Lower Snake and Palouse Rivers
Early this morning the National Geographic Sea Lion left the Columbia River and turned into the Snake River. A white pelican greeted us as the sun rose behind Ice Harbor Dam and we gained another 100 feet in elevation. After the hustle and bustle of the last few days, it was nice to have a relaxing morning aboard the ship to cruise up-river on another clear, sunny day.
We had time this morning for a couple of learning opportunities from the staff. Our shipboard historian, Junius Rochester, gave a presentation titled “Mr. Jefferson and Captain Lewis.” The Lewis and Clark Expedition transited this area in October of 1805. There were also major geological events that formed the area through which we are traveling, and later in the morning, Stewart Aitchison shed some light on these processes.
Our next dam was Lower Monumental, where we rose up another 100 feet. The water behind this dam backs up into the Palouse River, where we anchored for our afternoon activities, after a pleasant luncheon on deck.
Everyone had a chance to visit Palouse Falls, which drops 185 feet into a giant plunge pool. Great floods scoured this area, leaving a canyon too large for the small river that it now holds. We explored near the mouth of the Palouse by kayak and Zodiac. Dramatic and precipitous basalt cliffs towered above us. Originally named Drewyer’s River for George Drouillard, a hunter with the Corps of Discovery, the explorers found a native village in this area. There are also nearby caves that hold archeological remains of animals and ancient people. One Zodiac group saw two swimming snakes! Birdlife here included black-billed magpies, northern flickers, and a northern harrier.
During the cocktail hour we had a lovely display and tasting of local pears and other fruits of the region that were selected along yesterday’s excursion. We spent a quiet evening at anchor before continuing toward our next day’s destination.
