Fifty miles up the Snake River on a jet boat! Into the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area! “Awesome” is the most used (and misused) word in the English language, but the gigantic mountains of basalt and rock, towering thousands of feet above us on both sides of the river, are truly awesome. The day dawned overcast, with a bit of the October chill in the air, but it warmed up to the sunny high 60s. A few Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep were seen placidly grazing on the well-manicured lawn of a riverfront ranch house. Other herds negotiated the slopes of the adjacent hills. A ewe and her twin five-month-old fawns, not more than 25-30 feet from the jet boat, continued dining. As the driver said, they had seen a jet boat every day of their lives. A majestic bald eagle watched us ascend the river. A flock of wild turkeys guarded the hills overlooking our scenic lunch spot, the Garden Creek Nature Conservatory Ranch. If you haven’t taken a jet boat up the Snake River from Clarkston, put it on your bucket list.
In the late afternoon, we took a short bus trip to the nearby Nez Perce National Historical Park, with its excellent display of historic Indian artifacts and dress. Missionary Henry Spaulding sent these items to a friend in Ohio in the 1840s. For a time they were owned by Oberlin College. Now they are back where they started, in Nez Perce Country. No finer small display of original Indian items exists anywhere.
It’s our last day on the Columbia and the Snake Rivers. We’ve traced Lewis and Clark across the continent. We’ve met dozens of Indian tribes. We reached the Pacific Ocean. To a person, we’ve learned a lot, and we depart better educated, better travelers, and better persons. And we ate well!
