Unfounded Anxiety

I was a little anxious today.  We did have some wind overnight, moaning through our stay wires and derrick ropes.  And it was blowing this morning, keeping us pinned to the dock pretty well.

We used our usual trick of backing onto our ball fender to pop the bow out, and we were away.  But as Al left the little bay of Central Ferry, he yelled back 'Clear the decks and get inside!  I can't hold the boat!'  Well, that gave me a bigger shot of adrenaline than I needed. But what he meant was 'I want you inside the boat as I enter the river, because the waves will be hitting us sideways, and I am not sure how strong they are.  I would feel more comfortable with you inside the cabin where I can see that you are safe.'

Turns out the waves weren't nearly as bad as either of us anticipated.  And so the day continued.

Even Al said today 'I'm getting sick of dams.'  Six more to go on our trip down.  At least the down trips are pretty uneventful.  But the approaches downbound are pretty boring to look at, so no photos.  I still feel no small amount of anxiety inside the lock, whether up or down.  The thought of a 100-foot wall of water in front or behind you is quite imposing, and when you can see and hear the water leaking through that gate you KNOW it so badly wants to come rushing at you!

We saw the results of the rain storm that missed us while in Clarkston.  Everywhere, the hills are turning green!

Here is something new today:  We went as far up the Palouse River as we could go.  Al had hoped to anchor out there near the Lyons Ferry State Park, but I was REALLY looking forward to internet (blog posts, facebook, Survivor).  We had plenty of time, and it was a beautiful sunny afternoon, so we nosed in.  The entrance to the river is pretty tricky, so Al was glad, again, for the forward seeking sonar.  There is a very narrow opening through an underwater bar.

Once inside we made our way over to where we hoped to anchor out, and checked the signal, but it could not be reached.  So we did a little more exploring before we headed over to the Lyons Ferry Marina.

Entrance to the Palouse River

South bank, Palouse

North Bank, Palouse

Marmes Rockshelter, site of 1968 archeological dig.  The 'Marmes Man' was at the time the oldest human remains found in the Western Hemisphere, 10-13,000 years old.

What is left of the original Lyons Ferry

Well, the pleasant afternoon has quickly turned to a cold evening with the sunset.  I am looking forward to an evening soaking up technology.