The Palouse, Snake, & Columbia Rivers
Today’s photo is of the confluence of the Snake and Columbia Rivers. It seemed fitting to select an image bathed in the warm glow of the setting sun because all day long we had bright sunshine, blue skies, and balmy weather. It is hard to imagine that this is November 4th.
This morning the Sea Bird dropped anchor in the Palouse River just upstream from its junction with the Snake River. The shipboard thermometer registered 55 degrees at sunrise. Many of us thought the thermometer was broken until we had a chance to stroll around deck to check out this unusual warmth for ourselves. There would be no need for many layers of clothing today. After exploring the mouth of the Palouse River by kayaks and Zodiacs we boarded a bus to view spectacular Palouse Falls. At this location the waters of the Palouse River drop approximately 180 feet into a dark plunge pool before winding their way down an impressive canyon cut through successive layers of basalt. Geologist J. Harlan Bretz upon observing this extraordinary sight thought that the river current was much too small to have cut so a large canyon. He proposed that an immense flood released by the sudden collapse of an ice dam (blocking the Clark Fork River and impounding the waters of ancient Lake Missoula) raced across the part of Washington now known as the Channeled Scablands. The devastating inundation happened not just once but many times, allowing rushing water to abrade and sculpt the landscape not just of the Channeled Scablands but also of the Snake and Columbia river valleys for several hundred miles downstream.
Today’s photo is of the confluence of the Snake and Columbia Rivers. It seemed fitting to select an image bathed in the warm glow of the setting sun because all day long we had bright sunshine, blue skies, and balmy weather. It is hard to imagine that this is November 4th.
This morning the Sea Bird dropped anchor in the Palouse River just upstream from its junction with the Snake River. The shipboard thermometer registered 55 degrees at sunrise. Many of us thought the thermometer was broken until we had a chance to stroll around deck to check out this unusual warmth for ourselves. There would be no need for many layers of clothing today. After exploring the mouth of the Palouse River by kayaks and Zodiacs we boarded a bus to view spectacular Palouse Falls. At this location the waters of the Palouse River drop approximately 180 feet into a dark plunge pool before winding their way down an impressive canyon cut through successive layers of basalt. Geologist J. Harlan Bretz upon observing this extraordinary sight thought that the river current was much too small to have cut so a large canyon. He proposed that an immense flood released by the sudden collapse of an ice dam (blocking the Clark Fork River and impounding the waters of ancient Lake Missoula) raced across the part of Washington now known as the Channeled Scablands. The devastating inundation happened not just once but many times, allowing rushing water to abrade and sculpt the landscape not just of the Channeled Scablands but also of the Snake and Columbia river valleys for several hundred miles downstream.
