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Thenextmorningwe met the representative from Holland America, since we would be leaving Canada aboard a cruise ship on the Pacific Coast, by Bus, Train and Ship, presented by Mt. Lassen Motor Transit. Our lug- gage had tags indicating our state room number, and the bell men collected the luggage from our ho- tel rooms. Kendra went shop- ping for souvenir gifts for her co-workers while I hoped she wouldn't be late for boarding. We checked in at the board- ing area and received our room keys with a warn- ing to wash our hands to prevent spreading illness. Each person had their photo taken at that time. Then as we left that hold- ing area our room key was scanned, with one more look at the passport as we walked aboard the MS Noordam, with 11 decks, 14 passenger elevators, and 1,918 passengers with crew of 620. It was 935 ft. long, 105.8 ft wide, and built in 2006. I had been looking for- ward to the four days on the ship since it had been many years since I had been an International Farm Youth Exchangee to New Zealand, through the 4-H program. My parents and sister took me to Ger- ber to board the train for a 24 hour trip to Vancou- ver, BC. I was met there by someone, and the next day I sailed on the Aorangi for 21 days to Auckland, with stops in Honolulu and Suva, Fiji Islands. I lived with farm families on both islands, between August 21 and March 18. Daffodils in bloom on arrival, and dahlias when I left. Well, I didn't plan to be allergic to recirculated air and it was a miserable four days coughing with a severe case of bronchitis. People thought you were coming down with the flu. The ship was elegant, and our suite with veran- dah was nice. A bottle of sparkling wine, roses, and fresh fruit was waiting when we arrived. Binoculars for whale watching, and yes, we saw plumes of spray. Joe and Bobby had the beds made and fresh linens while we were at breakfast each day. Chocolates, and sea creature made of tow- els, plus bed turned down each night, plus agenda for next day. Fresh flower corsages for the Gala Night. We met fellow pas- sengers in the Neptune Lounge where there was delicious coffee, tea and refreshments through- out the day. You didn't need to go to the buffet if you wanted a continental breakfast, midday snacks, afternoon tea and canapes in the evening. I enjoyed the condensed newspapers that were available in the lounge. "Australia Today," "Britain Today," "The Canadian" and "NY Times Digest." There was television in the room, but not much choice of networks. The lounge was a pri- vate place to relax, social- ize with other suite guests and have personalized service of a concierge. Many guests were sailing to Sydney, after stops in Hawaii and Fiji Islands, and I didn't envy them. Each morning we had breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill with other suite pas- sengers, where we were greeted as special guests. The waiter placed the napkin on our lap, while coffee and a sweet roll was served and we de- cided what to dine on that morning. Beautiful sprays of white orchids at each table as you watched the water go past. At 3 p.m.before we left Vancouver there was a mandatory passenger safety emergency drill, with roll call taken by a member of the crew. "Guests who refuse to participate in the drill will not be permitted to sail with the vessel." Our room key noted that we were at Lifeboat 10, with dining on deck 3 Vista Dining Room at table 54, and 6 p.m. seating. You learned to arrive early for the cooking show in the Culinary Arts Cen- ter, where we watched Chef Emanuel prepare crab cakes and crème bru- lee, or seafood and corn chowder, or salmon baked in phyllo dough and grilled salmon with cilan- tro pesto during the trip. The fitness center had "secret to a flatter stom- ach," if you eliminate GMO from you diet, eat- ing only organic foods, bottled water, etc. and the one on "walking in com- fort" would result if you bought the $199.00 in- soles, and gave up your podiatrist and chiroprac- tor. While the talk on Opals was another sales pitch, with unveiling of a beau- tiful necklace that was priced at $17,000 when Kendra enquired. There was music and shows each evening in the five different bars and lounges. Each afternoon there was AfternoonTea, and another day it was In- donesian Tea with little cakes and different flavors of tea. That too was popu- lar with the passengers. I was sorry to miss The Art of Flower Arranging, af- ter hearing several ladies from our tour tell what they had learned. The flower arrangements on the ship were beautiful. We had a stop in As- toria, and I was told the townspeople appreciated the 18 cruise ships that stopped during the year because the town needed our dollars. You could walk uptown, or ride the trolley or buses. The Columbia River Maritime Museum was our destination, and it was the history of the area through fishing ves- sels, ship models, and the exhibits had a Coast Guard rescue scene, a tug- boat wheel house, plus fishing and cannery sto- ries. Well worth a visit, if you are in the area. The Columbia River at the river's mouth, has mil- lions of gallons of fresh water collide with ocean swells. The