Today aboard the National Geographic Quest we woke up while navigating the last few river miles of this journey. As the sun rose, we were greeted with nearly perfect weather: calm winds, blue skies and very moderate temperatures. After disembarking the ship we boarded our trusty motor coaches and heading east up the Clearwater River valley.
Our first visit of the day was to a scenic overlook of the Clearwater River. This offered a very nice vantage point to observe colorful autumn foliage including the vibrant red sumacs and yellow locusts along the banks of the river. At this site, we were told a Native American story about the Ant and Yellowjacket by our local guide Miguel. The rest of our morning was spent at the Nez Perce National Historic Park which is located near the old settlement of Spalding.
After exploring in the sun, a respite from the midday heat was acquired at the Rivaura winery where the guests had a chance to taste a variety of wines that were made on premise. After our lunch, we visited the Lindsay Creek Vineyards where another set of local wines were sampled, as we enjoyed a fantastic view over the immense landscape of wheat farms.
Back on board, Coko Umiker of the Clearwater Canyon Cellars gave a presentation on her wines. We also had a entertaining and excellent quality preview of our Video Chronicle of the week created by Mark Coger. Overall, it was varied day, with lots of chances to observe local history, samples wines and enjoy the great weather.
