Hells Canyon, Oregon

Today on our journey up the Snake River we changed our mode of transportation. We transferred from our comfortable ship the Sea Lion to a very powerful jet boat. It is due to the jet boats that we are able to make our way over the riffles and rapids to see the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area. We gazed back 200 million years into the geologic past as we saw the granites and limestones that once resided at the bottom of the ocean and are now thousands of feet above sea level. We were able to see the changes in the geology that makes the Snake River Canyon the deepest gorge in North America. There was also plenty of biology to see with the mule deer, bald eagles, golden eagles, and Rocky Mountain big horn sheep all making appearances. The day was cold but a cup of hot soup with our lunch was a nice break. Our view of the river during lunch was the same as the one in the picture. Later on some of us traveled to the Nez Pierce Historical Site for a look at the small but very interesting collection.