Palouse Falls Overlook
The overlook at Palouse Falls offers an extraordinary view. The falls plunge 180 feet into a huge bowl before draining away to a deep canyon. Yet even when enjoying this view, one must wonder, could all of this grandeur have been sculpted by the Palouse River, that is, next to its surroundings, a comparatively dinky trickle? The answer is a decided no! This landscape, like so much of southern Washington, was shaped by an iceage torrent whose scale is unimaginable, but is hinted at by the size of the cliffs and canyons.
Today was a delightful combination of bright sun and cool breezes. We entered the flooded reaches of the lower Palouse River in the early a.m., and were soon about our adventures. Kayakers paddled in the quiet narrows of the river. Those in Zodiacs admired birds of prey, towering cliffs, and the delicate swallow nests clinging to them. Hikers labored to an impressive overlook. They meandered along a brushy road that hugged precarious cliffsides and dipped into valleys before dropping to a riverside Zodiac pickup.
For lunch we traveled to Palouse Falls. After enjoying the falls from different vantagepoints, we sat beneath rustling trees as we dined on burgers, dogs and Chardonnay.
For the afternoon, we motored down the Snake River as cliff after cliff slid placidly by.
Poor Lewis and Clark! They never saw Palouse Falls! And they missed the Chardonnay!
The overlook at Palouse Falls offers an extraordinary view. The falls plunge 180 feet into a huge bowl before draining away to a deep canyon. Yet even when enjoying this view, one must wonder, could all of this grandeur have been sculpted by the Palouse River, that is, next to its surroundings, a comparatively dinky trickle? The answer is a decided no! This landscape, like so much of southern Washington, was shaped by an iceage torrent whose scale is unimaginable, but is hinted at by the size of the cliffs and canyons.
Today was a delightful combination of bright sun and cool breezes. We entered the flooded reaches of the lower Palouse River in the early a.m., and were soon about our adventures. Kayakers paddled in the quiet narrows of the river. Those in Zodiacs admired birds of prey, towering cliffs, and the delicate swallow nests clinging to them. Hikers labored to an impressive overlook. They meandered along a brushy road that hugged precarious cliffsides and dipped into valleys before dropping to a riverside Zodiac pickup.
For lunch we traveled to Palouse Falls. After enjoying the falls from different vantagepoints, we sat beneath rustling trees as we dined on burgers, dogs and Chardonnay.
For the afternoon, we motored down the Snake River as cliff after cliff slid placidly by.
Poor Lewis and Clark! They never saw Palouse Falls! And they missed the Chardonnay!
