Taking a hike in the Colorado River. Due to a severe drought, the water levels in the Colorado are very low. There are a lot of sandbars and it is hard to see where the water is shallow. In many places it was too shallow to paddle and we just got out and walked, pulling the canoe alone behind us until we got to deeper water. A few times we got really stuck which was not fun, but at least we had nice scenery. On the positive side, the sandbars made good campsites.
Easy to daven with Kavanah here. Mornings were cold until the sun made it over the cliffs. Missing 9 for a great outdoor minyan!
Petrified Logs. Bob sitting on a petrified log. I am balancing on a petrified log that is eroding out of the surrounding sandstone! There were many broken logs at that spot, one in several pieces that must have been 50 feet long altogether. Also, lots of bits and pieces of petrified wood. No, I did not collect any to take home. Bob wouldn’t let me.
Ancestral Puebloan structure in Indian Canyon. The term Anasazi is no longer politically correct. What a view!
The Grotto. Classical concerts are held here. I’m not making this up. For only $375 you can “Take a jet boat down the Colorado River through spectacular red rock canyons to ‘nature’s own concert hall’ (The New York Times) – an acoustically perfect wilderness Grotto carved from the surrounding red rock walls. “ GROTTO CONCERT I: BEETHOVEN IN THE ARCHES . Totally ridiculous. FYI - We sang a bit and were not at all impressed with the acoustics.
It got too hot in the sand to walk barefoot during the day
We Ride in an ATV. The group riding these ATV’s were part of a bunch of really nice guys on a men and boys Christian Retreat for the weekend. We must have met most of the 100 who were there. Maybe they did some Christian stuff at some point, but we ran into them on ATVs, motorbikes, motorcycles, and hanging out at our beach. I can imagine how they pitched this weekend it to their wives, “Honey, we are going with our brethren to pray in the desert for three days.” This group offered us a ride on their ATVs after letting us know that that they were safe because, “We are pastors”. After reassuring them that we were not serial killers either, we took them up on their offer, for a 2 mile ride up canyon. We walked back. Bob rode with Pastor Jeremy from Durango, and I rode with Pastor Terry from Orange County California. So much fun!
Relaxing at the Beach in the Afternoon
Cataract Canyon Sign - a photo op
We Were Not Alone. Unlike the Green where once you start canoeing there is no way out for 53 miles, several jeep roads connect to the Colorado River. I already mentioned the ATVs. But we also came across people on mountain bikes, motorcycles, motorbikes, and Jeeps.
But most of all, while the two of us quietly paddled down the river, we ran into many commercial rafting outfits including OARS, Mild 2 Wild, Colorado River and Trail Expeditions, and Western River Expeditions. They looked like raft armadas gently motoring down the river.
Our favorite was this outfitter who had a group doing yoga while rafting.
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