The Palouse River
We woke up to a brisk fall morning aboard the National Geographic Sea Bird as we made our way west toward the mouth of the Palouse River, ten miles downstream from the Little Goose Dam on the Snake River. After stretch class, followed by a banana-mango smoothie and a breakfast buffet, we readied ourselves for a morning ashore. Options included a bus ride to the Palouse Falls, a picturesque site that offers panoramic views of the surrounding landscape. The area is well-known for its topographical features, which were carved out 10,000 years ago, or after the last ice age, by the massive Bretz floods that swept through the region. Zodiac cruises gave us another perspective of the landscape, this time from the water. From the boats we were able to look up at the steep cliffs and sparsely vegetated hills and several guests even caught a glimpse of mule deer and a lone coyote. A third option was to kayak around the mouth of the Palouse River where we could watch salmon jumping out of the calm water and get an up-close look at the interesting rock formations that make up the craggy bluffs.
Back on board we had a little time to soak up the sun on the aft bridge deck before lunch. After lunch our historian, Harry Fritz, gave a talk on why Lewis and Clark spurned Oregon on their way west along the Columbia River toward the Pacific Ocean. Foremost among his arguments was excess rain and bad weather, neither of which we have encountered on our voyage. Later, while transiting through Lower Monumental Lock, guests had the option of experiencing the passage via Zodiac. Two Zodiacs were tied together and secured to the bollard. As the water slowly emptied out of the lock, we descended several hundred feet. When the lock gates opened, we continued our way east toward the confluence with the Columbia River.
Just before recap our Hotel Manager arranged a spread on several tables in the lounge, with various Pacific Northwest local foods, including cheeses, chocolates and smoked salmon. As we moved from table to table, we enjoyed the feast with samples of local red and white wines. After a brief recap, we sat down to a relaxing dinner and shared stories about our third day in the wake of Lewis and Clark.
