Palouse River
The temperatures this morning were cool, very cool, as we made our way into, then out of, Ice Harbor Lock. Not icy yet, but soon the ice will be frosting the banks of the Snake River come November.
The morning was a relaxing cruise up-river. After the last two hectic days, a flurry of activity in Astoria, then the Columbia River Gorge, today was particularly relished. We heard from Bette Lu about salmon, a most important ingredient of the Columbia River basin. Lots of questions were raised about their role in the Pacific Northwest and the effects of dams on their life cycles.
By lunchtime we started to pull into the mouth of the Palouse River, and by two o'clock everything was in place and we were raring to go. Off to Palouse Falls to see the impressive canyon lands carved by the ice age floods, and up the Palouse River by Zodiac and kayak to crane necks high and higher to gaze at the basalt lava layers. Golden eagles and mule deer were the mega fauna seen, though evidence of beavers in the area was obvious – a lodge has been in the process of construction for the last few weeks. Buffleheads and coots were the predominant waterfowl, and in the weeks to come more and more species will start to show up as the fall migration picks up momentum.
A hot chocolate was gratefully received on shore mid-afternoon, because despite clear sunny skies, the air had maintained its sharp edge in the shade.
Tonight we continue on our journey East to Idaho...a sea-going vessel in Idaho?
