Lyons Ferry State Park, Washington
A double adventure filled our morning. Half our Sea Bird guests landed by Zodiac at historic Lyons Ferry Crossing of the lower Snake River where they boarded a yellow school bus and proceeded to Palouse Falls State Park.
The bus driver made a 200 mile round trip from Hermiston, Oregon, to meet us. That’s a measure how vast and lonely this land of cattle and wheat ranches.
Our other half rode the Zodiacs into the canyon hallways of Palouse River and traded off with the party returning from the falls.
Our landing site is where Lewis and Clark noted Palus, the village of the Palouse tribe who once grazed thousands of horses on the surrounding stands of bluebunch wheat grass. Clark noted in his journal that these horses were as fine as any bred in Kentucky.
Like their Nez Perce relatives, the Palouse practiced selective breeding through gelding. Army officers who purchased these horses proudly said they had “a Palouse,” and so the name Appaloosa originated.
Just past our landing site was a bold promontory scabbed and rounded by Ice Age floods that swept through here 12,000 years ago. At its base is a great rock shelter, Marmes Cave, named for the rancher who brought it to the attention of Roald Fryxell, late archaeology professor at Washington State University.
Fryxell rocked his peers with evidence that this natural shelter held evidence of unbroken occupation for 10,000 to a possible 12,000 years. In spite of efforts to protect the shelter it was inundated by the rising waters of Lower Monumental Dam, but not before protective cover was spread over the site. Some future generation of archaeologist can complete the Marmes Cave excavation when the dam becomes history.
TheSea Bird continued down the stair step of glassy smooth Snake River impoundments where Lewis and Clark 200 years ago ran a wild river with some 70 rapids. Indians came from afar to follow from shore the parade of five dugouts with 33 expedition members. They expedition provided these natives with the biggest show in their land. When a dugout cracked onto a rock and spilled occupants and contents, the natives jumped in the river to help recover equipment and to assist the members ashore.
At lunch we were startled to see four stretched necks, with pointed heads and big ears, all in a row, swim past. No lake monster this, but four mule deer swimming some 1,200 yards from one side of the impoundment to the other.
A double adventure filled our morning. Half our Sea Bird guests landed by Zodiac at historic Lyons Ferry Crossing of the lower Snake River where they boarded a yellow school bus and proceeded to Palouse Falls State Park.
The bus driver made a 200 mile round trip from Hermiston, Oregon, to meet us. That’s a measure how vast and lonely this land of cattle and wheat ranches.
Our other half rode the Zodiacs into the canyon hallways of Palouse River and traded off with the party returning from the falls.
Our landing site is where Lewis and Clark noted Palus, the village of the Palouse tribe who once grazed thousands of horses on the surrounding stands of bluebunch wheat grass. Clark noted in his journal that these horses were as fine as any bred in Kentucky.
Like their Nez Perce relatives, the Palouse practiced selective breeding through gelding. Army officers who purchased these horses proudly said they had “a Palouse,” and so the name Appaloosa originated.
Just past our landing site was a bold promontory scabbed and rounded by Ice Age floods that swept through here 12,000 years ago. At its base is a great rock shelter, Marmes Cave, named for the rancher who brought it to the attention of Roald Fryxell, late archaeology professor at Washington State University.
Fryxell rocked his peers with evidence that this natural shelter held evidence of unbroken occupation for 10,000 to a possible 12,000 years. In spite of efforts to protect the shelter it was inundated by the rising waters of Lower Monumental Dam, but not before protective cover was spread over the site. Some future generation of archaeologist can complete the Marmes Cave excavation when the dam becomes history.
TheSea Bird continued down the stair step of glassy smooth Snake River impoundments where Lewis and Clark 200 years ago ran a wild river with some 70 rapids. Indians came from afar to follow from shore the parade of five dugouts with 33 expedition members. They expedition provided these natives with the biggest show in their land. When a dugout cracked onto a rock and spilled occupants and contents, the natives jumped in the river to help recover equipment and to assist the members ashore.
At lunch we were startled to see four stretched necks, with pointed heads and big ears, all in a row, swim past. No lake monster this, but four mule deer swimming some 1,200 yards from one side of the impoundment to the other.
