This is our cruising day with no stops, no excursions and only shipboard entertainment. And there were lots of the latter: two lectures, a “book a future cruise” presentation, bingo, two art opportunities, line dance instruction plus the usual meals and cocktail opportunities.

I did the two lectures. The first covered the middle portion of the Lewis and Clark expedition, from their arrival at the Columbia River through the winter of 1806. The second was a presentation by the wife of our main historian who described the Mt. St. Helens eruption which, coincidentally, occurred 40 years ago today. Laura was a grade schooler and lived in western Washington State and recalled vividly the experience of ash-clogged streets and the pollution from the fallout. She showed a picture of her class, all wearing masks to protect against the airborne ash. They soon cancelled classes for the rest of the year because no one knew the risks of inhaling volcanic ash.

Judy did the promo session and part of bingo. I spent several hours up on the top deck, all most totally alone, watching the scenery pass by and taking the odd photo, the results of which you can see below. We retraced our steps from Astoria to Portland and saw the industrial and shipping infrastructure of the region. Beyond Portland has been mostly wooded mountainous terrain with the occasional factory or town.

We saw a tall monolithic stone structure on the north bank that was formed when a volcanic vent deposited a column of magma. Surrounding softer material has worn away through erosion, leaving the magma deposit standing by itself.

There was significant loss of conifers, mostly on the southern (Oregon) side of the river. Not sure what the cause is, but it’s probably the combined impact of drought and insect infestations.

We’re parked tonight just upriver of the first lock at the Bonneville Dam. Tomorrow we will go by bus back downriver to see the Multnomah Falls and in the afternoon, we have three excursion opportunities.