The weather finally changed today and the sun came through! We woke up as we went through the lock at the Ice Harbor dam. As continued our journey east, the sun broke through the clouds for a lovely sunrise. The morning was spent cruising the Snake River – an incredibly scenic stretch of golden grasses on layered basalt flows. Railroad tracks lined the sides and we caught glimpses of agricultural activities on the hills above. Wheat was stockpiled in grain elevators and massive plastic-covered pyramids, waiting for barges or trains to carry the goods west. A number of birds accompanied our journey, including red-tailed hawks, western grebes, a bald eagle, and many cormorants. We passed through the Lower Monumental lock and dam later in the morning, one of the four dams on the lower Snake River which is under consideration for removal at some point in the future to restore salmon habitat. Local newspapers have been running stories about the hot topic – stay tuned for updates on future Lindblad journeys to this region!
During the afternoon, we split into groups and enjoyed a variety of activities. Everyone had a chance to ride a bus up to Palouse Falls, the official waterfall of Washington State. At 189', the cascade is impressive, especially when thought of in the context of the massive floods which carved the surrounding landscape during the last ice age and must have supported a Palouse Falls of epic proportions! Once back to the river, we chose between a lovely kayak at the confluence of the Snake and Palouse rivers (some folks saw river otters!) and an expedition landing craft cruise up the Palouse River. Many birds were sighted, beaver lodges exclaimed over, and the story of the Marmes Rockshelter (one of the most significant archeological sites in the region) told, complete with its’ flooding from the Lower Monumental dam construction.
Cocktails were enjoyed outside this evening, and as usual we satiated ourselves on the delectable meal prepared by our galley.
