Last day onboard and airport transfer

Since we did not arrive in port until 10AM today, Cruise Director Rhiannon filled the early half of the morning with the conclusion of the cruise long Step-a-thon, a morning stretch session, and a presentation on Jean Baptiste "Pomp" Charbonneau given by our onboard guest speaker Doug. Following the presentation, Rhiannon added to the previous concept of a "book your next cruise with us" cocktail hour by advertising today's session as "cocktails and small bites featured from each region that we sail." For those curious about whether there's any benefit to booking your next cruise while onboard, our sailing offered a "15% exclusive onboard discount."

As this was our last full day onboard and we didn't have a tour until the afternoon, we decided to try breakfast in the Restaurant. On my last ACL cruise, the Restaurant had a table set up with various items you could serve yourself such as fruit, yogurt, and pastries. Here, if it weren't for joining a table already in the middle of their meal, we wouldn't have known that you can ask your server for cups of fruit etc.

I rarely get to eat things like homemade waffles, pancakes, or french toast when I'm at home so I was really interested in trying the French Toast on today's menu. From what I understand from my tablemates, this was a fairly standard breakfast menu and didn't change daily like the lunch and dinner menus. 

The French Toast was a plentiful portion that I wasn't able to finish. I paired it with sausage. I liked how the syrup was brought in a little dish for me to add myself. 

The fruit cup brought by our server when I requested one. The bite size pieces were appreciated since I didn't have to try and cut them up on a syrup covered plate but unfortunately the honeydew melon was a little tough. 

Today's lunch options that we were not onboard to partake:

Today's dinner menu:

The Lobster Bisque appetizer - Good portion size though I was a little surprised at the mustardy yellow color. This wasn't very thick as you might expect in a bisque and did not have any pieces of lobster.

Caesar Style Salad Appetizer - Asiago Crisp, Croutons, Anchovies, Romaine Heart, and Caesar Dressing. This picture is sans anchovies because this was Dad's appetizer choice. 

Surf and Turf Crab Stuffed Lobster Tail - Beef Tenderloin, Drawn Butter, Asparagus, Lemon Zest, Idaho Baked Potato. This plentiful presentation was a welcome surprise. You'd typically find that lobster tails that are included once or twice a voyage on ocean cruises are quite small with the bigger offerings reserved for an upcharge or specialty dining. Especially now with several cruise lines adding an extra charge if you order more than one of those included entrees. My only critique of this entree would be the lack of any baked potato toppings to use. I used more drawn butter trying to flavor that baked potato than I did the lobster. 

I thought it was very smart and clever the way the chef and culinary team arranged tonight's menu to feature a lot of similar ingredients. If you didn't want seafood, you could choose the middle option that is everything in the above except for the crab stuffed lobster tail and the drawn butter. A peppercorn sauce is listed only with the second dish but it was also added to the Surf and Turf entree. Or if you wished to avoid red meat, you could choose the third lighter option of a Maine Lobster Tail with Ravioli Florentine. 

Our evening schedule featured a Q&A session with the Hotel Officers panel, a briefing on debarkation procedures, and a performance by the Nez Perce featuring storytelling, song, and dance titled "The People."

No cruise is complete without that sad last morning where they kick you off. ACL offered two airport options to fly out of after the cruise, Spokane, WA and Lewiston, ID. The crew, especially Lindsay who coordinated the airport transfers, are very vocal throughout the cruise about the difference between these two airports but make sure to check all your options when booking flights home post cruise.

With the cruise ending in Clarkston, WA, Lewiston, ID's airport is the closest airport. However, it is also such a small regional airport that it's one runway and one central building for checking in and waiting at your gate. Due to this, there were no nonstop flights and the flight times were very limited. There isn't even any concession areas at this airport so ACL was providing coffee, snacks, and box lunches for the passengers who chose this airport. Transfer bus service to Lewiston, ID's airport was complimentary and ran at 4:15AM, 6:00AM, and 8:30AM. 

The exit where you cross the state line to enter into the town of Lewiston is literally about two blocks up from the port. We chose to take the transfer to Spokane, WA's airport instead so we could book a direct flight. This just over two hour drive cost us $120 per person and had the one time of 7:00AM. As we drove past the "This way to Lewiston, ID" sign, I heard several passengers start to panic that they'd boarded the wrong transfer bus convinced that it meant we were heading to Lewiston even though we'd turned in the opposite direction.

