The MOUTH to Windust

Tuesday October 5

After a picnic lunch all by ourselves at Levey park amid the geese, jays, magpies, sparrows and heron, Al finished up his after-call email and packed back to the boat.  We were underway about 2:45PM.  The tug Captain Bob was bringing a load down, and after hours of nothing but bird's and our own sweet voices, his engine sure seemed LOUD! (Even over Viking Star.)

We motored through a narrow canyon and then straight into what we now call 'the mouth of the Snake'.  Some would say that is technically at Sacajawea State Park near Pasco WA, but we no longer do.  This spot will forever be the MOUTH of the Snake for us.  (See the previous post for a photo)  This WOULD be an excellent anchorage area out of westerly winds, and someone has conveniently placed mooring buoys.

Just between the two bluffs on the right....

A mooring buoy, at the center of the photo

Where there is any green in this area, it seems to be irrigated fruit orchards.  Or parks.  The rest seems to be very dry and very brown.  And we even spotted several dust devils. There was no evidence any tilling was being done.

 As we passed through 'the mouth of the Snake' we decided NOT to spend the night here, but continue on for another 17 miles.  We should arrive at our destination of Windust just around sunset.  We just hate to waste those three precious hours of daylight while our companions are moving upriver ahead of us.  Windust will bring us to only one or two miles of Lower Monumental Dam.  And it is about 19 miles from the dam to Lyon's Ferry Marina, which we hear is a good place to stop.  When we spoke to our companions this morning, I think they said they were going to attempt to reach Lyon's Ferry today.

Hey Bart, we saw on the charts a couple of places that said Submerged Buildings.  Al says that may be an interesting place to scuba dive.

Some more sights along the way:

Sheffler, a grain elevator, and ONLY an elevator.  Arlington's got a bit on you.

Train trestle (tracks are abandoned) over Burr Canyon

Farmhouse and 'antique' grain elevator

Approaching Windust, we marked the Windust range coming in

GO NO FURTHER!