DJI Phantom2 Aerial Video! (Winter 2013)
Palouse Falls is a 105 Acre Camping park with a rather unique geological formation. You will start at the Parking area(N46 39.816 W118 13.600) and take a picture of the Falls. From there, take your time and either walk the upper Rim, or follow the ADA trail to N46 40.046 W118 13.613. Find your way down (there is a path) to the railroad. THE RAIL LINE IS STILL ACTIVE! If the Signal is RED, there is a train coming from the NORTH. If it is Green, or Yellow(Flashing or Steady), Its coming from the South. Either way, its within 10 Minutes of you. From there, find your way down to the Upper Falls (N46 39.974 W118 13.498) and take a picture of you, GPSr, and the Upper Falls. Follow the trail to the Spires at N46 39.806 W118 13.425 and take a picture of you, GPSr, and the Spires. Take a few minuites and estimate the number of Gallons per Minute going over the falls. Have Fun!
TO LOG THIS EARTHCACHE:
- send me your estimate of the flow rate of the falls in gallons per minute
- AND...
- Post your pictures along with your log:
- From the Parking Lot looking toward the falls(N46 39.816 W118 13.600)
- From the Upper Falls(N46 39.974 W118 13.498)
- From the Main Falls toward the Spires(N46 39.806 W118 13.425)
People need roughly 1/2 litre of water per Hour. If you bring 2 Litres of water, you can leave 1 litre of it down at the Upper Falls(in the shade).
Now for the lesson
Glacial floods formed a series of waterfalls along the Palouse River before it entered the Snake River. Palouse Falls, with a height of 198 feet, is the only one that remains today and is most spectacular in the spring and early summer. At the heart of a rock-rimmed amphitheater, the Palouse River takes a precipitous, plunge into a deep green pool, creating one of the most spectacular natural sights in the state. When the sun strikes spray at the base of the falls, a rainbow can often be seen. The falls itself is breathtaking, but its beauty is enhanced by the surrounding rock formations. Just above the lip of the falls, a serrated rib of basalt spires mimics the turrets of the medieval castle, with defenses manned by stalwart seagulls. From the falls the river continues down the narrow gorge that it has carved over time, enroute to the Snake River which is 6 miles hence. The walls of the river channel are sheer columnar basalt, layered in 100-foot-thick lava flows, separated by narrow shelves clad in dried grass and brush. Several of these shelves show faint trails. A steep trail that once led from the park down a narrow rock cleft to the base of the falls has been closed because of danger from rockfall and rattlesnakes. The trail for this cache is NOT that trail.
The Palouse River used to flow all the way into the Pasco Basin of South Central Washington. Much of the discharge of the great Missoula floods went from Spokane through Cheney to the Palouse River, but that river's ancestral valley could not accomodate the Missoula floods, which therefore jumped the divide and rushed south to the Snake River. This cut three deep coulees across the divide: Palouse, Davin, and Devil's. These three coulees started as 3 waterfalls on the north rim of the canyon of the Snake River. With each Missoula flood, the waterfalls migrated by erosion of the falls ledge, upstream until the current day coulees were formed. This is how the Palouse River became a tributary of the Snake River and how the falls can exist in the middle of a desert.
About the Park
This park is physically contiguous with Lyons State Park. The park has overnight camping with standard hours, and is day-use only from the end of September to the end of March. The park is 83 acres with 8,750 feet of freshwater shore-line on the Palouse River. There are 10 primitive campsites, 10 picnic sites, picnic shelter, hiking trails, vault toilets, observation shelter, and a historical display.
The Marmes Man
In 1968, Ronald Fryxell discovered skeletal remains of ancient humans at the Washington State University's Marmes Rock Shelter. The site is one mile up the Palouse river from the Lyons Ferry park. The bones of Marmes Man are among the oldest documented remains ever found in the western hemisphere, carbon-dated to be 10,000 years old. The site has been designated as a heritage site by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission. Kennewick man had a cascade spearpoint embedded in his hip bone where the bone had healed around it for 6 to 24 months before his death. It was flooded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers when the reservoir of Lower Monumental Dam was raised.
The Kennewick skeleton is exceeded in age in this state only by the 10,000-to 11,000-year-old bone fragments from the Marmes rock shelter site on the Snake River. The Kennewick specimen is unusual in its completeness, its height, and the fact there is an inch-wide stone spearhead embedded in the man's pelvis - some of the strongest evidence ever seen of human conflict that far in the past.
"You can almost see the guy trying to dodge it, or arching his back to duck and getting nailed anyway," Chatters said.
During his life, the man survived the spear thrust, a slash to the chest that resulted in his left arm being partly withered, a chipped right elbow and a chipped scapula. He finally succumbed to an infection at about age 50, the anthropologist said. The skull and pelvis have damage typical of a life-ending infection.
"He was a tough, tough guy," Chatters marveled. "He's telling me so many things it's unbelievable."
The river is runable in some areas, BUT Highly advised NOT just above the Falls... 187 Feet is a LONG WAY DOWN!!! So If you're up for it, Bonus points if you boat some of it
 |
- The geocache may be placed on Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission managed property only by written permission from the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission.
- The following items shall not be placed in the geocache: Food items; illegal substances; medications; personal hygiene products, pornographic materials; inappropriate, offensive, or hazardous materials or weapons of any type. Log books are required for each cache and are to be provided by the owner of the cache.
- It is the visitor’s responsibility to orient themselves with policies and rules pertaining to State Parks areas.
- Report any incident, problem, or violation to State Parks staff.
|
 |
When attempting this cache, Please take a couple minuites and CITO.
To learn more, goto cacheintrashout.org for details! |
|
UPDATE 5/4/09***
Just out on NWCN, some crazy fool just made a WORLD RECORD at these falls!!! He paddled in his kayak OVER the falls. This is the NEW world Record for the Longest drop in a Kayak over a waterfall. The drop was measured at 198 Feet. What, you don't believe me, See The Seattle Times Article
*Courtesy KREM2
Don't forget about the new "Geocaching Challenge" that is also for HERE!