18 April ‘08
Friday
This morning we pulled out of the campground early so that we could stop for fuel and a stop at the lumber yard to pick up a piece of oak paneling. We had it cut to fit the opening, but unfortunately it was unfinished so I’ve got another project to finish soon. This paneling was to cover the area that once contained a wall of mirror which had to be taken down to install the shower faucet a few weeks ago. After stowing everything, we headed to Lees Ferry Landing. We were to meet Laurie and Bob at the campground in Lees Ferry and get ready for the Colorado River in the morning. The drive from Page to Lees Ferry was taken through some absolutely beautiful territory. We climbed through these red mountains to over 7,500 feet before dropping into the gorge while winding and twisting at a 6% grade, down to 3,200 feet. Lees Ferry is the jumping off place for all the “floats” through the Grand Canyon and in the morning we’ll be in the water too. The big difference is, we’ll (Bob, Laurie, Louise, and me) be picked up by a large river raft and transported kayaks and all up river.
Friday
This morning we pulled out of the campground early so that we could stop for fuel and a stop at the lumber yard to pick up a piece of oak paneling. We had it cut to fit the opening, but unfortunately it was unfinished so I’ve got another project to finish soon. This paneling was to cover the area that once contained a wall of mirror which had to be taken down to install the shower faucet a few weeks ago. After stowing everything, we headed to Lees Ferry Landing. We were to meet Laurie and Bob at the campground in Lees Ferry and get ready for the Colorado River in the morning. The drive from Page to Lees Ferry was taken through some absolutely beautiful territory. We climbed through these red mountains to over 7,500 feet before dropping into the gorge while winding and twisting at a 6% grade, down to 3,200 feet. Lees Ferry is the jumping off place for all the “floats” through the Grand Canyon and in the morning we’ll be in the water too. The big difference is, we’ll (Bob, Laurie, Louise, and me) be picked up by a large river raft and transported kayaks and all up river.
We were dropped off just before the dam
at Lake Powell and from there we could float (and do a little paddling) the river back down to Lees Ferry. Our float/paddle took us just under 6 hours. The river was running at about 5 miles an hour through the canyon so it was easy to just sit back and enjoy the scenery.
When we did paddle, it was to go from one side of the canyon to the other or to beach and explore. On one stop we were able to see some petroglyphs
that we were told date back over 1500 years. Another stop was for a potty break and lunch (not necessarily in that order or importance…). About every couple of miles there was a sandy beach that had a potty…pretty handy huh? It was great to get into the Colorado River at this point and especially to be able to paddle with another kayak. Bob and Laurie have had their kayak
about 4 years now and have been in a lot of incredible areas that we are looking forward to seeing as well. Well, with the day coming to an end, we finally paddle enough to get us back on land, deflate the kayaks, and head up to our RV’s for dinner and a de-briefing of our day on the water. Fortunately, Bob and Laurie will be heading to Hurricane, Utah as well for a few days. We also heard from Dave and Carol Welling (who recently purchased a kayak from us) and they are in Hurricane also. I hope that we will all be able to get into the water somewhere there.