Time to go underground in Pendleton, Oregon

Our next port stop on this itinerary was Richland, WA. We were in port from 12AM until 6PM. There were four different options for tours today.

The REACH Museum (Two and a half hour duration/Complimentary Excursion/Low Activity Level)

This excursion had a choice of a 9:45AM morning session or an afternoon session starting at 1:45PM. Visit the REACH Museum and discover Eastern Washington's rich landscape and history from the Ice Age to the Atomic Age. Explore the featured galleries and rotating exhibits inside, as well as the amazing outdoor area with breathtaking views of the majestic Columbia River and surrounding scenery. Discover the geological impact of the Ice Age floods and basalt lava flows to the area. Learn about the Manhattan Project at Hanford and its continuous influence on the region. This is a self-guided experience. Upon arrival, you will be greeted by a docent and given a brief introduction.

Vintner's Village and Chukar Cherries (Four and a half hour duration/Premium Excursion at $80 per person/Low Activity Level)

Board your motorcoach for a delicious journey to some of the tastiest destinations in the region, including:

Chukar Cherries - For three decades, family owned Chukar Cherries has been transforming local sweet and tart cherries into award-winning chocolate cherries. Enjoy a visit to their flagship store where it all began.

Smasne Cellars - Visit this family-owned, fourth generation winery that has been operating for 120 years. This private exploration of the winery includes the production, bottling, and barrel room. Experience a tasting directly from a barrel and conclude with a tasting of eight wines from Smasne Cellars.

Coyote Canyon - Located in the heart of the Horse Heaven Hills, this unique terroir and climate has nurtured Coyote Canyon Vineyard's award-winning premium grapes since 1994.

Martinez & Martinez - In 1981, Sergio Martinez and his wife Kristy planted a small vineyard in a distinct area called Phinny Hill, known to have unique geological and geographical characteristics that have contributed to some of the best wines in Washington. Come take a taste for yourself and learn about the rich history of the Martinez family.

WIT Cellars - With a large selection of varietals, WIT Cellars crafts wines that capture the essence of Washington-grown grapes. Enjoy a tasting at this unique winery founded by friendship and passion.

Sacajawea State Park and Interpretive Center (Two and a half hour duration/Complimentary Excursion/Low Activity Level)

Experience the beauty of the Columbia and Snake River confluence at Sacajawea State Park. Explore the park grounds where the Corps of Discovery camped in October 1805. Learn about their epic journey and the rich cultural history of the Columbia Plateau from park staff. Stroll through the Story Circles art installation. Upon arrival, a docent will give you a brief introduction to the center and the grounds. From there, it is a self-guided experience. The coach ride does not have a guide and is 25 minutes each way.

The Pendleton Experience (Seven hours and forty five minutes duration/Signature excursion at $115 per person/Low Activity Level)

This all day excursion begins with a journey through the countryside as you make your way to Pendleton, where you will explore the infamous underground city and the Tamastslikt Cultural Institute. Between sites, you will enjoy a complimentary lunch at the Sister's Cafe. A night or two before this port day, we had lunch order forms slipped under our cabin door to be turned in. There was options for vegetarian and gluten free. The Pendleton Underground portion of this tour is not wheelchair or scooter accessible. It requires walking down and up a set of stairs to access and also walking on uneven ground with occasional steps up, low ceilings, and narrow doorways. Travel time between Richland and Pendleton is approximately 1.5 hours.

This is the excursion Dad and I chose and we had a nearly full bus. Our excursion was accompanied by our onboard historian Doug and Guest Services Coordinator Ayden. The longer bus ride into the town of Pendleton, Oregon was supplemented by Doug's commentary and a video covering the history of the Manhattan Project. 

We had a short walk a couple blocks up from where the bus parked in order to reach the Pendleton Underground Tours building. Admission was included but it would have cost $20 per person/$15 for ages 6-12, no one under 6 allowed) if we visited on our own. We first entered on the street level that is mostly devoted to a gift shop. When we entered, the tour guides handed everyone either a ticket for group 1 or group 2. Pretty much everyone's next stop was the small public bathrooms at the back of the shop. The group designations were due to space, both in the back room for watching a video introduction, and for moving through the underground rooms. Group one was called back to watch the video while most of us ladies were still in line for the restroom. I had about five minutes after finishing in the restroom to browse the shop before group 2 was called into the back room. 

Our tour guide led us out the store and around the corner to concrete steps leading down into the underground experience area. It was easy to see why they split up into smaller groups as some passageways where we stopped to look at architectural details had you getting to know your fellow passengers and whether or not they showered recently. Our guide was very charismatic, knowledgeable, and funny. A couple members of our group made some sarcastic remarks and she matched them wit for wit. 

