What a wonderful way to conclude our week’s journey. Today we rode jet boats more than 50 miles up the Snake River from the confluence of the Clearwater River. We passed the confluence of the Salmon River and were exactly where the borders of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho all converge. It’s quite exhilarating to approach a whitewater rapid and power through it going upstream. During our journey, we saw common mergansers, belted kingfishers, great blue herons, Canada geese, a downy woodpecker, wild turkeys, canyon wrens, golden eagles, mule deer, Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, and river otters. It was a spectacular immersion into nature and whitewater.
Clarkston, where we are anchored, is also famous for Lewis & Clark’s expedition first finding salmon here and beginning the downhill part of their western journey. The surrounding country has been home to the Nez Percé for thousands of years. The area carried us well today.
