CONFLUENCE; OVERLOOKS; IT’S SATURDAY NIGHT, AND I AIN’T GOT NO QUARTERS
The weather has turned back to cool temperatures the past two days. This morning it was windy and cold when we drove west on Highway 12 toward Pasco.
When we climbed out of the Walla Walla Valley it started to get warmer and sunnier. Our destination was Sacajawea State Park, at the confluence of the Columbia River and the Snake River.
This is where Lewis and Clark first saw the Columbia River, after floating down the Snake River from the east. They arrived in October of 1805. Back then, the rivers were free-flowing and quite swift. Today, the many dams above and below this site have produced what amounts to a large lake. I’ll bet those guys would have liked to have had one of these vessels to paddle around.
October is peak season for the annual running of Chinook salmon. Clark’s diary said that there were so many fish, that he could find no way to adequately describe the sight. That’s really saying something, for someone who had just come over 3,700 miles through largely uncharted territory! While the explorers camped here for two days, they met with 200 members of the local Wanapam and Yakama tribes.
There is a nice interpretative center at the park with many exhibits on the expedition. The building and most of the surrounding structures were built in the 1930’s by the Works Progress Administration.
An example of what Clark described as a ‘barking squirrel’ (prairie dog).
A metal frame showing the vertical dimension of the keel boat the corps used to go from St. Louis to the Great Falls of the Missouri River, along with a small wooden model of the boat.
A circa 1880’s railroad bridge spanning the Snake River.
A large family of geese out for a Saturday paddle on the Columbia River.
When we left the park, we drove to the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Overlook in Richland. This is near Bateman Island, which is close to a place where the expedition paddled while they were camped at the Snake-Columbia site.
From there, we headed to Burbank and the McNary National Wildlife Refuge. There are usually lots of waterfowl here, but in the afternoon they were elsewhere. A (non-barking) squirrel was kind enough to make an appearance, however.
On our way back, we got a look at what Lewis and Clark might have seen as they traveled east up the Columbia River. Before the Walla Walla Valley and the surrounding region was populated with settlers from the east, the topography was mainly sagebrush, prickly pear cactus, and volcanic rock. There were virtually no trees in this arid part of Washington. The buttes on either side of the river show this.
A little further down the road we got another reminder of how dry it is around here: local emergency vehicles came speeding up behind us with sirens and lights on their way to something ahead of us. This is the second wildfire we’ve seen so far.
Ten days into our trip had us running low on clean clothes, so the next stop was the Southgate Laundromat in Walla Walla.
By then, it was time for dinner. We went to the Green Lantern Tavern in Walla Walla, which is just down the road from downtown and Whitman College. If you’re ever in town, check it out.
The Green Lantern reminded us of some interesting pulp hero trivia: Adam West, a.k.a. Batman, was born in Walla Walla and attended Whitman College. The town celebrates Adam West Day every September, on or around his birthday September 19.
There’s a lot to do and see around town and we did our best in the time we had. One event going on this weekend featured a demolition derby on Friday night. It was just too cold and windy that night so we took a pass. Maybe next time?
NEXT: Lewiston/Clarkston on the Snake River
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