Palouse Falls
In the rolling hills of southeastern Washington State, lies a little known reward for the adventurer. The Palouse River comes out of the higher country nearby on its way to intersect the Snake River. Twenty thousand years ago it was a fairly nondescript stream flowing across the prairie. However at the end of the last ice age it stood in the path of melodrama, for north of it lay an ice dam in Montana. When the ice dam broke, 500 cubic miles of water sought the path of least resistance toward the Pacific Ocean. That path carried much of it down the channel of the Palouse, surging and boiling as it stripped everything into its floodwaters. Four hundred feet deep and eight miles wide and rushing at sixty miles an hour, it carved its way, leaving this impressive waterfall in its wake.
Today as we travel on the Sea Bird, cruising the Columbia and Snake Rivers, we pause here to enjoy seeing this remote place. The greenery of springtime, sunshine, and gentle winds, make it a delightful experience. There are other facets of our adventure today. Kayaking the river, sightseeing in Zodiac inflatable boats, and returning to our ship to a tantalizing aroma of food completes the experience. We will not soon forget this day on the Palouse River.
In the rolling hills of southeastern Washington State, lies a little known reward for the adventurer. The Palouse River comes out of the higher country nearby on its way to intersect the Snake River. Twenty thousand years ago it was a fairly nondescript stream flowing across the prairie. However at the end of the last ice age it stood in the path of melodrama, for north of it lay an ice dam in Montana. When the ice dam broke, 500 cubic miles of water sought the path of least resistance toward the Pacific Ocean. That path carried much of it down the channel of the Palouse, surging and boiling as it stripped everything into its floodwaters. Four hundred feet deep and eight miles wide and rushing at sixty miles an hour, it carved its way, leaving this impressive waterfall in its wake.
Today as we travel on the Sea Bird, cruising the Columbia and Snake Rivers, we pause here to enjoy seeing this remote place. The greenery of springtime, sunshine, and gentle winds, make it a delightful experience. There are other facets of our adventure today. Kayaking the river, sightseeing in Zodiac inflatable boats, and returning to our ship to a tantalizing aroma of food completes the experience. We will not soon forget this day on the Palouse River.
