Palouse River, Snake River to Confluence with Columbia River

There was steam rising from the river! Wow, it was cold … so cold (about 36 degrees) that the water was warmer than the air above. So the phenomenon of condensation was producing an eerie mist above the river’s surface. As the sun rose, we could see that the entire Palouse River delta, where National Geographic Sea Bird was to anchor, was awash in the gray mist. Some of our Zodiacs that are stored on the very top deck of the ship had frost on their shiny black tubes when first lowered into the water.

But it did not deter our intrepid corps of guests and staff, traveling in the wake of Lewis & Clark. The captains had called this Drewyer’s River in honor of the Corps of Discovery’s member George Drouillard.
Today it’s called Palouse after the local native tribe of the area.

A dozen guests took to the river in kayaks. Three Zodiacs ventured out on cruises to explore the river, the Marmes Rock Shelter site, and to search for wildlife. And the remainder took a short ride up to the Palouse Falls. As the morning continued, the sun rose to warm the landscape and Mother Nature’s creatures awoke to greet us. Then everyone switched activities while basking in the warming temperatures.
 

In the afternoon, we had the special treat of being able to Zodiac through the lock at the Lower Monumental Dam. What a different perspective one gets by being dropped almost 100 feet by the rushing exit of water from the lock chamber while sitting in an inflatable boat. Talk about feeling small.
 

Historian Harry Fritz continued our education later in the day with “The Truth about Lewis & Clark – Part Deux.” We followed the Corps returning from the Pacific Ocean on their express route back to St. Louis and ‘civilization.’ Many guests, whose cameras have become loaded with stored images, started the selection and download process to contribute to the Guest Slide Show guided by Photo Instructor Linda Burback. After dinner, Naturalist Stewart Aitchison treated us with his intriguing presentation “Joints, Scabs, and Visitors From Outer Space.” Cooooool!