The underground area was set up with props and mannequins to recreate what you would see if you were there at that time. We visited the Shamrock Card Room, Hop Sing's (Chinese Laundry), the Empire Ice Cream Parlor, and through tunnels under the sidewalks to the Empire Meat Market. At the end of the tunnels was a Duck Pin Bowling Alley and pool tables.

Our guide explaining how the term shot glass came from bar patrons coming in to pay for their drinks with bullets if they didn't have any gold. When patrons did pay with gold, the bartenders would wipe down the bar top intentionally sending the gold dust to the floor behind the bar. Then they'd stomp around excessively to collect the dust on their boots before heading out back to knock the dust off their boots into these pans to collect the gold dust for themselves. 

Group #1 had since finished their escorted tour of the underground and were led by Doug and Ayden to our lunch restaurant, Sisters Cafe a few blocks away. Thank goodness Doug had randomly pointed it out as we drove by in the bus or our Group #2 would have been completely lost. Our underground experience tour guide directed us back up those concrete steps "where someone from your group is up there waiting for you" before she headed back in the other direction. Thankfully someone in our group recognized some buildings nearby and was able to deduce where the restaurant was. By the time we reached the restaurant, Group #1 was already halfway through their meal. 

Doug hopped up when he saw us and couldn't understand why we weren't already there. Like we had somehow snuck away when he wasn't looking and were being shamed for going on a joyride through town. Not sure how you missed the fact that 15 of your passengers were not sitting there at the restaurant with you. He must have figured we were as invisible as that first pepperoni pizza. 

The frustrations continued when the restaurant servers started rushing out food to feed their new arrivals only to find that what we'd ordered wasn't available. Several members of Group #1 had either forgotten what they pre-ordered or decided on the spot that our turkey club sandwiches sounded a whole lot better. A few of our group chose to simply take what the first group chose not to take in order to get their food quicker. The restaurant owners worked so hard to make it right preparing the rest of us what we ordered all over again, especially when they ran out of the options group #1 didn't take. However this added an extra delay to getting my lunch. This gets to be more than a simple chalk it up and move on when you have health issues that can make one feel very ill if they wait too long to eat. So yes, by the time mine and the other last few dishes arrived, I had moved on to hangry. The restaurant owner felt so bad that she gave me this huge chicken topped salad in addition to my turkey club sandwich. Then to add to the stress of the moment, just after my food arrives, Doug announces to everyone that we'd be leaving to get back on the bus in 15 minutes. 

Thank you to the kind gentleman in our group seated next to me who passed the wait for our orders trading joke for sarcastic joke with me. On the positive side, that was one of the best turkey club sandwiches I've had. I also ate a few bites from the chicken topped salad out of appreciation for that kind owner. 

Even the restaurant gave everyone a cookie with their meal. It was a pretty large chocolate chip cookie, about as big as the sandwich.

After eating as quickly as I could, we headed outside but the bus wasn't here yet. Several of the first group came sauntering back to the restaurant having had time to walk around and enjoy the nearby shops. I chatted with some of the other passengers while we waited and several of us wondered when this visit to the chocolate shop was going to happen. One of the other passengers said they had passed the previously mentioned chocolate shop on the walk to the restaurant only to discover it was closed today. From the other side of the group of tables outside the restaurant, I heard another passenger ask Doug something and he replied "Yeah, we're not doing that" and walked away. As it turns out, the bus took another 15-20 minutes to return to the restaurant beyond the time Doug told everyone to be ready to board. 

Once back on the bus, Doug announced that we would be heading to our "final stop" of the tour, the Tamastslikt Cultural Institute. No information or explanation in regards to Lindsay's prior hype about visiting a chocolate shop at the rundown the night before. Once we'd been underway for a few minutes, Doug walked through the bus carrying a plastic shopping bag. For a brief moment, I thought ACL had remedied the issue by arranging for everyone to get chocolate shop samples even if the shop was unavailable to visit. Nope, turns out he was just handing everyone individually wrapped chocolate chip cookies brought from the ship. Everyone raves about how the daily fresh baked cookies are a highlight but seeing this offering after all the frustrations left a proverbial sour taste in my mouth.

When we arrived at the Tamastslikt Cultural Institute, I think a lot of us in the tour group were ready to be done with the tour. Admission was included but otherwise would have cost $12 per adult and $10 for any adult aged 55+. We were all gathered by one of the Institute's guides in a center space once we walked in the door. He gave a brief introduction of the Institute's goals in preserving the local tribe's culture. Then he apologized and explained that due to remodeling and construction, only a small amount of the museum's exhibits would be available for us to visit. 