resulting waves, enlarged by steady winds and shallow, shift- ing sand bars, can tower 40 feet high. Leaving As- toria was the only time we could feel the rough- ness, since it was usually smooth. Since 1792 some 2,000 vessels, including more than 200 large ships, have sunk at the Columbia River bar, and more than 700 people have lost their lives to the sea. These dangers have earned this area the title "Grave- yard of the Pacific." Mar- iners agree that the com- bination of high seas, a mighty river, and shallow, shifting sand bars make the Columbia River bar one of the most danger- ous bar crossings in the world. Shark fishing on the Oregon Coast was im- portant during World War II, when Vitamin A was needed to improve vision for pilots. Shark liver was rich in Vitamin A, and it was worth about $18 pound, a handsome sum in the 1940s. In 1943, 270,000 pounds of soupfin and dogfish shark livers were collected, at a value of 5 million dollars. The fish- ery ended in 1949 when a synthetic Vitamin A was available. When we arrived in San Diego, it was good to see Lloyd and the Mt. Las- sen bus waiting for us and our luggage. We had a self guided tour of the aircraft carrier USS Midway at the wharf. It was larger than MS Noordam, 1,001 ft. long and 258 ft. wide. 18 decks, 12 boilers, 4.02 acre flight deck. It had a crew of 4,500 with 600 men in engineering, 225 cooks, 200 pilots, 40 corpsmen, 5 physicians, 3 dentists. The brochure said: 10 tons of food daily, with 13,500 meals served daily. 4,500 lbs. beef when served, 1,000 loaves of bread and 3,000 pota- toes daily. 500 pies when served. Commissioned as the largest ship in the world for a decade in 1945. It was too large for the Pan- ama Canal. It was in the Vietnam War, and flagship of Persian Gulf air opera- tions in Operation Desert Storm. Decommissioned in 1992 in San Diego, and opened as the USS Midway Museum in 2004. We were surprised the next morning to wake at the hotel near Stevenson's Ranch, and it was raining. Water was standing on the ground at Buttonwil- low, it had rained so hard during the night. Read that 800,000 acres had been summer fallowed, while in 2014 it was 400,000 acres, and 17,000 workers had lost their jobs. We saw many dead and dying orchards as we drove I-5, and in many areas, the ground didn't have weeds grow- ing since no rain. It had been a great trip by bus, train and ship along the Pacific Coast. JeanBartonhasbeen writing her column in the Daily News since the early 1990s. She can be reached by e-mail at jbarton2013@ gmail.com. JEANBARTON Cruisingdownthenorthcoast Effects of the 2015/16 El Niño are already be- ing felt in both the northern and southern hemispheres with re- cord breaking hurricane winds hitting Mexico, tor- rential rains causing se- vere flooding in Southern California, and ongoing rain and cloudy weather in Chile during the spring growing season. While the rain is a wel- come relief to drought in both Chile and Califor- nia, the ongoing rainy weather pattern threat- ens the developing prune crop in Chile. The forecast for a strong El Niño year casts doubt on the 2016 crop in California. California and Chile together ac- count for 80 percent of the world's dried prune production. Scientists are compar- ing the current El Niño with the record breaking 1997/1998 event that re- sulted in severe weather and flooding in many ar- eas of the U.S. In that sea- son, the California prune crop was initially esti- mated at 170,000 tons. However, excessive rain and gloomy skies that lasted into the sum- mer months took their toll and final production amounted to only 102,000 tons. Prune growers in Chile are currently concerned about the same kind of thing happening to their crop according to re- cent visitors to the prune growing regions. Warm and wet condi- tions increase the likeli- hood of disease problems in fruit production. The University of California provides integrated pest management guidelines for 8 different bacterial or fungal diseases of prune trees and 25 different in- sect and mite pests. "Results from El Niño are hard to predict," says Greg Thompson, general manager of the Prune Bargaining Association. "Rain is needed, but too much rain and cloudy weather can result in heavy crop loss from both the lack of sunshine and increased disease and pest pressure." Prune production tends to vary widely from year to year. South American producers ex- perienced good condi- tions in 2014/15 with to- tal production from Chile and Argentina amount- ing to 123,000 short tons compared to only 84,000 short tons in the previ- ous year. "Unfortunately several key markets for South American producers are in an economic slump," Thompson said. "The in- creased supply and lower demand has resulted in lower prices to South American growers. With lower prices, growers tend to cut back on cul- tural inputs, which could lead to disaster in a wet and warm growing sea- son." WEATHER StrongestEl Niño since the '50s threatens prune crop COURTESYPHOTO Diana Tobin and Kendra McCluskey were in the Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria, Oregon, while enjoying the cruise aboard MS Noordam. 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