We decided to actually peel ourselves from the sofa and went to Schnepf Farm for some festivities and fireworks. Megan, Shayla and Zach had a blast on the waterslides and bouncy houses (in their clothes since we didn’t think to bring swimsuits) before we got some snow cones and settled in to watch the great fireworks show.
I guess Barnaby was mad that we went away for so long without him. Our couch was feeling a bit luxurious, who needs cushions anyway?
A good friend planned a trip for 14 of us to raft the grand canyon. The company we booked our trip explains it by stating “In eight memorable days, you will cover approximately 277 river miles, negotiating nearly 200 exciting white water rapids in safety and first-class comfort”. Prior to our trip we laughed, how in the world could a company claim “first-class” when you are camping in the sand. We underestimated what could be done…
After arriving in Vegas and meeting for a fantastic dinner all of us packed our gear and boarded a bus at 5AM the next morning to get to Lees Ferry for the boat launch. It was HOT as we packed up the dry sacks, loaded the beer into the drag bag and put on our life vests. The brown bag below is what we had to store an entire weeks worth of gear. We worried as we compared our pile of alcohol with the other boat launching that day, ours was much smaller. We met our guide Butch and his wife Trish who was our swamper. They have a passion for the canyon that was highly contagious and it was a pleasure to have them share their love of nature with all of us.
After a safety check and a few water fights we were off!
Almost immediately we were greeted by amazing views of Marble Canyon. The weather was fantastic and we were immediately having a wonderful time. I could post literally thousands of amazing photos, trying to choose just a few is very difficult.
Since we are in a canyon the sun goes down early, we stopped most nights between 5 and 6 and were able to have dinner as the sun went down. Every night the boat would pull up to an amazing spot to camp and we would line up to pass all the gear off the boat.
Below is a typical campsite with the “kitchen” off to one side and a circle of chairs for us to relax in. Once our gear was unloaded Trish would treat us to appetizers while Butch started cooking dinner for us.
We settled into a routine quickly. Get off the boat, find a campsite, unload gear and take a bath. Below is bath and laundry time at one of the campsites. The water was so clear and cool, it felt great to wash off all the sand and sunscreen after a day on the boat.
When we heard dinner was ready (DIIINNNERRRR!) we would enthusiastically line up to enjoy the gourmet food; grilled halibut with dill sauce, filet with sautéed mushrooms and onions, salads, fresh cobblers and cakes greeted us every night. I still don’t know how they did it but the food was fantastic. During the week Trish made her special sangria for us and Butch made a Butterscotch Kahlua dessert that was a treat. They took obvious pride in making our week special.
The potty is typically located in the most remote possible spot along the beach (don’t tell me you aren’t curious). The views are always fantastic and if the other boats don’t pass by early in the morning it’s private. When the potty does not have a hiding place we would have a privacy tent around it.
The campsites were always amazing. Private beaches nestled against the canyon walls and amazing views of different types of rock each night. Tents were available but most of us chose to sleep under the stars in our sleeping bags. A gentle breeze coming off the water kept the evenings cool and going to sleep listening to the closest rapid was always nice.
The moon would rise in the early afternoon over the canyon walls.
Towards the end of the trip the moon was so bright we could see the mountains illuminated by it. The stars were amazing and clear. Rob took this picture from his sleeping bag a few hours after the sun went down. If I hadn’t been with him when he took it I’d swear it was a photoshop creation.
Rob was able to hike down one of the falls to get pictures of us running it. We got soaked and loved every second of it.
We didn’t see as much wildlife as I thought we would but I’d never seen a beaver in the wild before which was cool. We also saw deer, lizards and even wingless wasp (which I didn’t get a picture of but they were surprisingly cool).
Since I’m already forgetting the order of events (and if I wait to figure them out it will take months to create a blog) I’ll just go out of chronological order.
The rafting was fun but the hikes were almost better. We hadn’t realized how spectacular the hikes would be. One of the first hikes we took was along Redwall Canyon back to a little spring. It was an amazing rippled slot canyon just a short hike away from the river.
The most amazing thing on the whole trip to me was the change in the water where the river meets both the Little Colorado and Havasu Canyon. The river is very clear and bright green (but not in a bad way, it’s amazing and I didn’t think the water could be more beautiful) and then we came to these spots. Manganese turns the water white and milky, to see the contrast where the water meets is unbelievable and to me shocking as I didn’t expect it.
The Little Colorado has a bunch of small rapids that we could go down with our lifejackets upside down (to protect our butts from rocks). After an hour of swimming we went downstream to the “Spa” where Trish was waiting with cool cucumbers for our eyes after we rubbed ourselves down with the white mud. Again, first class all the way!
