Palouse River and Palouse Falls
Early this morning Sea Bird anchored in the mouth of the Palouse River. This was our day out on the water exploring by Zodiac and kayak. The kayakers went out to a small beach where the crew had the kayaks ready; after a briefing on technique and safety, we pushed off into the still water. A short paddle brought us into a beautiful canyon fringed by lush vegetation. Bird song filled the morning air, surrounding us with a natural symphony. Cliff swallows coursed low over the water, feeding on insects and dipping down to the surface to drink on the wing. We even saw the swallows gathering mud that they use to build their gourd-shaped nests. On our way back to the landing site, we met the Zodiac cruisers who pointed out a mule deer browsing on a tree on the hill above us. The Zodiacs continued up the river and they found sticks with the tell-tail markings of beaver activity.
We also had the opportunity to visit the Palouse Falls. To get to the falls we rode a bus up onto the grassy plateau above the river, passing though a portion of what is known as the scablands. This whole landscape was transformed about 11,000 years ago by a series of massive floods that created canyons and exposed basalt formations. After a short bus ride we arrived in a small state park where we had an impressive view of the waterfall. The water shoots off a basalt cliff 185 feet to a large plunge-pool below. We walked around the top of the cliff above the falls and had stunning views of the canyon below.
In the afternoon we continued down the Snake River. We had two great talks: Junius Rochester continued the Lewis and Clark story and Doug Causey entertained us with the tale of Meriwether Lewis’ famous woodpecker specimen that is in the Harvard Museum of Natural History. When we went in the lock at Ice Harbor Dam, the lockmaster came out and answered questions about his job and dam operations. In the evening we made it back to the Columbia and headed for The Dalles.
Early this morning Sea Bird anchored in the mouth of the Palouse River. This was our day out on the water exploring by Zodiac and kayak. The kayakers went out to a small beach where the crew had the kayaks ready; after a briefing on technique and safety, we pushed off into the still water. A short paddle brought us into a beautiful canyon fringed by lush vegetation. Bird song filled the morning air, surrounding us with a natural symphony. Cliff swallows coursed low over the water, feeding on insects and dipping down to the surface to drink on the wing. We even saw the swallows gathering mud that they use to build their gourd-shaped nests. On our way back to the landing site, we met the Zodiac cruisers who pointed out a mule deer browsing on a tree on the hill above us. The Zodiacs continued up the river and they found sticks with the tell-tail markings of beaver activity.
We also had the opportunity to visit the Palouse Falls. To get to the falls we rode a bus up onto the grassy plateau above the river, passing though a portion of what is known as the scablands. This whole landscape was transformed about 11,000 years ago by a series of massive floods that created canyons and exposed basalt formations. After a short bus ride we arrived in a small state park where we had an impressive view of the waterfall. The water shoots off a basalt cliff 185 feet to a large plunge-pool below. We walked around the top of the cliff above the falls and had stunning views of the canyon below.
In the afternoon we continued down the Snake River. We had two great talks: Junius Rochester continued the Lewis and Clark story and Doug Causey entertained us with the tale of Meriwether Lewis’ famous woodpecker specimen that is in the Harvard Museum of Natural History. When we went in the lock at Ice Harbor Dam, the lockmaster came out and answered questions about his job and dam operations. In the evening we made it back to the Columbia and headed for The Dalles.