This moment made me flash back to our first ACL cruise when we started a tour in Norfolk, VA with plans to visit a specific landmark. Then the local people working to gather everyone into their tour groups encouraged everyone to take time after the tour to visit the Nautilus Museum and tour the battleship docked right next to where our ship was docked. Once on the tour, our guide announces that we'd be going to a church instead of the landmark because it is closed on Monday. Then he pressured a reluctant church official into making a speech for the group instead of letting everyone walk around and admire the beautiful architecture. Once back on the bus, someone asked our guide a question about the Nautilus Museum and he revealed that the Nautilus Museum is also closed because it was Monday. I know it's tough when we're probably only one of two or three itineraries that have such an issue but mistakes like promising a visit to a shop that's closed could have been avoided.

Our tour group dispersed to check out the few exhibits that were accessible including their featured Red Handprint exhibit. The Red Handprint exhibit featured portraits of Indigenous women who had been victims of hate crimes. Each portrait featured a red handprint painted over their mouths. It was a very moving exhibit to walk through seeing these portraits and reading their names and stories. 

Note the content advisory warning at the start of the exhibit:

Waiting throughout the exhibits were local tribe members who you could chat with and ask questions. We checked out the museum gift shop after the exhibits and found it full of handmade items from blankets and moccasins to shirts and jewelry. Everything was quite expensively priced in the few hundred dollar range for the smallest and/or cheapest items. Previous reviews of this tour mentioned having time to go shop at the Pendleton official store but that was not part of our tour.

We were hanging out in the lobby waiting for our time to meet at the bus when we ran into Ayden. We took the opportunity to share our thoughts on how the cruise was going so far and appreciated how receptive she was to our comments. On the way to the buses, we asked Ayden about our previous ACL cruise where they encouraged you to write in any dining requests within reason if you couldn't/didn't want to eat what was on the menu. Last cruise we had requests for sandwiches, burgers, pizza, and fruit plates offered and granted by writing it in on the bottom of the menu cards at breakfast. This was on a ship that didn't have the Back Porch Cafe option. Ayden was surprised to hear that the cards don't still offer that and I showed her my picture of the menu card. Instead it asks about dietary restrictions or allergies versus requests/suggestions. She told us to go ahead and use that blank for requests anyway. Ayden then pulled out her phone to text the chef on our behalf requesting a grilled cheese sandwich for Dad's dinner. It was really nice to chat respectfully and feel heard. Kudos to Ayden for going the extra mile to text the chef only a short while before dinner service started and make Dad's request so he wouldn't have to wait until he could fill out the card tomorrow morning.

A sea day on a river cruise?

Ever thought you'd see a sea day on a river cruise? The travel time it took for us to go from The Dalles to our next actual port of Richland, WA, required spending from 8AM until 12 midnight traveling through a long series of locks. It was nice to see that CD Rhiannon had planned ahead offering more than the usual activities since everyone would be remaining on board today.

Those who were feeling peppy this morning could join Rhiannon in the Sky Lounge at 8:30AM for a Sailaway & Rock the Lock Party. Dad and I chose to take advantage of the slower schedule and dine in the restaurant for breakfast. 

Checked out the view of our first lock as we finished getting ready in our cabin.

We joined a table already halfway full but had already met some of the passengers working together on a puzzle for most of the voyage. 

Apparently I wasn't too awake this morning because I neglected to take pictures of our food. I ordered the French Toast and sausage with a cup of fruit on the side. It tasted good but I would have preferred to pour my own syrup as the plate was swimming in this overly sweet maple syrup. Dad went with a standard cheese omelette and bacon.

After breakfast, I stepped outside to watch our ship maneuver more of the locks.

The rest of the morning was devoted to a Veterans Appreciation Ceremony and Doug's next presentation covering the history of The Astorians. 

We opted not to try lunch in the restaurant but here's the menu:

Instead I grabbed a quick pepperoni (this time not invisible) pizza from the cafe.

A real literal treat came after lunch with the next Rhiannon planned event of an ice cream social. Of course it was conveniently combined with the Hotel Officers being around ready to help you book that next cruise. Vanilla ice cream and a rainbow sherbert were offered scooped out by Rhiannon and her team while you had the ability to add your own toppings. There was a good variety of toppings ranging from chopped nuts to chocolate candies and gummy bears. There was also a few cans of Barq's Root Beer set aside for those who wanted a root beer float. The line of interested passengers looped around the room and it was funny to watch the crew try to get the flavored syrups and whipped cream containers to dispense when they'd been in cold storage. 

After the ice cream social, Dad and I split up so he could attend a bridge tournament (a handful of passengers who play together when they travel asked to hold one), and I went to the Culinary Demonstration put on by Executive Chef Ricardo Montalvan. Chef Montalvan chose to demonstrate how to make the Red Wine Demi Glace sauce that he'd be using on tonight's Prime Rib dinner entree. Small disposable spoons were provided for anyone who wished to come up and sample the sauce at the end of the demonstration. Chef Montalvan also took the time to answer questions about food prep, his training, and what it's like having to cook for so many passengers on a daily basis. Rhiannon passed around a piece of paper on a clipboard so anyone who wanted the recipe could write down their cabin number and get it slipped under their door later. 

