What a beautiful morning! It is so crisp and clear, except for a few wisps of fog rolling off the mouth of the Palouse River, where we are anchored. We have taken a short bus ride to Palouse Falls State Park for this view from above. The canyon below is wild and free, and cannot be reached by boats or roads. We catch a sense of its wildness as we see golden eagles wheel past its walls.
After this overview we return, board the Zodiacs, and cruise up the river toward where we had been. No, we can't go all the way, but we can pluck at the edges of this wild place. Marmots whistle and run as we round a bend. A great blue heron flies a short distance and lands to ruffle its feathers at having been disturbed. A deer works along the base of a cliff nearby. We move on, slowly going upstream. Ducks, quail, and other birds greet us. We reach a riffle too shallow to cross and reluctantly turn downstream toward the ship. Our reluctance to return is assuaged by a barbecue awaiting us on the fantail of the Sea Bird. When Lewis and Clark stopped at the mouth of the Palouse River for lunch in October, 1805, they never had it so good.
