Hell’s Canyon Jet Boat Excursion

Hell’s Canyon of the Snake River

Our two crafts for the day.

Day 3 of our trip on the Spirit of 98 included a trip up the Snake River via Jet Boat.   The boat had 2 Cummins Diesel engines, each one the next size larger than the ones in Dodge Ram pickups.   They had plenty of power and together got one mile per gallon.   The boat held up to 55 people and only needed 1 foot of water.

The Spirit of 98 is an older but sturdy ship.   It is custom designed for this type of cruising on this type of river.    I really appreciate it’s design and functionality and other than a few energy items, I wouldn’t really want to change it to make it look more modern.   (Luelle may have additional opinions)

Mule Deer Doe and her fawn.

The boat was great but the terrain and the wildlife were what we went for and we were not disappointed.  There were roads on one side of the river for the first 20 miles, then the roads stopped and the wildlife started.   The first big animals we saw were a Mule Deer Doe and her spotted fawn.

Bighorn Sheep, Mature Ram

Then we saw several groups of Bighorn Sheep.   This time of year they are segregated.   We saw both the “Men’s Group” and the Women and Children.     Then we saw Great Blue Herons and Ospreys.   The Basalt structures of the walls of the canyon were similar to Devil’s Postpile near Yosemite … only more twisted.

Luelle writes:

Today we followed the Snake River as it flowed through the deepest gorge in North America.  We had the Blue Mountains (Oregon) on one side and the Seven Devils Range (Idaho) on the other side.

This was the area where the Lewis and Clark party camped during the Fall of 1805.  The same area that Chief Joseph led his band of 250 warriors and 500 women across the river towards the Lapwai Reservation in 1877.

The Jet Boat stopped every so often for us to check out the wild life – deer and long horn sheep were abundant.  We also were able to see ancient rock petroglyphs carved into the rocks.

There were very few people around – just miles and miles of rock formation and hills.  It was possible to envision the Native Americans going about their lives here.  But now it is deserted.

Although there is not the abundance of food non-stop that you find on the big ocean liners, we are being fed very well.  Every morning we get a wake up call over the loud speakers in our room – and it is always a lot earlier than I would like to be getting up.  Breakfast is served – always a special omelets and stuffed French toast to choose from.

This is the 7th Lock we've been thru and the first time we've shared the ride. This time it was with Captain Bob's Tug and his two barges. It was interesting enough to see how Bob and his two barges just barely fit, but then Bob got out his violin and started serenading his audience on our ship. The accoustics inside an almost empty lock with water for a floor, concrete walls and open sky are really not too bad.

But then he really stole the show when he played his final number with Spoons!

We have actually eaten in restaurants our last two days, as we were gone from the ship the entire day.  There is a social hour in the lounge for one hour before dinner.  Then you are called to dinner with the reading of the menu for dinner.  Great soup creations, a choice of a green salad, or the special salad (tonight it was beets & potatoes – no thanks)

Here's that Lock as they are opening its gates and we are ready to sail on thru ... now about 45 feet lower in elevation.

There are always several choices of entrée’s – a fish, a beef, and a vegetarian.  Very gourmet, arranged very nicely on the plate.  There is only one dinner seating, it is all open seating, and we all seem to be playing the game of sitting with a new couple or group each meal.  There is a group of 14 people from Texas that came together, but everyone else is from all over.

There's Captain Bob and his two barges. Our captain is courteous and let's Bob get situated before he hits the throttle.

The desserts have been fabulous.  The first night it was a chocolate mousse in a spun cookie shell.  The following night it was an apple baked in philo dough (yum).  Last night it was Chocolate Lava Cake, and tonight Crème Brulee.  Then there is always a cheese and fruit plate, and ice cream selections for those who can resist the above mentioned desserts.

This photo is typical of most of the dams on the Columbia, showing the lock and the rest of the spillways. The generator house is shown at the right and off the edge of the photo is the fish ladder for the fish to get around these dams on their way to the sea and back to spawn.

We have two young ladies that are the Expedition leaders – they have traveled all over the world.  They are with us on all of our excursions, and lead the fun in the evening – they are playing Trivia tonight, which we can listen to in our room.  There is also an expert on Lewis and Clark with us, and he gives short lectures each night, along with joining us on the daily excursions to let us learn more of the Pacific Northwest.

The rooms – when we were first shown to our room, it looked VERY small, which it is, but we have found it to be very adequate.  There are twin beds against each wall, and a wardrobe at the end of one bed and a desk at the end of the other.  At the head of the beds is the bathroom – you literally have to step outside to turn around.  But it is working – there is a shower, toilet, and sink.

These aren't really supposed to be here, being definitely non-native. They were planted by some intrepid pioneer on the walls of Hell's Canyon a few years after Lewis and Clark went thru there. So although they aren't native, they are at least historic ... so they get to stay.

At the safety meeting we had upon arrival – they told us about the room keys – there aren’t any!!  We couldn’t believe it.  They said we could get a key for our wardrobe if we wanted one.  Now after a couple of days, everyone seems used to it.  It is kind of nice to not have to fumble with your key each time you go in or out – you just shut the door behind you.  You can lock it from the inside when you are in there.  We don’t have anything valuable except our computers, and we just leave them out.  It must work, or I am sure they would have changed it by now.

More on the Jet Boat and our Captain and some thoughts on Fish and Rivers and Dams, etc.

The Hell’s Canyon Rose was our jet boat.   We learned that welded aluminum is the construction method of choice for this type of boating.   The captain said it’s impossible not to hit rocks and fiberglass just doesn’t hold up.   He is a fishing guide for most of the year and a jet boat driver the rest of the time.    He actually lives in a cabin that we passed.    It is past the end of the road and has no electricity or running water.    He doesn’t think solar has all the kinks worked out so he has a Honda 2000 watt generator and a 5 gallon bucket and a coleman lantern….

Canadian Honkers

He said the salmon run this last year was the best in 40 years.   He attributes it to all the fine tuning that is being done to help the salmon in their migration and reproduction and defense against predators etc.   The combination of many things is increasing the salmon production each year.  We’ll see if they can keep it up.       It has been interesting reading the local papers and talking to the locals about fish and dams.   Some think the dams are horrible and should be taken out.    Some think we should put in some more.   Probably the reality is that no more will be built and the best thing to do is figure how to best manage the ones already in place for the benefit of the all parties, agriculture, hydroelectric, Native Americans, Sport fishermen etc and not waste too much time pointing fingers and name calling.  This will eventually include taking them out as they dont last forever and need to come out before they break from old age.    Some of the oldest dams have already been removed.   The question will be whether they will be replaced when they get old, or the rivers will be wild again.    Interesting discussion,  but to even consider that as an option, we need more conservation and new renewable, non polluting sources of energy.  What a great idea!   Oh, yeah, that’s my day job!    But this side job of protecting Luelle from pirates on the high seas, is not too bad a duty.