Historical River Cruises for the Adventurer in Us
Bonnie Hedges
Oklahoma City, OK
Group Travel Specialist; VP of Sales and Marketing
My travel career began in 1980 with Tag-A-Long Tours, a White-Water River Expedition Company in Moab, Utah. My position was to take the reservations for guests doing the white-water river expedition, then coordinate all the pre-trip travel and doc...
My travel career began in 1980 with Tag-A-Long Tours, a White-Water River Expedition Company in Moab, Utah. My position was to take the reservations for guests doing the white-water river expedition, then coordinate all the pre-trip travel and documents. This was the beginning of my 39-years in the travel industry. My career then took me to Orem, Utah where I expanded my knowledge as a travel agent and assisted in helping the Osmond Family travel to their concerts. I also gained expertise in providing group tours to watch BYU (Brigham Young University) compete in out of state football tours including the Hawaii Bowl. From Orem I moved to Las Vegas, Nevada where I had an exciting an informative travel adventure with the largest travel agency in Nevada, of which I became the director.
In 1999 I married Bentley Hedges and moved to Oklahoma City. AS VP of Sales and Marketing for Bentley Hedges Travel Service, I use my years of experience to market and promote our company, keeping us on the minds of the traveling public. After 49 years in business, Bentley Hedges Travel is now helping its Fourth Generation of Travelers.
I especially enjoy preparing group travel packages. In 2016 we took a group to Rome where we saw the Pope, then cruised from Civitavecchia to ports of call in the Western Mediterranean. I’ve assisted with group planning for The Greater Oklahoma City Chamber, Church Groups, Special Interest Groups, and Seminars at Sea. Little did I know that my little bits of experience planning tours for BYU would prepare me for helping Bentley Hedges Travel plan University of Oklahoma Football tours and Bowl Game trips beginning with the National Championship in 2000 when we took 1100 people to Miami. I will always enjoy helping people plan their “Dream Vacations.”
Throughout our 20 years of marriage I have had the privileged of traveling all over the world with Bentley. One of my favorite adventures was traveling to England. We visited London then traveled to Essex, England where we stayed in a castle. After the castle stay, we cruised from South Hampton to New York City where we awoke on my birthday to see the Statue of Liberty waving at us and welcoming us home. A true adventure was cruising around Cape Horn from Chile to Argentina with Celebrity Cruise Lines. Along the way we enjoyed the majestic beauty of the fjords and my favorite port of call Montevideo, Uruguay where the roses were as big as dinner plates. In Rio De Janeiro, Brazil we stood under the Statue of Christ the Redeemer overlooking the 200,000 seat Macarena Football Stadium, and then later we strolled on the beach in Copacabana.
My favorite way to visit Europe is on European River Cruises. Unpack once and simply enjoy the included shore excursions. The time I spent in New Zealand and Australia will rank right up there as my favorite; remember New Zealand or Australia is only “three eats and a sleep away.”
I have favorite places that I will go back to over and over, one of which is the El Dorado Royale located outside of Cancun, Mexico. My latest favorite get-a-way is Aruba, known as One Happy Island.
Over the years I have cruised on most of the major cruise lines. My bucket list cruises are on Regent Seven Seas cruising the British Isles and Oceania Cruise Lines cruising around Spain. A 51-day sailing on Norwegian Cruise Lines in a Haven Suite would also be amazing.
Personally, I enjoy going to places where I can learn more about World War II History. In July 2019 we are taking a group to Paris with Globus Family of Brands that will include a tour of the D-Day Landing and Beaches of Normandy. I invite you to join us on this remembrance tour of the Landing at Normandy 75 years ago.
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Oak Alley Plantation on The Mississippi River
Historical River Cruises for the Adventurer in All of Us
I love to explore America. One of my favorite voyages was on a river cruise on the Mississippi River.
For history lovers, the United States is abundant with tales and trials of the American pioneers who founded the great country in which we live. You can travel to some of the most amazing destinations across the United States on one of America’s great rivers. There are river cruise lines that offer scenic cruises filled with history and adventure on the Mississippi River, the Ohio River, the Cumberland River and, going west, the Columbia, and Snake rivers.
The first recorded use of the Mississippi River for cargo transportation was in 1705 when a load of 15,000 bear and deer hides was shipped to the Nouvelle Orleans long before the Louisiana Purchase. This started the Mississippi River trading and wetland expansion. Barges would take logs and building supplies from the Upper Mississippi down to New Orleans, returning with cotton, imported dishes, and silver. Along with expensive material, spices and perfumes from Europe were transported via these waterways.
Today, the Mississippi River is the most popular river for year-round passenger river cruises, and the river is still a working commercial goods transportation system. Each year, river cruise companies offer theme cruises that feature a piece of American history.
On the Lower Mississippi River, you can delve deep into the history of the Civil War on a special theme cruise that explores the battlefields, monuments, and museums that echo the stories of this defining time in American history. Led by expert historians, you’ll visit such sites as the Vicksburg Military Park, where you will gain insight into the circumstances that lead to the Civil War. The tour is tailored to emphasize the personalities and strategies of the Confederate and Union generals, as well as the incredible sacrifice made by millions of Americans.
The dramatic landscapes of the Upper Mississippi River have long inspired artists, writers, and steamboat passengers. It was here that literary great Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain) used the majestic river as settings for his most popular characters including Huck Fin, Tom Sawyer, and Becky Thatcher to come alive in his Mississippi River-inspired novels. A port call in Hannibal, Missouri, will give you the opportunity to visit this quintessential American author’s boyhood home and the Mark Twain State Park.
Heading to the Pacific North West to explore the Columbia and Snake rivers, you can follow the route of Lewis and Clark on a theme cruise that follows their unforgettable pioneering journey into the West over 200 years ago. In October of 1805, after the boats and canoes finished the “last bad rapid,” Lewis and Clark made camp at the point between the Columbia and Snake rivers, where they held a final council before beginning their voyage down the Columbia. They were not prepared for the approaching cold winter. The frigid weather and temperatures at the Fort Clatsop encampments nearly froze them all out. A river cruise on the Columbia River will have a riverlorian (the name of a river lecturer; the terms derives from three other words: river, lore, and historian) on board to bring this river to life with tales of the patriots such as Lewis and Clark, the fur traders, Native Americans and other explorers who helped shape the history of our country.
The mysteries and moods of the rivers as they change with the seasons are what make an American River Cruise an adventure at every bend. The Travel Advisors at Travel Leaders/Bentley Hedges Travel can help you arrange to explore the rivers on a historic paddlewheel or river cruise boat.
It’s a trip that promises to breathe history back into life at every port of call.