Two bus fulls of passengers chose this option and we ended up with the driver who'd never done this run. He got us there safely and within the expected time following bus #1 the whole way but there was a good bit of confusion with where he should stop for each airline and whose bags needed to come off. First the driver would say he'd be moving up to stop at each airline and stay on the bus until he got to ours, then the next minute he would say this first one was the only stop he was making. He started unloading everyone's luggage onto the curb and we chose to hop off and wheel our luggage down to our correct airline ourselves. So thankful we weren't trying to fly Qantas! With such an early arrival and a quick jaunt through security (TSA Pre-Check is worth every penny), it didn't take us long to reach our gate for a late morning flight home.

Thank you for following along on my American Cruise Lines redo on American Harmony as we explored the Columbia and Snake Rivers region of the Pacific Northwest! Coming soon will be the tale of our second river cruise of the year - an eleven day itinerary hotel and river cruise package on the Viking Mississippi. 

Clarkston, WA - where you can be in three states at once

Our final port of this cruise had us visiting Clarkston, WA from 10AM until we all had to disembark the next morning by 8AM. There were three options for tours today and one extra session scheduled for early on debark day in conjunction with a transfer to the Lewiston, ID airport.

Hells Canyon Flight Seeing Adventure (Duration of 1.5 hours/Signature Excursion at a cost of $475 per person/Low Activity Level/Not Wheelchair or Scooter Accessible)

Enjoy a flightseeing experience over, through, and around the Nez Perce's "land of the winding rivers" as you set off on a helicopter exploration through Hells Canyon. With guided narration by an experienced pilot, soar over rugged canyons, rolling hills, clear rivers, and timbered wilderness, as you learn about the region's amazing ecology, geology, and history. View where Chief Joseph led the Nez Perce tribe across the Snake River, hear about the history of the 1800's gold rush mining areas, and pass over the Camus Prairie, as well as the Salmon and Clearwater Rivers - a major tributary of the Snake River. Note: Time of excursion subject to change based on availability. 

I would presume that the final statement of the ACL provided description would also be a disclaimer about weather conditions. Our schedule offered excursion times of 11AM, 1PM, 2:30PM, and 5:30PM on the first day. On debark day, this tour was offered at 7AM but you must have planned to fly out of Lewiston, ID's airport later that day.

Rivaura Winery Tasting (Duration of 3 hours/Premium Excursion at a cost of $40 per person/Low Activity Level)

There is no disclaimer on this excursion about prohibiting wheelchairs and scooters. However, perhaps "Don't Drink and Scoot" should be a new warning and/or rule on cruises.

Enjoy a tasting and exploration of the family owned Rivaura Winery. Perched gently on a vineyard covered hillside with breathtaking views of the Clearwater River Valley, the Rivaura tasting room provides an idyllic setting for savoring their delicious wines while soaking in the surrounding natural beauty of the Lewis-Clark Valley AVA. This is a winery that is new to the market. They grow and produce Bordeaux blends as well as produce and bottle in single varietals. Included is a tasting of wines, an exploration of the winery and the vineyard, and a presentation of the history of grapes in the LC Valley. You may purchase wine at the vineyard and have it shipped to your house. The coach ride is 30 minutes each way. 

Hells Canyon Boat Adventure (Duration of 4.5 hours/Signature Excursion at a cost of $160 per person/Low Activity Level/Not Wheelchair or Scooter Accessible)

Enjoy a smooth sail up the Snake River as you head into North America's Deepest River Gorge in a fully covered boat guided by local, licensed river captains and crew. This once in a lifetime four-and-a-half-hour exploration will take you into Hells Canyon, stopping at the historic Garden Creek Ranch where you will enjoy fresh cookies and refreshments as you walk around the beautiful orchard. Along the river, you will discover abundant wildlife, ancient rock formations, and hear the history of the Native Americans, steamboats, pioneers, missionaries, miners, and much more!

