We ran downriver at a more leisurely pace than the upriver run, stopping earlier in the day to explore by dinghy, on foot and on our bicycles. A highlight of this leg was a 10-mile return, 1,160-foot altitude gain bike ride to Palouse Falls.
While the pace was slower, our speed wasn’t. We got a several-knot push from the current, and hit a record-breaking speed–well for our 9.5-knot boat anyway–of 14.6 knots.
Here’s our log from the Idaho border at Clarkston to Orchard Cove. You also can display these on the map view.
4/29/12: Debris
Debris clogged the lock entrance–we had to just push through it. A tugboat captain that had just locked through warned us of the debris and hoped we had a spare wheel.
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4/29/12: Bow imprint
A pile of the debris bound up and we bulldozed it halfway through the locks. This is the imprint our bow left when we backed away.
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4/29/12: Close to the gates
We were going to take the second bitt from the west end, but it was out for service. The front bit felt pretty close to the gate as it opened.
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4/29/12: Smokin’
We ran wide open to see how fast we could go. We briefly hit 14.6 knots, but only captured 14.3 on the screenshot.
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4/29/12, 9:19am: Snake River Mile 107
Just returned through the Lower Granite locks.
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4/29/12: SR 127 bridge
Looking north across the Snake River to the SR 127 bridge, with the Port of Central Ferry in the background.
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4/29/12: Port of Central Ferry
Pipes and pumps at a chemical-loading facility in the Port of Central Ferry.
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4/29/12: Central Ferry State Park
Landing in the east basin of the now-closed Central Ferry State Park. We sounded about 3′ through the entrance here, and about 1.5′ through the west basin.
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4/29/12: Beach
View to the SR 127 bridge from the park beach. The park had good facilities in a beautiful setting–too bad it’s closed.
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4/29/12: Dinner in the cockpit
Moroccan-Spiced Brochettes with Rosemary Oil for dinner in the cockpit.
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4/30/12: Fender scrub
Giving the fenders a quick scrub after the locking. They come pretty clean dragging in the water, but some dirt remains that might mark the gelcoat the next time we use them.
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4/30/12, 10:15am: Palouse River
Anchoring for the night to bike to Pelouse Falls. This is the view to the north from the anchorage, up the Palouse River.
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4/30/12: Ready to go
We tied the dinghy off on the boat launch at the Lyons Ferry park. Depths were in the low single-digits on the way into the basin, but not a problem for the dinghy.
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4/30/12: The falls
The falls plunge 200′ over a cliff and were most impressive. The view was well-worth the effort of getting there.
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4/30/12: Lyons Ferry
The old Lyons Ferry, Washington’s last operating cable ferry. The river’s current propelled the ferry across the river, attached to the overhead pulley in the foreground.
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4/30/12: Dusk
Train crossing the Union Pacific Railroad Bridge. That’s the trestle we photographed on the trip upriver–reportedly the highest working trestle in the US.
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5/1/12: Monumental Rock
Monumental Rock is the namesake for Lower Monumental Dam, 3.5 miles to the west.
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5/1/12: Working day
Several people were working atop this crane as we neared. The last of them is climbing down now.
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5/1/12: At the top
Just before the water starts to drop. The west gate is actually below the water–if a boat were to hit the end of the lock, they’d just hit the wood barriers.
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5/1/12: Breakfast
We were hoping to also bike to the visitors center at Lower Monumental Dam, but we called and found out it’s closed. So we settled for just breakfast on the back deck.
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5/1/12: 1pm: Orchard Cove
Anchored for the night. We called this unnamed cove Orchard Cove after the surrounding orchards.
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5/1/12: Utility pole
We took the dinghy ashore to hike up the bluffs. This old utility pole was ashore partway up.
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5/1/12: Orchards
From the top of the bluff, orchards were visible far into the distance in every direction.
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5/1/12: Fast way down
We took an easy trail up around the northern end of the bluffs, but took the steeper slope back down.
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