Gone from Aki and Alaska, I’m eating a perfectly ripe pear along the Snake River where it forms the border between Idaho and Washington.  Pears don’t travel well to Alaska so this one is a treat.  Swallow’s Nest rock, a volcanic outcropping pointing out over the Snake River like a ship’s prow to dominate the view. This and the myriad other volcanic formations that break through the grass covered bluff land along the river give proof that super hot lava once poured over this land then cooled to deep impervious plain. Then the river, following the line of least resistance etched a wandering line that deepened, then widened until the Snake River appeared.

Downriver offered a different history lesson where the Snake and Sweetwater Rivers meet. Here in the early 1800’s a federal survey team led by Lewis and Clark recovered from their crossing of the Rocky Mountains on land of the Nez Pierce Indians

My family lives here and I try to ride this bike path along the river when I visit. The sun can drive the temperature above 100 degrees and the river has been known to flood out the path. But the river level dropped even though it rained last night. Now angry clouds are replacing blue skies above the Idaho side of the river, keeping the temperature down. My presence disturbs the robins who must have nests nearby. They remind me of Juneau and Aki who would be tempted to chase them. The river current brings another reminder of home in the form of a Merganser hen and a large brood if fuzzy checks.

The Swallow’s Nest was my childhood Olympus. It seemed to rise about the river to an impossible height. During every visit I’d dream about climbing it but shed from asking if it was OK. From here seemed with my older eyes, it is only an easy walk up a grassy slope.