Lake Pend Orielle in Idaho Friday June 24, 2011

Day 20 from West Glacier, MT., to East Hope Idaho

OLD LAKE MISSOULA ...FOR GEOLOGISTS AND MATHEMATICIANS

The drive from West Glacier to the Idaho border by the way we went is about 220 miles. That takes us south on US 93 through Polson, then through the Clark Fork Valley, a beautiful valley surrounded on both sides by the Lolo, Kaniksu and Kootenai National Forests alongside the Clark Fork River all the way. The peaks of the main mountains top some 5500 to 6500 feet. This valley is the result of a the outflow of the Ancient Lake MIssoula. The Lake was **4300 feet above sea level and about 2000 feet deep where the jam was formed by the glacial debris. It was about the size of Lake Ontario today. It emptied its water (glacial melt) in a very short time (days) and at one time the flow was at a rate believed to be 8-10 cubic miles of flow per hour. At its’ greatest flow the Mississippi River flows at “only” .02 cubic miles of flow per hour. The Lake Missoula flow equaled all the flow of all the streams in the world. (There is only one other place today that does that. That is the tidal flow in the Bay of Fundy two times per day.) At any rate the Lake Missoula flood was the largest single outpouring of water in known geologic history. This valley has many other geologic wonders like the basketball sized rocks that were pushed along at 45 mph, and the “gulch filling” with sand (large single sand dunes) that has been left and seen today between the hills.

Gas in the Valley was about $3.58/gal

This year like much of the Plains, here in the Northwest the water is at flood stage much like ND. The Pend Orielle Lake is about 8-10 feet above normal and docks, farms and marinas are under water while the many Osprey platforms along the water are only 1-2 feet about the water line preventing the Osprey from nesting on them. Here at Island BView RV it is the same with all the docks and marina under water. We are surrounded by deer in a local refuge and they walk right through the yard! LOts of them right out the kitchen window each day.

We arrived at Island View Campground at 3:00 as we gained another hour (PDT) and set up camp easily in a very quiet mostly wooded, long time used, campground. Many of the tenants have been here 25-30 years and counting.

Ruth and I took a short trip into Sandpoint to get a part I needed for a sewer hose that was broken and had supper when we returned (Taco Salad ). I watched for birds and although we did better than yesterday, we still only ID’d 24 including first sightings of a Black Billed Magpie, a Rufous Hummingbird and a Golden Eagle. The first and last ones were while traveling in the truck.

We have identified two good birding sites. One at the Bonner’s Ferry NWR , north of here, and just a few miles away at the Corps of Engineers site at the Clark’s Fork Estuary. We will try the latter tomorrow.

** Today Pend Orielle Lake is 2300 feet above sea level. Yes that's pronounced "Pend Oray". I'll have pictures tomorrow.