After arriving in Clarkston, Washington we disembarked the Sea Lion and got on board two jet boats for a trip into the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area. These powerful boats are designed to take people up and down the rapids of the free flowing Snake River above the towns of Clarkston and Lewiston. Along the way there were numerous sightings of the Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep. These animals have come back strongly after being nearly wiped out in this part of the country because of diseases they received from domestic sheep grazing on the same hills. Bighorn sheep were brought down from Canada to increase their numbers. This particular one had a radio collar so the movements of the small group could be tracked.
During the rest of the day the jet boats gave us the opportunity to see lots of great blue herons, some mule deer, exposures of wonderful geology, and some ancient Native American rock art near the shores of the Snake River.