This is the excursion we chose to do. There was only the one session at 1PM. While the helicopter is limited to small groups, we had a full boat with each row filled with 2-3 people. They probably would have fit up to 4 if our tour group had been bigger. The boat does have plastic windows and a topper so we had no concerns about getting wet. I've seen a lot of upcoming passengers asking for recommendations on waterproof clothing for this excursion and after having been on it, I say to save your money. You won't get wet from any splashing and you won't have to step in any water to get in or out of the boat. The only time you might get wet if it is currently raining during your excursion since there is an extended steep walk up from the dock to the Ranch property. Our jet boat ride was run by the relatives of the owners of the Garden Creek Ranch while the rest of their family ran the gift shop. One of the family members offered golf cart rides from the dock to the top of the steep hill to those with limited mobility. I would suggest, based on the time of year, that you plan to wear or bring along a jacket. Our cruise was in mid April and it gets even chillier on the water, especially when the wind whips through the open roof and back sections where they didn't bother to close up the plastic partitions. 

Boat crew were happy to help anyone maneuver the steps in and out of the boat. Our guide was gregarious and funny cracking jokes while pointing out local landmarks. During the ride to the ranch, we passed sections of rock painted to look like "Welcome to Oregon," "Welcome to Washington," and "Welcome to Idaho" style road signs drawn into the cliffside. Did you ever think in one excursion you would visit three different states? Well, maybe if you also went on a Viking Mississippi excursion but more on that later. 

The plastic windows worked perfectly for keeping us dry from the spray and did not obstruct our views or photos.

Drawings carved into the cliffside:

The floating dock as we arrived at Garden Creek Ranch:

The steep hill to walk up from the dock. It was super windy this day and we were all super chilly. At the top of the dirt and gravel road was the orchard and restrooms (with an outdoor sink trough for hand washing). 

After we used the facilities and refroze our hands in the cold sink water, we headed into a trailer style building. The building featured a few displays of local artifacts and animal bones. Carafes for coffee and lemonade were set up along with chocolate chip cookies (didn't think you'd get through an ACL excursion without cookies did you?) but several fellow passengers lamented about how fast the coffee ran out. After refueling with a cookie and bottled water, we browsed the gift shop full of merchandise referencing having "been to Hell and back." So just in case being warm and sunny in Grand Cayman isn't your thing, check out this excursion instead for all of your punny needs. 

The gift shop lets out onto an expansive deck where you can look out over the water and enjoy the views.

The orchard:

On the ride back to the American Harmony, our boat driver and his deckhands helped point out and spot all of the wildlife along the rocks. Stay tuned for the final installment of this cruise featuring our last day's dining choices and our transfer experience to the airport. 

Richland, WA - where Mother Nature puts on a show

With our full day excursion, we were up early this morning to get ready. I took a peek outside our cabin window just before sunrise and was greeted with the most beautiful display of water smooth as glass creating the perfect reflection of the trees against the early morning twilight.

Sad to say our excursion kept us from another session of morning trivia onboard. We didn't eat lunch on board but here's the menu from today:

Back on board in the early evening, twelve hours after those morning twilight photos were taken, I was just as much in awe at how the view looked from our cabin balcony.

Those who wanted to enjoy a more subdued cocktail hour could take part in the Coloring and Cabernet session for some adult coloring and wine sipping set up by our Cruise Director Rhiannon. 

Tonight's full dinner menu:

Spinach Salad - Bacon, Hard Cooked Eggs, Swiss Cheese, and Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette. Could have used more dressing as it was a little dry but otherwise fresh and tasty.

The grilled cheese Ayden called in to the chef to be made for Dad. Dad's only critique - "I would have liked to have two grilled cheese sandwiches."

My Northwest Crab Cakes entree - Roasted Red Pepper Chive Remoulade, Herbed Risotto, and Sauteed Spinach. You know you can take the girl out of Maryland but you can't take the love for crab cakes out of the girl. While this portion looks small, I found it quite filling. The crabcake had a bit of spice to it but the flavors were balanced well with the creamy risotto.

Flourless Chocolate Torte for dessert:

After listening to our next day's briefing and port preview, we listened to the guest entertainers - Legends of the Pioneers described as songs of the West-Cowboy and a musical portrait of the pioneers.

Before heading to bed, I stepped out on the open back deck to catch one final reflection photo for the day.