Palouse River / Palouse Falls
We awakened this morning to clear skies, mid-50-degree temperatures, and a light breeze as the National Geographic Sea Lion entered the mouth of the Palouse River. This picturesque river valley was sculpted by the massive Bretz floods over 10,000 years ago, when ancient ice floes reached here from as far away as Idaho, western Montana and Canada. We dropped anchor in this calm water basin surrounded by basalt cliffs, and watched a 150-car train traverse the trestle-bridge tracks high above the water. Travelling inland after breakfast, our luxury school bus rolled through the Scablands of golds, grays and browns to view the Palouse Falls, a surprising and beautiful burst of dark blue and green water cascading 198 feet off a cliff into a pool below.
Our fleet of Zodiacs and kayaks provided a more intimate experience back at the mouth of the river. Paddlers glided through the calm water, enjoying moments of quiet and solitude. “We saw lots of birds,” said Brian, our video chronicler… “a plentitude of raptors that like to nest in the cliffs surrounding the area.” Other wildlife seen: white-tailed deer, red-tailed hawk, northern harrier, American kestrel, kingfisher, grebes, and some saw a coyote in the distance.
Back onboard, we enjoyed a picnic lunch on the sundeck, and afterward gathered to watch the transit through the Lower Monumental dam. In the later afternoon, our resident historian treated us to a talk on Lewis and Clark, and our geologist shared more in-depth about the geology of the area. During recap we bid farewell to the Snake River, and entered the Columbia River, heading west to continue our adventures.
