Snake River
In a landscape of beige and taupe, a splash of vermillion is sure to catch your eye, and it certainly caught ours. Along the shoreline and hillsides of the Snake River, red sumac was blazingly radiant in its ephemeral fall glory. Golden mulberry trees added a festive flaxen punctuation along the shoreline as well. The colors would soon fade, the leaves swirling and falling to the ground or spinning in eddies as they float downriver.
In addition to the botanical exuberance, was the canyon’s resident wildlife. Great blue herons stood sentinel at the water’s edge as well as atop hackberry trees. Mule deer were a bit less obvious, browsing amongst the mountain mahogany and willows. The showcase species of the canyon was the Rocky mountain bighorn sheep. We were fortunate to find several groups of these stout animals perched halfway up the basalt tiers of the canyon. The animals cast a nonchalant shrug of acknowledgment to us as Captain Dan maneuvered the jet boat allowing all to catch a glimpse and a quick photo. A magnificent ram with nearly a full curl horn came to the waters edge for a drink of cool river water.
A high point for many of us was the spotting of a bobcat amongst the cobbles of one beach. At first, the call of “cougar” rang out from our Captain, but a quick look revealed…not enough tail! It was a bobcat for sure, and a rather cooperative individual at that. This handsome animal leisurely made its way uphill, occasionally glancing over its shoulder to cast a wary gaze in our direction. His name was reflected in his coat; we could see the reddish cast of the fur along his flanks as Lynx rufus disappeared from sight. Rufus referring to the auburn pelage.
As we pulled away from the dock at Clarkston, the green and red lights of the navigation aids shimmered off the placid backwater. Tonight, we travel west stepping back into the wake of Lewis and Clark. Ahead of us are fresh experiences, thrilling discoveries, and ultimately, the same geographic goal as the Corps of Discovery, the Pacific Ocean.
In a landscape of beige and taupe, a splash of vermillion is sure to catch your eye, and it certainly caught ours. Along the shoreline and hillsides of the Snake River, red sumac was blazingly radiant in its ephemeral fall glory. Golden mulberry trees added a festive flaxen punctuation along the shoreline as well. The colors would soon fade, the leaves swirling and falling to the ground or spinning in eddies as they float downriver.
In addition to the botanical exuberance, was the canyon’s resident wildlife. Great blue herons stood sentinel at the water’s edge as well as atop hackberry trees. Mule deer were a bit less obvious, browsing amongst the mountain mahogany and willows. The showcase species of the canyon was the Rocky mountain bighorn sheep. We were fortunate to find several groups of these stout animals perched halfway up the basalt tiers of the canyon. The animals cast a nonchalant shrug of acknowledgment to us as Captain Dan maneuvered the jet boat allowing all to catch a glimpse and a quick photo. A magnificent ram with nearly a full curl horn came to the waters edge for a drink of cool river water.
A high point for many of us was the spotting of a bobcat amongst the cobbles of one beach. At first, the call of “cougar” rang out from our Captain, but a quick look revealed…not enough tail! It was a bobcat for sure, and a rather cooperative individual at that. This handsome animal leisurely made its way uphill, occasionally glancing over its shoulder to cast a wary gaze in our direction. His name was reflected in his coat; we could see the reddish cast of the fur along his flanks as Lynx rufus disappeared from sight. Rufus referring to the auburn pelage.
As we pulled away from the dock at Clarkston, the green and red lights of the navigation aids shimmered off the placid backwater. Tonight, we travel west stepping back into the wake of Lewis and Clark. Ahead of us are fresh experiences, thrilling discoveries, and ultimately, the same geographic goal as the Corps of Discovery, the Pacific Ocean.
