Palouse River, WA
Don’t look for Drewyer’s River on a current map. Even though it is a sizeable tributary, with an amazing waterfall that flows into the Snake River just 60 miles above the Columbia River, it’s not on a single modern-day map or chart.
Not because it’s not there any longer; but because it’s not known by that name anymore. It was Merriwether Lewis, one of the captains of the Corps of Discovery that called it by Drewyer’s in honor of the party’s indispensable French hunting guide, George Drouillard. Today it is known as the Palouse River, for the Palus native tribe and their incredible horses, the Appaloosa.
Our exploration took guests and staff members searching for wildlife by Zodiac and kayak; and for explanations of the massive Bretz glacial floods that scoured the earth, creating an almost unreal landscape. None were disappointed. From the top of Palouse Falls State Park there was a perfect vantage point for viewing the nearly 200-foot vertical drop into the depths of the plunge pool below.
In the afternoon, as National Geographic Sea Bird steamed downstream, we had a couple special treats: a sun deck picnic lunch, going through the lock at the Lower Monumental Dam in our fleet of Zodiacs and outstanding presentations and activities with expedition team staff members.
As we continued making our way westward, the nearly full moon rose over our stern and the glorious sunset beckoned us onward toward the sea!
