Prior to the uplift of the Columbia Plateau and Blue Mountains of Oregon and Washington, the Grande Ronde River was meandering sluggishly in a broad, flat, worn down valley. With the onset of seismic uplifting, however, the Grande Ronde was transformed into a geologically young river rushing energetically through a steep-walled canyon, its former meandering pattern now entrenched deeply and permanently in the basalt strata of the rising plateau. The Nez Perce Indians named this "the land of winding waters." This is an aerial photo made with a 35mm camera.