We awoke to a beautiful full moon off the port side of the National Geographic Sea Lion. We spent the night anchored at the dock in Clarkston, Washington. After a delicious breakfast, we boarded jet boats to explore more than 50 miles of the Snake River. Our boat captain regaled us with interesting stories and facts as we headed upstream into Hells Canyon. We learned that this is the deepest canyon in North America! The large columns of basalt that made up the canyon walls were striking.
Our boat captain explained how the rapids we were going through changed as water levels increased and decreased throughout the seasons. We went through rapids by the names of “Wild Goose” and “Happy Sheep Rapids.” Many fishing boats were seen with fishermen casting their lines hoping to catch a steelhead.
We stopped at Cache Creek, a historical ranch site and talked with the volunteer couple living there. They were living there for one month, tending the grounds and the orchard and greeting visitors. Their two dogs were happy to see us and we got lots of love and attention.
Turning around just past the mouth of the Salmon River, we headed back downstream. We stopped at Garden Creek for a buffet lunch. Sitting out on the deck under the warm sun, we had a beautiful view of the canyon below. Walking around the grounds we watched wild turkey feeding.
On our return, we got a close up view of the ancient petroglyphs and pictographs etched into the rock at Buffalo Eddy. We also saw Rocky Mountain sheep perched on the rocky outcrops.
Making a quick stop back at the ship, we boarded motor coaches and drove to the Nez Perce Historical Park Visitor Center in Spalding, Idaho. Touring the museum we saw many Nez Perce artifacts dating from 1844.
Our first day of our trip was truly wonderful!
