glenn and i had such an incredible time on our little anniversary trip. it was relaxing and beautiful and fabulous. i thought that it would be very hard for me to let everything go and just be for a few days- no phone, no computer, no work, no house construction, no children. it turned out not to be difficult at all. for the first time in a very long time i just was. i was completely engrossed in the immediate moment. the absolute quiet, the stroke of the paddle, the feel of the sun on my skin, the beauty everywhere i looked, maybe a niggling thought in the back of my mind about an approaching rapid, but not really.
within about 10 paddle strokes we reached the first rapid, little gypsum. i flipped my boat and lost my beloved prana hat. luckily, it was right before the store in the town of mexican hat. i hiked up there, dripping wet, and bought this hat for the trip.
on the second morning, we went for this wonderful hike. it was very steep and rocky, but so worth it!
the view from the top...
- here is our fabulous guide, jeff. he was very old school and took things very seriously. when we first started the hike, he had to go back because he forgot something. when he returned i asked him what he had to do. he said that he had forgotten to leave the radio on the shore, and that if a beaver had come and chewed through our line, the boat would have floated away with all of our communication ability. he admonished himself, saying “rookie mistake”. he was also an incredible cook. you wouldn’t believe the meals we had on this trip!
this is the second rapid, ross rapid. this one we scouted ahead of time, planned our route, etc. it doesn't look like much, but it was scary! i navigated through this one just fine and did not flip. i was very exhilarating. i think i experienced the fight or flight adrenaline rush that all of these extreme sports people pursue. it was intense.
i got to do a lot of this in the evenings. heavenly. (i've been reading the hunger games books. have you read them? oh dear.)
glenn was as blissed out as i've ever seen him.
this is the only shot i was able to get of one of the elusive beavers that live down there. if you are new here you may not know that beavers are my very favorite animal. i have enormous respect for them and spent a lot of time looking for them on this trip. signs of them were everywhere, but they were very hard to spot.
there were lots of these guys too, so cool.
this is the last rapid, government rapid, which glenn and i chose not to run. the water was very low and it just seemed really dangerous to us. here is jeff running it with some guy who had just run it and wanted to go again.
this guy wandered through our camp the last night.
paddling on the last day, going slow, not wanting it to be over.
and then it was VERY slow. when we got back we learned that the water had only been at 500 cfs.
and then we drove home...
as you might imagine, i took a LOT of photos on this trip. doug taught me how to do a little gallery so that you can look at them if you want to, but you don’t have to. just click on them if you’d like a closer look. speaking of the photos, do you like the new format, with the large photos? or are they too big? i appreciate your feedback as i am making this new site!
beautiful photos -not too big i don’t think. i have to say i’m jealous of your trip!!!!! looks like you had a wonderful time and had a much-needed break. glad you had such a great voyage! how cold was the water?
thank you! it really was a wonderful trip. the water was actually perfect. it got just a tiny bit hot during the days, so it was great to be able to cool off in the river.
I saw glenn in the dolores market the other day. Its been too long! I only looked at your main pictures and i got the feel of being there with you. Nicely done. You two look so good , so happy
- right on
thanks so much, meg! yes, we are doing very well. it was a fabulous trip…
Kristi, what a treat!
Your pictures are beautiful and I’m so glad you and Glenn had a chance to let all your responsibilities go and sink into that gorgeous canyon.
thanks, rachel, it was the PERFECT getaway from our crazy chaotic renovation life. now when i am feeling super-stressed about all of the construction issues, etc. i try to picture myself down there and recall the peace i felt.
Hi there! I’m Cat Fox’s little sister, and I’ve been pouring over your blog and gallery- your work is so SO so amazing! The large pictures are great! That looks like such a great time! You’ve been so busy, it looks like a well-deserved trip.
well it’s so lovely to “meet” you, cat fox’s little sister. i think your sister is fabulous and i bet you are too. and yes, our trip was amazing amazing amazing! thanks for the feedback about the picture size.