Millions of years ago, massive amounts of very fluid lava erupted through fissures in the earth's crust to form the Columbia Plateau. Numerous layers of this basalt have been revealed over the years as rivers have cut down through the rock.
During the last ice age, huge floods poured out of a large glacial lake formed by an ice dam from the continental ice sheet. These immense floods repeatedly scoured the landscape, scraping off topsoil, carving channels, and deepening and widening the Columbia Valley.
We explored the Palouse River area today, a short diversion from our voyage back down the Snake River. It was cool this morning but the weather held for us as we marveled at the countryside around us, trying to imagine what it would have been like to have witnessed these events. A visit to Palouse Falls, followed by Zodiac tours up the lower part of the river gave us two different perspectives of the grandeur of this fascinating land.
