east side of Washington. Your cruise ship is air conditioned, the busses are air conditioned, any museums you go to will be air conditioned. And when you get to the west side of the state, things will cool down. Part of the fun is experiencing the two very different climates on the two sides of Washington.
Thank you for this video and the info. This looks like a bucket list cruise for me, but likely will not materialize due to its price. But I love the views. Thank you for your reporting.
We are taking this cruise in August 2023. Your videos are great and really makes us excited for the trip. Like you, this will be our first river cruise after many, many ocean cruises. Thank you for your great photography too. If you love trains, you have to go to the Golden Spike National Historic Site. We did last year and really enjoyed learning about that piece of history as well as seeing the reenactment of the trains coming together.
Enjoying the river cruise and fascinated that they basically "beach" the ship in lieu of having docks to stop at! I also didn't realize that there are river locks in the US like in the Panama Canal - that's a very intriguing feature to see...
Thank you Jim for this amazing presentation. I think we can thank the pandemic for one thing and that is the new appreciation for our own respective countries which many of us now have. We have been able to see our countries as tourists and educate ourselves on the amazing history and landscapes that we have been taking for granted for most of our lives. You, through your videos are bringing your magnificent country to the world and the world thanks you for that.
At the 2:15 point in the video: in some ways, it does look like the Grand Canyon on river level. However, I’ve been to the Grand Canyon and there are higher cliffs around the Colorado River. The scenery is definitely beautiful at the Grand Canyon. Your assumption about the Grand Canyon is correct. Great video, btw. I never really considered a river cruise until I saw the last few videos on this cruise. I would like to do one at least once in my lifetime.
I just discovered you while looking at Caribbean cruises. Your videos are so professional compared to others on UA-cam - great photography, intelligent commentary, and an excellent speaking voice. I will continue to watch for more travel videos.
I’ve never been on a river cruise and I plan to book one for my family we love US history this video was amazing and extremely detailed thank u soooo very much ❤👍🏾
Hey Jim, thanks for a very nice videos from ur Columbia River Cruise, ur videos make me and my partner to put this on our bucket list, thanks to you:) Regards from Norway:)
Mr. Z.; I really appreciate your videos, you have a very pleasant voice and you document "things" very well to the extent I want to try some of your cruises, especially the River Cruises on ACL. Thank you and God Bless You and your family. We have approx. 83 acres in Adams County OH; I would like to know what type of drone you are using and what in your opinion would be good for a recon. of our area - note it is VERY wooded and about 3/4 of a circle surrounded by hills on the North, South and West (we call it a Glen based on Scottish areas), it also has two ponds that we guess are spring fed and don't support fish life.
Hi Jim... I'm sure you will have a future video with more details on the ship itself, but on your website you mentioned limited food options. I, like your wife Kellyn, have strict dietary requirements...how did that work for her?
It was more of a problem than she's used to having on a cruise ship. On our previous cruises, there were always so many food choices in the buffet or at the various restaurants aboard... she could always find something, somewhere, that she could eat, without having to go to the trouble of pre-ordering a special meal the day before. But on this river ship they literally only offered three items on the menu at each lunch or dinner. So, that just wasn't a whole lot to choose from, and she didn't like that at all. Of course, she could remind the waiter of her food allergies and have them work something out... but there is only so much they can do when they literally only have three things to choose from at a meal. The bottom line is that she had a much more difficult time finding food that suited her compared to all of our previous ocean cruises.
@@JimZim thanks for the information. As much as I hate it, food is a make or break for me when I decide to cruise. As good as this river cruise looks, I can't run the risk of not being able to eat!! I hope you and Kellyn were still able to enjoy!
That Amtrak train going by at the end of this video would make an interesting trip. The Rocky Mountaineer has a new luxury 2-day sightseeing train called "Rockies To The Red Rocks" that goes from Denver to Moab via Glenwood Springs. Jim should go on this train and make a video about it.
I took this cruise in 2010 aboard the Queen of the West, ACL’s first boat on this itinerary. Several different stops from the current cruise you took and the boat was nowhere near as nice, but we had a great time and met neat people. Then my left retina detached, but that’s a whole ‘nother story!
The wife and I have been discussing a river cruise. Since I grew up in Oregon and Idaho I am very familiar with the area your trip covered and would like to share it with her. Thanks.
