Palouse, Snake & Columbia Rivers
Today we sailed upon three of the great western rivers, exploring along the way in order to come to a better understanding of the complexities that have not only shaped the landscape but have also changed the human experience here.
Starting out on the Palouse at dawn, National Geographic Sea Bird guests and staff set off to explore the results of the great glacial floods that scoured this landscape of the largest basalt flows on our planet. The Bretz Floods occurred as the last ice age was ending; just a mere 12-17,000 years ago. The power of repeated cataclysmic floods opened channels through the basalt that are startlingly evident today when you understand their origin. We explored by Zodiac, kayak and over land, all the time accompanied by staff members who helped connect the dots of the mysteries cloaked in the landscape.
As we made our way onto the Snake River, the day presented a perfect opportunity to “go off script” and explore the man-made Lower Monumental Lock really close-up. Several dozen intrepid guest explorers ventured out to transit the 100-foot drop of this modern marvel— in Zodiacs! Leading the National Geographic Sea Bird after getting the green light from the lockmaster, we entered the huge concrete chamber of the lock. Then we got that sinking feeling as the river water started to empty from the lock right below our feet. What a rush! We emerged downstream having a unique experience that we’ll never forget.
During dinner we joined the now gentle flow of the once mighty Columbia River, now stifled by dams that control the river within humanly acceptable boundaries. During recap we had learned that the “protein power” of the fishing industry here has been traded in for the “electrical power” of the Columbia’s giant hydroelectric dams as a side effect, albeit unintended, of public policy decisions. In fact world-wide, many species of fish stocks are severely depleted because of human actions, to our own detriment.
Our explorations along the Columbia River in the wake of Lewis & Clark are an all too vivid reminder that human endeavors have the demonstrated potential to disrupt the delicate balance of nature.
