Clarkston/Hell’s Canyon of the Snake River/Clearwater Country
This morning we docked at Clarkston, Washington and were greeted by an amazing Serengeti-esque sunrise. A small group of our guests went up the Clearwater River with historian Junius Rochester and a local guide, visiting sites believed to be the actual campsites of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
The second group departed the dock on jet boats up the free-flowing part of the Snake River, into the depths of Hell’s Canyon. Some of the most extraordinary examples of columnar basalt lined the sides of the canyon. Cleaved columns of basalt looked more like man-made structures than the cooled lava that actually creates this natural feature.
Ubiquitous great blue herons lined the river as we set out to the south into Hell’s Canyon. We were fortunate to see many raptors such as bald eagles, osprey, American kestrel and red-tailed hawks. This area is rich in avian life, so we also encountered many other bird species, including Canada geese, magpies, kingfishers, ring-necked pheasant and chukars.
This area also supports a population of mule deer and bighorn sheep, which we spotted from the jet-boats much to the delight of everyone on board.
After a delightful lunch, we returned to the ship for a quick break before departing for the Nez Perce Visitors Center. The movie, presentation and exhibits were very enlightening about the culture of the First Nations People.
Our final dinner featured, once again, locally sourced produce, meat and fish paired with regional wines. After dinner, guests gathered in the lounge for a farewell invitation to join Lindblad and National Geographic on another expedition to Baja, California.
