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.