Snake and Clearwater Rivers
We left the Sea Lion docked in Clarkston, Washington, at the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater Rivers. Some of us chose to explore Idaho, within sight of our moorage and full of historical intrigue for those wanting an immersion into the travels of the Corps of Discovery. Others chose, by standards of the Lewis and Clark Expedition what might be considered “extreme” exploration, zipping up the rapids of the Snake River into Hells Canyon Recreation Area at speeds topping 35 mph on a slick jet boat.
Lin Laughy shared his knowledge, and through that his passion, for the travels, trials and tribulations of the Corps of Discovery as they passed through this land. Positioned in the field where Treaty Camp was held, it was easy to imagine the events as Chiefs and Captains met 199 years ago. At Canoe Camp along the Clearwater River it was the same, imagining the sounds of men shaping canoes from ponderosa pine trees with axe and adz and the sharp smell of fire and pitch in the air as the watercrafts took shape.
The roar of the jet boat engines announced our arrival into the remote canyon. It didn’t bother the numerous rocky mountain big horn sheep we found, the mule deer, the great blue herons, the two coyotes or even the scattering of common mergansers we left snoozing on the beach.
Everyone had the opportunity to visit the Nez Perce Historical Site. A horse was outfitted in beaded finery, a tule lodge sheltered a woman preparing a meal, an empty sweat house sat in the corner of the room, and a Jefferson peace medal sat gleaming on its own special pedestal. These were a few of the many displays portraying the life and history of the Nez Perce people.
Trade beads, elk teeth, thimbles and shells were used extensively to decorate finery for yourself as well as your horse. The flower shown above is intricate beadwork on a portion of a saddle strap to be worn by a horse. Materials from the earth, colors from the sky and designs inspired by nature, with this pallet to draw from the beauty created by skilled and patient hands is limitless. We reveled in and appreciated the magnificence created and shared with us today, both in these works of art, as well as the day itself.
We left the Sea Lion docked in Clarkston, Washington, at the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater Rivers. Some of us chose to explore Idaho, within sight of our moorage and full of historical intrigue for those wanting an immersion into the travels of the Corps of Discovery. Others chose, by standards of the Lewis and Clark Expedition what might be considered “extreme” exploration, zipping up the rapids of the Snake River into Hells Canyon Recreation Area at speeds topping 35 mph on a slick jet boat.
Lin Laughy shared his knowledge, and through that his passion, for the travels, trials and tribulations of the Corps of Discovery as they passed through this land. Positioned in the field where Treaty Camp was held, it was easy to imagine the events as Chiefs and Captains met 199 years ago. At Canoe Camp along the Clearwater River it was the same, imagining the sounds of men shaping canoes from ponderosa pine trees with axe and adz and the sharp smell of fire and pitch in the air as the watercrafts took shape.
The roar of the jet boat engines announced our arrival into the remote canyon. It didn’t bother the numerous rocky mountain big horn sheep we found, the mule deer, the great blue herons, the two coyotes or even the scattering of common mergansers we left snoozing on the beach.
Everyone had the opportunity to visit the Nez Perce Historical Site. A horse was outfitted in beaded finery, a tule lodge sheltered a woman preparing a meal, an empty sweat house sat in the corner of the room, and a Jefferson peace medal sat gleaming on its own special pedestal. These were a few of the many displays portraying the life and history of the Nez Perce people.
Trade beads, elk teeth, thimbles and shells were used extensively to decorate finery for yourself as well as your horse. The flower shown above is intricate beadwork on a portion of a saddle strap to be worn by a horse. Materials from the earth, colors from the sky and designs inspired by nature, with this pallet to draw from the beauty created by skilled and patient hands is limitless. We reveled in and appreciated the magnificence created and shared with us today, both in these works of art, as well as the day itself.