My Columbia River cruise was in August. Your cruise in April will mean temperatures will be more reasonable for you when you're on the east side of Washington, but on the west side you might have some rain.
That's one of the interesting things about a Columbia River cruise. You are going through several different climate zones during this cruise. We did the cruise starting in Lewiston and working our way down the Snake and Columbia Rivers, ending in Portland, Oregon... but you can also do it in the reverse direction. So for us, we started in a blazing hot desert climate... and then as we made our way down river it got a little cooler each step of the way. By about the third day, and for the whole rest of the way, it was very pleasant. During the first two days, we got a taste of inland Washington summer weather... which can be quite hot. Of course, the ship is air conditioned... so, it's not really a problem. I just found it very interesting to experience the completely different temperatures as we made our way west.
@@JimZim Wow! Thank you so much for the insight. After viewing your video I did take your tip and made sure I booked the Clarkston WA to Portland route for the reasons you explained. Thanks again for sharing your personal experience and perspective on the cruise and it’s itinerary! I felt much more comfortable booking a cruise on the Snake River with American Cruise Line.
Now does that snake River Hook on to the main river system such as the Missouri or the Mississippi or anyway like that? I was wondering because the American Fur company used to go up to Nebraska by boat or how?
I guess you're not familiar with the continental divide... which is the north/south line running up the center of the United States. All water on the west side of the continental divide flows to the Pacific, and all water on the east side of the continental divide flows to the Atlantic. Therefore, it would be impossible for the Snake River (which is on the west side of the continental divide) to connect with rivers like the Missouri or the Mississippi, which are on the east side.
just got done watching your video on the river cruise and I have some questions. I use a mobility scooter and nowhere can I find information on how compatible these are compared to ocean ones. I also am a smoker and again can’t find any information about that. I would like any information you or anybody else can share about where to get that sort of information. Thank you for your time.
The mobility scooter is no problem at all. They are totally used to dealing with that... it's a very common thing on American Cruise Lines ships. The smoking, though... I'm not sure they allow that. Maybe they do, at the very back end of the ship, on the outer decks... but I'm not sure about that. I'm a non-smoker, so I just have never paid much attention to that. You can easily get the definitive answer by calling American Cruise Lines at 1-888-458-6014. I'm sure they could instantly tell you whether or not smoking is allowed on ACL ships.
I'm going to be setting the trains up this weekend... so, you should see a new model train video in the next couple of weeks. I can't start doing shout-outs, though... because once I did one, I'd have a hundred people asking for them.
It's definitely an older crowd. The youngest ones aboard were the ones traveling with a parent or grandparent. My wife and I are 64 and 62 and we were probably in the lowest 10% age group aboard. The truth is that anyone much younger would probably not be able to afford this cruise. You could do three cruises on Carnival for the price of this cruise... so, only people who are very well-off financially are going to do a cruise like this.
The vast majority of passengers on either River or Ocean cruises are retirees--- cruises are the least effort of any vacations, compared to driving yourself or having to keep to the early and constant moves of a packaged coach trip. On a cruise, you can just sleep late if you don't feel like getting up.
@@JimZim Financially well off or save money for a couple of years 🤣🤣. I still would like to take a river cruise. I do have an American River cruise brochure & look through it every once in a while. I'm on the East Coast (NC). It just annoys the hell out of me that it is so expensive 🤨😠
The ship was very comfortable, but the area on both sides, once east of the Cascades is so desolate, all volcanic basalt on both sides, and no people. The jet boat was interesting in Hell's canyon, but this is not scenery that anybody, who has actually seen the Grand Canyon would be impressed. People move here, because the can't go to the Falkland Islands.
I made one small mistake in the script for this video. I said that the first test explosion of a plutonium bomb occurred in the Nevada desert. Nope. My mistake. The first test explosion happened in the New Mexico desert.
Oh, JYI, I know you made one small mistake in the script for this video!
You said that the first explosion test of the plutonium bomb was in the Nevada desert like in the Nuclear Atomic Bomb Test Site Sequence, which was the alternate ending of Back To The Future Part One before the filmmakers switched to the clock tower sequence in Hill Valley, California for the climax of Back To The Future Part One on the Universal Studios Hollywood Backlot.
