Going To Hell
Speaking of road trips, we took one last week with a group of homeschooling families. It was an exciting jet boat ride down the Snake River into one of the deepest gorges in North America, Hells Canyon.
I've been wanting to get a look at Hells Canyon for twenty years, so I was as excited as anyone to board the Beamers Tours jet boat in Clarkston, Washington, where Captain Dan waited to guide us down the river and through three states.
Right from the start we spotted osprey, eagles, antelope, bighorn sheep, and even some old guy panning for gold. The kids had a blast with Captain Dan swerving back and forth along the river at 45mph. Along the way he pointed out unusual geological formations, pioneer homesteads, and ancient petroglyphs that dated back at least 2,500 years.
The turnaround point for this half-day tour is Cache Creek Ranch, where we had an hour to lay in the grass and watch the kids play. The Forest Service runs the ranch now as an interpretive center. While we lazed around, Captain Dan was down at the river catching smallmouth bass right and left.
Even though this trip was just a taste of what the canyon has to offer, the kids absolutely loved it. They had no idea that just a few hours south of where they live is such a massive, and totally unique, wilderness area. There's so much more to see and explore. I'm definitely marking Hells Canyon down on my list of places to which we'll return.
I've been wanting to get a look at Hells Canyon for twenty years, so I was as excited as anyone to board the Beamers Tours jet boat in Clarkston, Washington, where Captain Dan waited to guide us down the river and through three states.
Right from the start we spotted osprey, eagles, antelope, bighorn sheep, and even some old guy panning for gold. The kids had a blast with Captain Dan swerving back and forth along the river at 45mph. Along the way he pointed out unusual geological formations, pioneer homesteads, and ancient petroglyphs that dated back at least 2,500 years.
The turnaround point for this half-day tour is Cache Creek Ranch, where we had an hour to lay in the grass and watch the kids play. The Forest Service runs the ranch now as an interpretive center. While we lazed around, Captain Dan was down at the river catching smallmouth bass right and left.
Even though this trip was just a taste of what the canyon has to offer, the kids absolutely loved it. They had no idea that just a few hours south of where they live is such a massive, and totally unique, wilderness area. There's so much more to see and explore. I'm definitely marking Hells Canyon down on my list of places to which we'll return.
Permalink posted by Phil at 12:58 AM
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