Hells Canyon

After staying the night at Hells Gate State Park just south of Lewiston, Idaho, we were able to learn more about Lewis and Clark's famous expedition at the visitor centre bearing their names before crossing the river to Clarkston, Washington.

Travelling down the 129, we soon crossed over into Oregon.

Winding barren mountain roads gave way to green farming pastures shadowed by snow-capped peaks (with Sacajawea Peak amongst them).

We turned off a dirt road close to the top of a pass and found a mountain lake with some fire pits scattered around it.

We made ourselves feel at home, setting up for the night and watched some fly fishermen arrive, take their haul of fish and leave.

The next morning we set off south, stopping in at the Hells Canyon overlook.

I wasn't expecting to see the canyon bottom from there (it's North America's deepest canyon - even trumping the Grand Canyon for that title) but we did leave the overlook wondering if we'd be able to get a better look at the canyon itself (rather than just its upper escarpments).

The road onwards to Oxbow was fairly nondescript but on arriving at the Snake River it was clear our hopes to see the inner guts of the Canyon would be met.

We drove along the Idaho side all the way down to the Hells Canyon dam (one of three that control the Snake River in this region).

After the dam, where the road quickly ends, we found a trail stretching further down along the base of the canyon.

Every hiker we saw coming towards us was carrying fish they'd caught along with stories of a black bear who'd been patrolling up and down the banks, also fishing for its dinner.

With some of the grass on the trail stretching to Dash's head height and given the multitude of insects, we didn't go too far and after sitting and taking in the rapids of the river and the steep crumbling canyon walls, we ventured back to Bessie.

On our drive back south from the dam along the quiet access road we found a spot close to the water's edge and decided to call it home for the night.

That night and the next morning Nath keenly eyed the massive fish teasing him close to the water's surface and vowed to get a fishing licence at our very next opportunity.