Summer Canyon Scenes

More scenes from the Lower Salmon and Snake: tawny grass, jagged stone, sparse trees, hazy air and a blessed ribbon of water were very much the themes of this summer float. This section of river alternates between gentler, though still deep, valleys and craggy gorges. Columbia River Basalt is unsurprisingly abundant, but to my pleasure most of the tighter canyons were formed of intriguing dark metamorphics from the island terranes that smacked into North America back in the Jurassic. It’s also a rather thrilling landscape to contemplate in its context as a cross-section of the Camas Prairie, with something of an underworld feel in contrast to the gently beautiful agrarian landscape up above. High summer is not my favorite time of year these days, but a flowing river remains one of the best options for whiling away heat and smoke season. This is not a place you’d visit as a lover of trees and flora, but lone trees in a harsh landscape are always beautiful. I would love to find a way to…