The first test of the plutonium bomb blast was in the New Mexico desert.
I love the trains in this video of the shore excursions while you and your wife did a seven day and night trip on the Snake and Columbia Rivers on the American Harmony cruise ship of the American Cruise Lines!
As always, I am Thomas Comeau and I will see the replies from you, Jim Zim!
Thank you for sharing your videos. My husband won't travel anywhere and won't ride in a day longer than an hour. He is afraid of planes, so you have no idea how much I enjoy your videos. Stay safe and healthy.
I never really thought about taking a river cruise until now. Thank you!!
My grandparents had a cattle ranch on Wolf Creek which you no doubt passed on your jet boat trip.
You sold us on the cruise. We have booked with Caitlyn. She is very easy to work with. , Thank you. We enjoy your videos very much.
I'm sure you'll enjoy the cruise! I definitely did, and I'd even love to do it again sometime, it was that good.
Now you understand why I recommend Caitlin. She's very easy to work with, and it's really great to have her on your side just in case you need any assistance with arrangements. I get all sorts of offers, almost on a daily basis, to pitch products in my UA-cam videos... but I only will recommend something if I really believe I'm doing a favor to my viewers by telling them about it. Caitlin is definitely a recommendation I can make without hesitation.
I love your videos, I have no idea why cable TV doesn't hire you? Your videos remind me of the travel logs of yesteryear! Very informative.
Enjoying your videos of American Harmony ... I've traveled the area, but never on a cruise.
Fun to watch. Being raised in Camas, and having lived along the river, I enjoyed this video. Live in Denver now, but like seeing interesting shots of the area.
The Drone footage is movie worthy! For realsssssss! Very nice Jim.
Thanks! I really love the aerial shots from the drone, too. I have my commercial drone pilot license from the FAA... so, I'm actually legal. A lot of people on UA-cam that put drone shots in their videos are doing so without the required commercial pilot license from the FAA, because it's difficult and expensive to get. I sleep a little better knowing that I fly my drone legally!
Love the views. Have reservations on the Harmony in Oct, 2023
I just watched your wonderful video about your shore excursions and it gave me a great insight into what to expect on my trip. I was a little concerned that the itinerary might not be for us but I am really looking forward to it now! Thank you!
We leave next week. Can't wait! And your videos and commentary only increased my excitement. But the weather is predicted to be HOT!!!
Don't worry about the hot weather on the east side of Washington. Your cruise ship is air conditioned, the busses are air conditioned, any museums you go to will be air conditioned. And when you get to the west side of the state, things will cool down. Part of the fun is experiencing the two very different climates on the two sides of Washington.
Thank you for this video and the info. This looks like a bucket list cruise for me, but likely will not materialize due to its price. But I love the views. Thank you for your reporting.
Cool about Hanford. I actually live just a few hours from Oak Ridge TN where a similar bomb was being built.
Gorgeous presentations, I love it
Love you videos and as a certified 'mouth breathing train fan' I especially appreciate your train vignettes!
Excellent video. Very professional
Your films are delightful ❤
We are taking this cruise in August 2023. Your videos are great and really makes us excited for the trip. Like you, this will be our first river cruise after many, many ocean cruises. Thank you for your great photography too. If you love trains, you have to go to the Golden Spike National Historic Site. We did last year and really enjoyed learning about that piece of history as well as seeing the reenactment of the trains coming together.
Really want to go now. Thanks...very informative.
Another great video! Really enjoying these river boat videos....great education for those of us interested in testing these waters! Thanks.
18:00 I've never been through a dam before. Looks fun though!
Another wonderful video, Jim. Your videos are entertaining and informative.
Excellent train video I loved every minute of this.....
Enjoying the river cruise and fascinated that they basically "beach" the ship in lieu of having docks to stop at! I also didn't realize that there are river locks in the US like in the Panama Canal - that's a very intriguing feature to see...
There are 21 locks on the Ohio river. Love going to watch the barges going through.
If you pause the video at 0:48, if you look really carefully in the background, you can actually spot Amtrak Empire Builder going by
Thank you Jim for this amazing presentation. I think we can thank the pandemic for one thing and that is the new appreciation for our own respective countries which many of us now have. We have been able to see our countries as tourists and educate ourselves on the amazing history and landscapes that we have been taking for granted for most of our lives. You, through your videos are bringing your magnificent country to the world and the world thanks you for that.
