As morning approached, the National Geographic Sea Lion was greeted with a beautiful sunrise. The early risers, some joining the morning stretch class, or out on the bow with one of our naturalists sipping on morning coffee, got to enjoy the beautiful scenery. We continued our journey on the Snake River. The National Geographic Sea Lion made its way through not one but two locks before guests were served their lunch. The two locks were called Ice Harbor and the Lower Monumental Dam. Ice Harbor was named for a geographic area, a cove that the sternwheelers utilized to wait for the ice to break up. The vertical lift is one hundred feet and was completed in 1962. The Lower Monumental Dam is also one hundred feet and was named for Monumental Rock, which is a few miles upstream and was completed in 1969.
As lunch time neared, the National Geographic Sea Lion anchored near the mouth of the Palouse River. There were several expeditions that guests could choose from for their afternoon activities. There was the option of a scenic and wildlife cruise via expedition landing craft. Scenic kayaking was also offered to take in nature’s beauty. There was also a chance to see a one hundred eighty-six foot waterfall called the Palouse Falls. As a result of a great flood, the falls rose from a basalt canyon. This waterfall was not a part of the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery, as they never ventured up from the confluence of the Snake River. The falls had a breathtaking view and was a wonderful place to walk around and enjoy the surrounding beauty of the canyon.
