Hi Sweetie!
Up with the alarm, bright and early! Ate a quick bowl of cereal, finished packing, but couldn’t turn in my key because the office doesn’t open until 9:00. The woman at the hotel told me the group met in their parking lot, but the information the rafting people gave me was across the street from the Hualapai Lodge eight miles away, so I’m glad I didn’t listen to her! Arrived at 6:30 as requested, signed in, then froze in a very cold wind that was whipping through the parking lot. Glad I had put my rain suit on, it was the only thing heavy enough to keep me warm! I sat in the car until it was time to get the big dry bag, then put all my stuff in there. We headed out late because one couple was missing, but we finally left without them, and drove about an hour down a mostly rough gravel road to the “put in” point. There were several other boat groups there, including the one day rafting group, which was essentially just a large inflatable with a motor on it, and they ran the same trip, but with no paddling, just riding. I had spoken to a group at my hotel last night that were taking that trip, and I ended up seeing them there when their bus arrived long after ours. Their bus also brought the couple that had missed the first bus, so they had missed all the safety instructions and had to be taken through it again, further delaying our departure. Anyway, eventually our two boats were set and we shoved off. What a ride! Almost immediately after we headed out we hit rapids, with just enough time to get settled in to a rhythm. I was front right, while Jerome was front left, and we quickly got in sync. We went through a whole bunch of rapids, very thrilling! We came out fine, but we certainly did get wet! It had gotten hot, so I had taken off my rain jacket, so the cool water felt great! We stopped after a few hours at a place known as Travertine Falls, where we hiked and climbed on ladders up to a nice little falls. It’s amazing how dry it is in the desert above, then when you get down below there are all kinds of springs and green places. Not eastern forest green, but nice little oases that offer shelter from the heat in the greenery and falls. Anyway, we climbed that for a bit before getting back into the boats and going a bit further until we stopped for lunch along a little beach area. Then we headed out for the last two big whitewater rapids, which really got us wet as we sped through it. We stayed on track though, while the other boat spun around and ended up taking it backwards. What a rush! It was a blast! After that the river settled down, with just a few bits of fast water, until we stopped once again to check out a memorial tucked up on a rock about Separation Canyon. The first documented trip down the Colorado was in 1869, led by a guy named Powell, and at this point, three of his crewmates decided they didn’t want to risk the next set of rapids (they were supposed to be class XV!!), so they stayed behind. Supposedly if the Powell group made it to the other side, they would fire a gun to indicate they got through, but I can’t imagine even a gunshot would have been heard over those kinds of rapids. Anyway, the three didn’t follow, and apparently climbed out of the canyon at that point (too bad, they were only a couple of days from the end of the river!), and were never heard from again. There are various stories about their demise, the most popular being they were killed by Indians, though some believe the Mormons killed them, some think they never made it to the top at all, though I imagine their bodies would have been found by later searchers. Anyway, following that break we took to the water again until we landed on our beach for then night. We all pitched in and unloaded the boats, then headed out separate ways to set up our campsites, while our guides set up the kitchen that was soon to serve us a fantastic steak dinner, which even included a chocolate cake cooked in a cast iron pot! Before that, though, I got my tent set up above the kitchen, a bit away from the group, only because I found it to be more level than right on the beach. It didn’t take me too long to put up my little home away from home, and before long, I was joining the group in a card game known as Snap, which I don’t think I’d ever played before, but it was perfect because as many people could play as they wanted. Jerome had the foresight to bring a deck of cards, and though it was hard to play on the sand (no one thought to put down a blanket or tablecloth), but it was fun nonetheless. I actually won a couple of times! Dinner was served, and naturally, it tasted fantastic, like all camping meals in remote places, and after dinner I performed my poem, which everyone seemed to appreciate. Again, it felt great to do it in such an appropriate atmosphere, especially the part about the stockwhips waking the echoes, “and they fiercely answered back from the cliffs and crags that beetled overhead.” By then it was getting dark, and we did a little star-gazing, but we were too deep in the canyon to see the ISS flyover I was hoping to see. Headed to bed just after that, about 8:00, to read for a while. What an adventure! I hope you’re enjoying it with me, my love! Good night!
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