“So, what does a retired maritime museum director do?” Jerry Ostermiller was asked. Take a grand solo river trip on the Ninya — his 22-foot sailboat (minus mast) outfitted with a 9.9 hp trolling motor — that’s what.

“The journey from Lewiston, Idaho, to the Pacific took 27 days, and encompassed 630 river miles (on the Snake and the Columbia) through the Idaho, Washington and Oregon major navigation waterways of the Inland Empire,” he wrote. The trip also included going through eight locks and exploring tributary rivers and coves.

“The impetus … came from a conversation with my father as he was dying in 1978 from complications as a POW — he spent 3.5 years in a prison camp after surviving the Bataan Death March in World War II,” he explained. “We talked about life, loves and regrets and he mentioned he always wanted to take his little open fishing boat, with its small motor, from Lewiston to Astoria — but never did.

“He thought going slow was a unique experience and privilege because he learned, while trolling when fishing, one of his main pleasures in his life is the plentiful time that moving along slowly gave him for reflection and seeing everything along the way intimately.

“My 2 1/2-year-old daughter, Ninya (pictured inset), who died of leukemia in 1974, was his favorite of favorites, and since I always named my boats after her, I thought it fitting that I mount a photo of them, together, where I could see it as I traveled all the way down the Great River at about 5 mph.” The picture is especially meaningful for him, as their faces, with their huge identical grins, made heartwarming companions.

“Together, the three of us shared in the adventure as kindred spirits,” he added, “so I found this particular journey incredibly rewarding in many ways and many dimensions, and certainly it was a once in a lifetime opportunity for me personally.”

— Elleda Wilson