The National Geographic Sea Bird transited the final and most recent (completed in 1975) lock on the Snake River, Lower Granite, gaining another 100 feet early this morning, and approached the dock at Clarkston, Washington before breakfast. Many small boats were fishing for fall Chinook salmon and steelhead at the confluence of the Clearwater and Snake Rivers, where Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery came through on October 10, 1805. These two historic rivers were the focus of our adventures today.
Some guests elected to travel by motor coach up the Clearwater River to Kamiah, stopping at several places of interest connected with the Lewis and Clark Expedition, accompanied by local expert guide Miguel and our own Junius Rochester to enhance the experience.
Another group of guests boarded jet boats and traveled almost 60 miles up the Snake River, past the mouth of the muddy Salmon River, south of Clarkston/Lewiston into scenic Hells Canyon, the deepest canyon, by some calculations, in the U.S. They learned about the history of the area and witnessed spectacular walls of columnar basalt, ancient limestone coastline, 6,900-year-old ash from Mount Mazama (Crater Lake), and bighorn sheep, mule deer, great blue herons, osprey, and wild turkeys. Petroglyphs etched into rocks above the river create mystery about those who ventured through this canyon before us.
We enjoyed pleasant weather throughout the day and everyone was happy with their respective excursions.
Most people relaxed on board after our return; a few stepped out along the beautiful riverside greenbelt pathway before returning to the vessel to view the guest slideshow and enjoy the festive farewell cocktails and dinner.
