It has rained some during the night and early morning and I am able to capture this sunrise photo which is beautiful.
We arise early as usual and have time to do some chores like filling the water tank and drinking water bottles, stowing the electrical cord, checking all the fenders, lines and Pashmina lashings.. We are 1mile to the Ice Harbor Dam so have to wait for the 0930 lockage. I go over the lockage procedures with Ann again to help her with the sequencing of lines.
We lock in at 0940 and all is secure. The ride down is faster and smoother and we are out by 0955..
There are several breakwaters set up to ease the spillway water from hitting us so hard, but we are off and running at 12.2 k. This is the fastest I have ever gone in Shatoosh.
You can see the effects of the current on the buoy.
We go under a 400 ft span bridge connecting Burbank to Pasco, Wa.
The end of the Snake River: 1017hrs at Sacajawea State Park and Harbor
Ann nearly falls off the dock/boat as we dock at Sacajawea State Park, but with quick action from Too Tall, myself and 2 other boaters we get her safely back on board. After assessing the situation we take corrective docking procedures to make certain everyone is safe at all times. Ann scraped her knee and despite being spread eagle from the dock to the boat she was not sore the next day. I try to draw a cartoon to depict the event.
We have all been excited to see the Interpretive Center for Sacajawea and the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery. It is a wondrous facility with over 100 acres of land bordering the Snake and Columbia Confluence. Hira and Sacajawea hold hands to commemorate kindred spirits of adventure.
After lunch we make a run up the Columbia to Kennewick, but take time to bless the confluence of these 2 great river systems.
At Kennewick we pump out my holding tank, get diesel and try to find ice. You would think that would be an easy thing, but wait....we stop at several boats in the large marina and no one seems to know where to get ice, so finally someone says we can get some in the bar of the hotel. I travel to the other side of the island thinking there must be some ice somewhere. I call the next marina on the other side of the Columbia river and the person states they have no idea where to get ice. This is hard to believe, so we return and tie back up and I precede to find the bar. I walk a long corridor in the hotel to get to the elevator, then up to the 4th floor to the bar. They tell me I can get the ice down at the main desk on level 1, so reversing my route to the main desk I buy 3 bags of ice(chipped, not block). Its a struggle to carry all 3 bags back down the long hall, outside and back up the length of the hotel to the dock ramp where I can get Ann and Too Tall's attention. It is getting hot by now, so Ann fixes me some water with ice in it. This city stuff is too much for us so we decide to to return to the Snake River and the lovely cove at Sacajawea State Park to spend our precious last night on the Snake.
We take wonderful showers, have a nice dinner and enjoy some watermelon. Too Tall does some wash in the shower and hangs it out to dry. Hira takes some time to write her thoughts on word as there isn't a good signal and Too Tall begins to build his nightly nesting place within the bowels of Skol.
I love this special little cove with all its history of the Corps camping here. My heart has fallen love with the Snake River, with all its beautiful vistas, Columnar basalt cliffs, rugged uninhabited shorelines and ever so friendly folks who work hard and help the weary spirits who dare to adventure this wild river.
Tomorrow is a big day as we tackle the Columbia and Wallula Gap, so we all bed down early.
Days Run:18 nm
Total: 144nm