Havasu Canyon has the same water and look as the Little Colorado but it was more secluded and harder to swim in.
Many of the hikes took us up in elevation quickly and we enjoyed the views of the river below. It’s hard to believe a single boat can hold everything we need for 16 people for 8 days. The company we did our trip with launches two boats together so we would see each other occasionally throughout the week. We were given some fantastic tequila and vodka from them as our alcohol supplies ran low. It was a real treat.
Before entering the Deer Creek Narrows we were greeted by the largest waterfall of the trip. The water hit the bottom with such force we couldn’t swim close to it. The water spraying away from it had dozens of beautiful rainbows.
The hike up the narrows took us to the top of the waterfall where the water goes through a series of small waterfalls through a narrow slot canyon a hundred feet below us. I wouldn’t suggest this hike to anyone with a fear of heights as even I got a little vertigo when hiking along the edges. The reward was an area called The Patio where the water runs along a shady creek. Some of the group hiked further but Rob a I enjoyed nap in the shade next to the running water.
Elves Chasm, a hike back to a waterfall with a cave behind it you can climb up to jump off the waterfall. I wish I had take pictures of us climbing up the inside of the cave.
I can’t remember the name of this waterfall but it had a section on the right where the water ran sideways. We took turns getting back massages which felt really nice.
When we ran out of waterfalls to hike to we did some cliff jumping to cool off.
On the last morning we hiked to Travertine Canyon Falls. We climbed a series of ropes and rope ladders into a cavern with a large waterfall at the end.
Something about a week with no tv, cell phones, no contact with the outside world just added to the majesty of the canyon. Butch and Trish did an amazing job negotiating rapids, leading us on hikes, sharing with us the history of the canyon and way the intricate layers of rock formed the colorful walls that surrounded us, cooking fantastic meals and sharing hysterical stories of their adventures over the years. I’m going to miss the time we spent in our circle of chairs running analysis on the number of ounces of alcohol left per person, telling stories and joking about our day. I had a fantastic time with wonderful new and old friends, I hope we can all get together to share another adventure some day.
For those of you who were on the trip you will appreciate the following pictures – and will also appreciate that I have blackmail photos that aren’t on the web, yet ;o)
Beach yoga
It depends…well…that’s a day 7 story…
Pete still had his 3.9 beverages.
I’m sure it didn’t hurt
Bag wine in stainless mugs is still good, those of you who where there know why Rob and Tony are laughing.
You all know I can’t end this without saying I BELIEVE I CAN FLY!! and WHAT THE HELL?!?!
A group of us went to Glen Ivy Spa in Corona California. We enjoyed a great mud treatment and then went to a bunch of wineries the next day. I need to get some more pictures together to post.
Both bottom teeth are now gone!!!
She was SO excited! It came out during lunch at school which made it more exciting as then she got to show all her friends. She even took the tooth fairy money to school the next day for show and tell.
The winners got to go on a limo ride with the Principal to get ice cream. It was really cute!
Tim and Wendy invited us to join them for a weekend at the cabin in Payson! Getting out of town and relaxing by a fire sounded great to us and Megan was thrilled to spend the weekend with Shayla.
We toasted chocolate swirl marshmallows for our smores. We all agreed they don’t taste as good as they smell. All the adults were shocked when Megan, Shayla, Zach and Jayda all shared a bedroom and actually slept (after quite a few giggles of course).
Tim’s dad took us fishing on the pontoon boat. Megan and Shayla fished at the front of the boat while Zach fished off the back. After about 25 minutes and moving the boat three times the kids decided we were NEVER going to catch a fish.
We decided to go down to Roosevelt Dam. It was a perfect day and the kids had a total blast!
We got up Sunday and had breakfast, some time on the tree swing and it was already time to go home. Thank Tim and Wendy!
I can’t believe Easter is already here! It took 17 kids about 5 minutes to find 500 Eggs in the backyard. I love seeing all the kids run out the door to search for eggs and it was nice that this year the whole house wasn’t under construction.
This is the whole gang!
We covered the doors and had the kids line up to go out.
Megan has so many eggs they won’t fit in her basket.
Hailey is finding eggs that are hidden under the rock wall.
Zach is excited as he was allowed to actually have gum this year.
Some friends of Adam and Olya were in town from the Ukraine so Christy and I took them to the Canyon for the day. You can’t come all this way and not see it! Christy and I were both amazed at how painless a long day trip is without kids in the car.
Along the way we found an alien in Sedona.
One would think we would have taken a group photo! Oops, at least the canyon was amazing as always.
It was surprisingly painful to go and NOT hike so it’s official, I’m going to have to plan another rim to rim to rim – who’s in? I’d love to do it again…
Rim to Rim Hikers with Megan at 3 months old – October 2004.