Dad chose to attend Doug's afternoon presentation covering Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery's return home. I took some time to watch us travel past more locks and scenery.

Tonight's dinner menu:

Minestrone Soup Appetizer - nice medium sized bowl with plenty of identifiable ingredients

Oregon Salad Appetizer - Spinach, kale, frisee blend, Oregon hazelnuts, strawberries, red onion, goat cheese, and white balsamic vinaigrette. 

Garlic & Herb Infused Prime Rib Entree - Scalloped potatoes, honey glazed baby carrots, red wine demi glace sauce.

Chocolate Lava Cake Dessert 

After dinner, we headed to the River Lounge to hear Doug, Rhiannon, and Lindsay brief everyone on the next port of call and the excursion/onboard plans. Lindsay was ecstatic as she talked about how our chosen tour for tomorrow would include a special visit to a chocolate shop whose owners Lindsay has known for years. 

This was followed by our own passengers providing the evening entertainment by participating in a Not So Newlywed Game hosted by Rhiannon. As always, the unpredictability of the answers to leading questions had the whole audience cracking up. 

From locks and bridges to happy drawers - our day onboard in The Dalles

The main reason that we didn't arrive in The Dalles for our port day until 1PM was that we spent the morning traversing more locks. A balcony offers a great view for seeing the lock experience up close. But don't be tempted to stick any body parts out and touch unless you want to have the new nickname of Stumpy.

There's also the viewpoint of turning to the bridge cam channel on your cabin TV.

And the best part of the experience was the full rainbow that greeted us after we exited the locks.

For breakfast this morning, I ordered another breakfast sandwich. The crew member working the griddle apologized for not having any available sausage at the cafe. This was overheard by the company rep sailing with us and he not only ran to restock the cafe but brought me a plate full of extra sausage.

After team trivia this morning we attended Doug Crispin's presentation on Lewis and Clark from St. Louis to the Snake. 

Today's lunch menu. We didn't dine in the restaurant for lunch.

Thankfully there was no issue after our excursion bus troubles returning to the ship too late to attend the earlier bridge tour time for which we had signed up. Cruise Director Rhiannon assured us that there was no problem joining the second tour time's group. While ocean cruise line bridge tours will often have you being led by a senior officer, river cruise bridge tours are a much more intimate experience where you get to meet and chat with the captain themselves. Our captain was Captain Lou Boone and he told us stories of his experiences visiting every continent and writing three books. He holds the world record for going the furthest south wind surfing in Antarctica and holds six state records in the U.S. Masters Swimming. He told us not to be surprised if we see him jump into the water when we're docked because he gets his swimming workouts in right there in the river. 

No worries passengers - this is called the happy drawer because it is full of candy - not that other kind of edibles.

Today's dinner menu:

Dad loves split pea soup and rarely gets it unless it's on a cruise menu so he was thrilled to see tonight's appetizer choice of Split Pea & Ham Soup. We joked around with our waitress about the comically small portions we've been given. She comes back with a cereal bowl sized portion of soup for Dad. 

I went with the second appetizer option of a Chopped Caprese Salad - Chopped heirloom tomatoes, basil, fresh mozzarella, balsamic, and olive oil. Each component of this dish tasted very fresh and I loved the balance of the sharp balsamic with the creamy mozzarella. I liked how the chef chose to use sliced tomatoes versus the cherry tomatoes I often see used. 

Apple Cider Brined Beelers Farms Pork Chops - Sauteed green beans, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, and apple relish. We don't usually have pork chops so this was a nice change of pace. I was a little surprised to see that the apple relish was really one slice of a cinnamon apple preparation cut in half and used as garnish. 

Weathervane Sea Scallops - Sweet potato risotto, sauteed spinach and parmesan, sun-dried tomato, and butter sauce. The scallops were a good size, tasted fresh, and had a wonderful caramelization to the edges. The creamy sauce in the middle was wonderful to drag all the other components through.

From the Dessert menu:

Lemon Meringue Pie:

This was Dad's choice. He found it enjoyable but he'd always prefer to have chocolate cake.

German Chocolate Cake: 

I wasn't a fan of this cake in a shot glass presentation as it made it much harder to avoid the chopped nuts that could have been brushed off if it was a slice of cake. It also made the nuts soggy.

After dinner we returned to the River Lounge to hear Doug Crispin give a presentation on the Historic Columbia River Highway. After the nightly rundown of the next day's events, we stayed for our evening entertainment, "Rain or Shine" with the Bylines. The singing duo performed songs with weather words in their titles. Those who wished to stay up could have joined Rhiannon for a 9:30PM's Night Owl's Club Karaoke.