Enjoyed watching this video.... thanks for sharing 👍🏻👌😊
At the 2:15 point in the video: in some ways, it does look like the Grand Canyon on river level. However, I’ve been to the Grand Canyon and there are higher cliffs around the Colorado River. The scenery is definitely beautiful at the Grand Canyon. Your assumption about the Grand Canyon is correct.
Great video, btw. I never really considered a river cruise until I saw the last few videos on this cruise. I would like to do one at least once in my lifetime.
I just discovered you while looking at Caribbean cruises. Your videos are so professional compared to others on UA-cam - great photography, intelligent commentary, and an excellent speaking voice. I will continue to watch for more travel videos.
I’ve never been on a river cruise and I plan to book one for my family we love US history this video was amazing and extremely detailed thank u soooo very much ❤👍🏾
When we went to Mt St Helens it was covered in cloud. A very interesting museum there as I recall.
Very enjoyable!
Hey Jim, thanks for a very nice videos from ur Columbia River Cruise, ur videos make me and my partner to put this on our bucket list, thanks to you:) Regards from Norway:)
Mr. Z.; I really appreciate your videos, you have a very pleasant voice and you document "things" very well to the extent I want to try some of your cruises, especially the River Cruises on ACL. Thank you and God Bless You and your family. We have approx. 83 acres in Adams County OH; I would like to know what type of drone you are using and what in your opinion would be good for a recon. of our area - note it is VERY wooded and about 3/4 of a circle surrounded by hills on the North, South and West (we call it a Glen based on Scottish areas), it also has two ponds that we guess are spring fed and don't support fish life.
Great video thanks for sharing
Hi Jim... I'm sure you will have a future video with more details on the ship itself, but on your website you mentioned limited food options. I, like your wife Kellyn, have strict dietary requirements...how did that work for her?
It was more of a problem than she's used to having on a cruise ship. On our previous cruises, there were always so many food choices in the buffet or at the various restaurants aboard... she could always find something, somewhere, that she could eat, without having to go to the trouble of pre-ordering a special meal the day before. But on this river ship they literally only offered three items on the menu at each lunch or dinner. So, that just wasn't a whole lot to choose from, and she didn't like that at all. Of course, she could remind the waiter of her food allergies and have them work something out... but there is only so much they can do when they literally only have three things to choose from at a meal. The bottom line is that she had a much more difficult time finding food that suited her compared to all of our previous ocean cruises.
@@JimZim thanks for the information. As much as I hate it, food is a make or break for me when I decide to cruise. As good as this river cruise looks, I can't run the risk of not being able to eat!! I hope you and Kellyn were still able to enjoy!
That Amtrak train going by at the end of this video would make an interesting trip. The Rocky Mountaineer has a new luxury 2-day sightseeing train called "Rockies To The Red Rocks" that goes from Denver to Moab via Glenwood Springs. Jim should go on this train and make a video about it.
I took this cruise in 2010 aboard the Queen of the West, ACL’s first boat on this itinerary. Several different stops from the current cruise you took and the boat was nowhere near as nice, but we had a great time and met neat people. Then my left retina detached, but that’s a whole ‘nother story!
I understand that ACL recently refurbished that ship. It would be interesting to sail on it now after the changes.
The wife and I have been discussing a river cruise. Since I grew up in Oregon and Idaho I am very familiar with the area your trip covered and would like to share it with her. Thanks.
Those canal locks looks like so much fun. Were all the cabins balconies? I'd heard that was the case with river boats.
Yes, every cabin has a balcony
A great video. What time of year did you take this cruise. We have booked on for April 2026 on the Harmony.
My Columbia River cruise was in August.
Your cruise in April will mean temperatures will be more reasonable for you when you're on the east side of Washington, but on the west side you might have some rain.
Hi WA neighbor,
Might you have a list of your preferred photography/video gear?
good job
Thank you so much for this wonderful video. Can you tell me what month you did this cruise ? I can’t decide if I should go in July or September
I went in August.
Thank you! What was the weather like?
