Palouse Falls & Lower Monumental Dam
Sunday morning ten of us took a remote Zodiac cruise on the Palouse River. Our guide and driver, Bette Lu Krause, had driven seven hours to meet us. We were not alone in this peaceful place. Waiting for our camera capturing, the indigenous species would slowly reveal themselves through our inoculars. From our floating perspective, we spied the vegetation close up: willows, sumac, cat tails, and tule, the source of the woven mats we saw the previous day in the exhibition of the Nez Perce Indians.
With wide-eyed lens, we turned our views upward to study the abandoned mud nests of the cliff swallows. Higher up, the mule-eared deer seemed to prance and pose. Bufflehead ducks dodged out of our way as we continued gliding further along. Coots, grebes, a covey of quails, and Canadian geese navigated overhead. Although we did not spot a magpie, we were told that Lewis and Clark sent one back to Thomas Jefferson at the White House. Some of us felt a sense of familiarity when we heard the “caw” of the raven. Others admired the northern harrier hawk having never seen one.
The time came to leave the water and board the bus for the Palouse Falls where we could hear the rushing water into the pool below. We skirted to view this scenic wonder from a variety of levels. Lori Liquori, our wellness specialist, led us in a yoga session on the banks. We admitted how rare to have a background of basalt while doing our breathing exercises. This day took our breath away with its natural beauty. The reflections in the water provided double images of the Palouse River for all the photographers.
Thank you to the crew of the National Geographic Sea Lion for making possible another dose of daily pleasure!
Sunday morning ten of us took a remote Zodiac cruise on the Palouse River. Our guide and driver, Bette Lu Krause, had driven seven hours to meet us. We were not alone in this peaceful place. Waiting for our camera capturing, the indigenous species would slowly reveal themselves through our inoculars. From our floating perspective, we spied the vegetation close up: willows, sumac, cat tails, and tule, the source of the woven mats we saw the previous day in the exhibition of the Nez Perce Indians.
With wide-eyed lens, we turned our views upward to study the abandoned mud nests of the cliff swallows. Higher up, the mule-eared deer seemed to prance and pose. Bufflehead ducks dodged out of our way as we continued gliding further along. Coots, grebes, a covey of quails, and Canadian geese navigated overhead. Although we did not spot a magpie, we were told that Lewis and Clark sent one back to Thomas Jefferson at the White House. Some of us felt a sense of familiarity when we heard the “caw” of the raven. Others admired the northern harrier hawk having never seen one.
The time came to leave the water and board the bus for the Palouse Falls where we could hear the rushing water into the pool below. We skirted to view this scenic wonder from a variety of levels. Lori Liquori, our wellness specialist, led us in a yoga session on the banks. We admitted how rare to have a background of basalt while doing our breathing exercises. This day took our breath away with its natural beauty. The reflections in the water provided double images of the Palouse River for all the photographers.
Thank you to the crew of the National Geographic Sea Lion for making possible another dose of daily pleasure!
