National Geographic Sea Birdcontinued its journey east towards the confluence of the Snake and Columbia Rivers, anchoring for the morning at Crow Butte State Park. Zodiacs ferried guests to shore as they chose between long aerobic hikes along the high ridge of the butte, or a casual stroll with interpretive naturalists eager to talk about the flora and fauna. Fog rolled over the golden hills as the sun began to warm the cool October landscape. Northern flickers trilled loudly in the distance as mule deer bounded up the basalt-crowned crest of the small island. Guests were led up to the bluff overlooking National Geographic Sea Bird at her anchorage, before meandering down to the campground below, wreathed in silver maples and sycamore trees.
4/3/2025
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National Geographic Sea Bird
Palouse River, Washington
Today we awoke on National Geographic Sea Bird anchored in the Snake River near the confluence of the Palouse River. After a delicious breakfast, we headed to shore via Zodiac and landed on a beach at Lyons Ferry State Park where an eventful morning of exploration ensued. Some set out to admire the canyon via Zodiac, while others chose to paddle a kayak around the protected lagoon at the state park. A third option for exploration was to take the coach up to the rim of the canyon to appreciate the spring melt as it pours over the lip of the canyon in a dramatic waterfall. There were many wonderful bird sightings today, as well as five mule deer. This afternoon on board, we had two insightful presentations from Naturalist Kerri McAllister on the Missoula floods and from Wine Specialist Eric Degerman on wine production of the Pacific Northwest. The evening was spent cruising through dramatic clouds and low evening light, as well as brief rain, a hailstorm, and a huge rainbow. We’re looking forward to exploring Hells Canyon tomorrow via jet boat on the last day of the first expedition of this year’s spring season here on the Columbia and Snake River.
