Palouse River
Several hours before sunrise the Sea Lion continued her eastward journey, moving in darkness along the Columbia River. As sunrise approached, our vessel reached the confluence of the Columbia and Snake Rivers. A sharp right turn maneuvered the Sea Lion so that she continued in an easterly direction, but was now cruising along the Snake River. At 5:37AM we entered Ice Harbor lock and dam, our first of four locks along our eastern route of the Snake River. The sunrise soon filled the sky with light and long shadows so commonly seen in early fall. We were passing through a rich farming area. Along the river were many orchards, hops fields and in the distance vineyards could be seen. Irrigation from the river we were cruising in provided the water that turned acres and acres of arid land, near the Columbia and Snake Rivers into some of the richest farm country in the Inland Northwest.
One of the important assignments given to Lewis and Clark by President Jefferson during their exploration moving west across North America, was: describe the land….is the land viable for ranching and farming? As Merewether Lewis reported in his journal, “The rolling hills south of the Snake River, like those above it, produced the bunch wheat grass, with its varied cover from the scattered tufts of the desert margins to the luxuriant carpet of the eastern hills, which reflected all the variations of sun and rain, slope and elevation.” Lewis and Clark noted the value of the bunchgrass to the Indians, for the grass supported huge herds of horses, and they commented often while traveling through the Inland Northwest that this area would be a splendid region in which to raise stock, and to farm.
The Sea Lion continued her course heading east for her afternoon destination, yet another confluence, the Palouse and Snake Rivers. After transiting Lower Monumental lock and dam, we were on approach to our anchorage. Just after lunch we arrived at Lyons Ferry State Park and our anchorage. Zodiacs were dropped immediately, along with kayaks for the afternoon activities.
Our first destination for the afternoon would be a quick Zodiac ride to shore where a luxury coach strongly resembling a bright yellow school bus would take us a short journey to Palouse falls. The Palouse River cascades over two hundred feet into a large plunge pool. The basalt cliffs surrounding the enormous cavity that receives the small amount of water generated by the Palouse River are evidence of a catastrophic event that took place approximately twelve to fifteen thousand years ago. The Clark Fork River, located in northern Montana had been blocked by an ice dam, which created Glacial Lake Missoula. As that ice dam was repeatedly broken by sheer weight of water, four hundred feet of water came ripping through this area over and over again, carving out the deep valley where the Palouse River runs today.
Once we had our fill of this unusual and gorgeous scenery, we were returned to the Palouse River and taken by Zodiac up the main channel that once held this small river. Today, this channel is much deeper with the water backed up behind Lower Monumental dam. We had more opportunities to view the carved basalt cliffs, look for birds, examine unusual plant communities and enjoy the peace of a quiet place on a early fall afternoon. To complete our day, the crew of the Sea Lion had transported dinner to the main picnic area of the Lyons Ferry State Park where we watched the day’s light fade, enjoyed a great barbecue dinner and stayed into the night as the sky filled with stars.
