Palouse & Snake River
Leading the way across a talus slope an adult mule deer doe stepped with confidence, leapt across a small chasm and started to browse amongst the sumac and hackberry bushes. Four yearlings following were not as bold in their navigation of the slope and hesitated until the doe returned, and gave a reassuring signal. The previously hesitant yearlings scampered across the slope to join in the browsing. This is the sort of activity Meriwether Lewis would have watched with interest, noting not only any behavioral differences between this animal and the eastern species of deer he was familiar with, but the body size and pelage variances as well.
There were other signs of wildlife in the area. A freshly harvested branch of a willow was found floating amongst the cattails at the waters edge. The unmistakable teeth marks of beaver formed tapered points at both ends. Tucked under basaltic columns were hundreds of lumpy gourd-shaped hollows of mud. These now deserted nests of cliff swallows gave clue to the abundant springtime bug life along the river. While we saw neither of these creatures; the beaver or the cliff swallows, their prior activities left no doubt of their current, or in the case of the swallows, seasonal presence.
Our backdrop for the late afternoon was quite different than our morning. We arrived at Ice Harbor Dam for our last lockage on the Snake River with another vessel heading downstream as well. It is customary on the river to share a lock whenever loads allow, saving time for all involved. With an expert hand at the wheel the Captain of the Clearwater maneuvered his barge and towboat next to the Sea Bird. With everyone secured to their respective floating bollards, we all dropped the last hundred feet of our Snake River lockage and proceeded on towards the confluence of the Snake and Columbia Rivers.
The diversity of landscape will continue as we head west, leaving this land of stoic sagebrush and bunchgrass behind and entering back into the land of rainfall and trees luxuriating in the abundance of moisture.
Leading the way across a talus slope an adult mule deer doe stepped with confidence, leapt across a small chasm and started to browse amongst the sumac and hackberry bushes. Four yearlings following were not as bold in their navigation of the slope and hesitated until the doe returned, and gave a reassuring signal. The previously hesitant yearlings scampered across the slope to join in the browsing. This is the sort of activity Meriwether Lewis would have watched with interest, noting not only any behavioral differences between this animal and the eastern species of deer he was familiar with, but the body size and pelage variances as well.
There were other signs of wildlife in the area. A freshly harvested branch of a willow was found floating amongst the cattails at the waters edge. The unmistakable teeth marks of beaver formed tapered points at both ends. Tucked under basaltic columns were hundreds of lumpy gourd-shaped hollows of mud. These now deserted nests of cliff swallows gave clue to the abundant springtime bug life along the river. While we saw neither of these creatures; the beaver or the cliff swallows, their prior activities left no doubt of their current, or in the case of the swallows, seasonal presence.
Our backdrop for the late afternoon was quite different than our morning. We arrived at Ice Harbor Dam for our last lockage on the Snake River with another vessel heading downstream as well. It is customary on the river to share a lock whenever loads allow, saving time for all involved. With an expert hand at the wheel the Captain of the Clearwater maneuvered his barge and towboat next to the Sea Bird. With everyone secured to their respective floating bollards, we all dropped the last hundred feet of our Snake River lockage and proceeded on towards the confluence of the Snake and Columbia Rivers.
The diversity of landscape will continue as we head west, leaving this land of stoic sagebrush and bunchgrass behind and entering back into the land of rainfall and trees luxuriating in the abundance of moisture.
