I never expected to be able to take a photograph like this one as we headed out to our kayaking spot on the Palouse River in Washington State this morning! It was raining, gray and windy, and everyone was bracing themselves for a wet morning.

As the clouds moved through, however, we got to enjoy some very welcome sunshine. I overheard one of the adventurous guests remark to his partner, "I didn't expect I would want sunglasses out here!" Towards the end of the morning, someone said with a laugh, "We have about fifteen more minutes. Maybe we will get some hail or snow!" The interesting weather definitely added some excitement to our journey on the Palouse!

Many of us on the river today had the opportunity to see a western grebe diving for fish, an immature bald eagle soaring high overhead, and lots of gourd-shaped cliff swallow nests attached to the vertical cliffs. Later in the day, we had a lively discussion about management options for salmon, and one of the naturalists gave a wonderful lecture about the plants and animals documented by Lewis and Clark.