The falls of the Palouse were in their spring roar today. We had the opportunity to explore the area around the falls for wildflowers and birds. It only gives us a guess of what it was like during the days of the Bretz floods. The catastrophic floods occurred between 12,000 and 15,000 years ago. They sculpted the greater part of eastern Washington with giant dry waterfalls, huge coulees, sand and gravel bars. We were thrown a challenge to determine the name the expedition gave for this river in the fall of 1805. Staff and crew were required not to help.
In addition to visiting the falls, we were able to explore the lower Palouse River by Zodiac and a few folks experienced kayaking for the first time today. Notable wildlife of the day were Northern Orioles and Peregrine Falcons. Notable flowers were Death Camas (Zygadenus venenosus) and Balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata). And who did they name the river for? Drewyer (George Drouillard} who was third in command of the Expedition.