That's one of the interesting things about a Columbia River cruise. You are going through several different climate zones during this cruise. We did the cruise starting in Lewiston and working our way down the Snake and Columbia Rivers, ending in Portland, Oregon... but you can also do it in the reverse direction. So for us, we started in a blazing hot desert climate... and then as we made our way down river it got a little cooler each step of the way. By about the third day, and for the whole rest of the way, it was very pleasant. During the first two days, we got a taste of inland Washington summer weather... which can be quite hot. Of course, the ship is air conditioned... so, it's not really a problem. I just found it very interesting to experience the completely different temperatures as we made our way west.
@@JimZim Wow! Thank you so much for the insight. After viewing your video I did take your tip and made sure I booked the Clarkston WA to Portland route for the reasons you explained. Thanks again for sharing your personal experience and perspective on the cruise and it’s itinerary! I felt much more comfortable booking a cruise on the Snake River with American Cruise Line.
Now does that snake River Hook on to the main river system such as the Missouri or the Mississippi or anyway like that? I was wondering because the American Fur company used to go up to Nebraska by boat or how?
I guess you're not familiar with the continental divide... which is the north/south line running up the center of the United States. All water on the west side of the continental divide flows to the Pacific, and all water on the east side of the continental divide flows to the Atlantic. Therefore, it would be impossible for the Snake River (which is on the west side of the continental divide) to connect with rivers like the Missouri or the Mississippi, which are on the east side.
Astoria is on the Oregon side of the Columbia River, not the Washington side.
just got done watching your video on the river cruise and I have some questions. I use a mobility scooter and nowhere can I find information on how compatible these are compared to ocean ones. I also am a smoker and again can’t find any information about that. I would like any information you or anybody else can share about where to get that sort of information. Thank you for your time.
The mobility scooter is no problem at all. They are totally used to dealing with that... it's a very common thing on American Cruise Lines ships. The smoking, though... I'm not sure they allow that. Maybe they do, at the very back end of the ship, on the outer decks... but I'm not sure about that. I'm a non-smoker, so I just have never paid much attention to that. You can easily get the definitive answer by calling American Cruise Lines at 1-888-458-6014. I'm sure they could instantly tell you whether or not smoking is allowed on ACL ships.
Are there any “Railfan”?
I do hope you get to return someday to Johnston Ridge. The exhibits inside are outstanding!
That is cool
Astoria is in Oregon, not Washington.
Can u do more train videos and use bnsf and can I have a shout out in it
I'm going to be setting the trains up this weekend... so, you should see a new model train video in the next couple of weeks. I can't start doing shout-outs, though... because once I did one, I'd have a hundred people asking for them.
Very nice well done video I am going to a cruise out of Providence RI the Boston Ma then Portland Me 2025 2028 2030
Too much on trains & locks, Where is the wildlife ???? other wise you did a good job, where can one find a fishing Charter at one of the ports
When I see locks on rivers it makes me think the earth is flat. 🤔
Was there anyone under 65 on this tour? This seems like an interesting tour but it does not seem marketed toward anyone under 65!
It's definitely an older crowd. The youngest ones aboard were the ones traveling with a parent or grandparent. My wife and I are 64 and 62 and we were probably in the lowest 10% age group aboard. The truth is that anyone much younger would probably not be able to afford this cruise. You could do three cruises on Carnival for the price of this cruise... so, only people who are very well-off financially are going to do a cruise like this.
The vast majority of passengers on either River or Ocean cruises are retirees--- cruises are the least effort of any vacations, compared to driving yourself or having to keep to the early and constant moves of a packaged coach trip. On a cruise, you can just sleep late if you don't feel like getting up.
@@JimZim Financially well off or save money for a couple of years 🤣🤣. I still would like to take a river cruise. I do have an American River cruise brochure & look through it every once in a while. I'm on the East Coast (NC). It just annoys the hell out of me that it is so expensive 🤨😠
Superb video photography and outstanding content. 🎉
The ship was very comfortable, but the area on both sides, once east of the Cascades is so desolate, all volcanic basalt on both sides, and no people. The jet boat was interesting in Hell's canyon, but this is not scenery that anybody, who has actually seen the Grand Canyon would be impressed. People move here, because the can't go to the Falkland Islands.
You could have done all that by car for a lot less