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The Colours of Old Bisbee | Some Recent Shots | Birds of North America Galleries | Crater Lake, Oregon | Morro Bay Twilight | Family & Friends | Kettle River Recreation Area | Salt River, Arizona | St. Anthony's Greek Orthodox Monastery | California Condors at Navajo Bridge | Tumacacori & San Xavier Missions | World Championship Hoop Dance Contest | Yellowstone National Park | Tonto Natural Bridge State Park | Midway & Boundary Country | Morro Bay Classic Ford Bench Seat Sculpture | Peggy's Cove | All Shadows | Yukon Days | Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery, California | Some Wildlife Shots from our Travels | Europe 2003 | China in Costume | Dreamland | Our Ixtapa | America West | Cochran, Arizona & the Coke Ovens | Grand Canyon Odyssey | Crested Saguaro | White Sands National Monument | Grand Tetons Again | San Antonio | Monument Valley Revisited | Carlsbad Caverns National Park | Zihuatanejo: Celebrating the Revolution | Go To Your Happy Place | Jenny | More Nova Scotia | Algonquin Park | Goldfield Ghost Town | Sedona's Downtown | Bulow Creek State Park | Flagler Beach Area | Alligators | USS Midway | Coronado | Arizona's Red Rock State Park | Windy Point Reyes | Chapel of the Holy Cross in Sedona, Arizona | Grand Canyon - South Rim | Hearst Castle | Little Colorado River Overlook | Morro Bay | Lake Powell & Rainbow Bridge National Monument | Wukaki Pueblo in Wupatki National Monument | Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument | Walnut Canyon National Monument | Chiricahua National Monument | Wave Crest at Del Mar | 7197 Cedar Brook Place, Sooke, B.C., Canada | West Boulder Canyon Saddle Hike | Panning Fun | Great Basin National Park | Scots Bay & Blomidon, Nova Scotia | Muir Woods | Golden Gate Bridge | Fort Bowie National Historic Site | Tombstone | Celebrating Sixty in Lockeport | Oriya | Around Jerome, Arizona | Alcatraz | Beechy Head Trail | First Water Trailhead to Canyon Cove Trail | Piestewa Peak Climb | Massacre Grounds Trail | Treasure Loop to Massacre Grounds Hike | Riparian Preserve | Bryce Canyon National Park Revisited: Chapter 1 | Bryce Canyon National Park Revisited: Chapter 2 | Bryce Canyon National Park Revisited: Chapter 3 | Bryce Canyon National Park Revisited: Chapter 4 | Bryce Canyon National Park Revisited: Chapter 5 | The Clockmaker's Inn | Brig - Our Former Home | Finnerty Gardens | Iron Mine Bay Trail | Thetis Lake Two Lake Loop Trail | Matheson Lake Trail | Orveas Bay Resort | Mt. Wells Trail Hike | Some of Sidney's Waterfront | Mt. Work Trail Hike | Hikes Everywhere | Durrance Lake Trail | Henderson Park & University of Victoria Alumni Trail | Mt. Tolmie | In Box | Bullock's Oriole | Cesky Krumlov: Chapter 1 | Cesky Krumlov: Chapter 2 | Cesky Krumlov: Chapter 3 | Cesky Krumlov: Chapter 4 | Cesky Krumlov: Chapter 5 | Cesky Krumlov: Chapter 6 | Cesky Krumlov: Chapter 7 | Cesky Krumlov: Chapter 8 | Cesky Krumlov: Chapter 9 | Cesky Krumlov: Chapter 10 | Southern Vancouver Island Hikes: Chapter 1 | Southern Vancouver Island Hikes: Chapter 2 | Southern Vancouver Island Hikes: Chapter 3 - Mt. Finlayson | Mystic Vale | Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary | Gowlland Tod Provincial Park | Gowlland Tod Provincial Park: McKenzie Bight Trail: Chapter 1 | Gowlland Tod Provincial Park: McKenzie Bight Trail: Chapter 2 | Colquitz River Trail | Elk/Beaver Lake Regional Park | Mt. Douglas Park: Chapter 1 | Mt. Douglas Park: Chapter 2 | John Dean Provincial Park Hike 1 | John Dean Provincial Park 2 - Slektain/Montfort Trails | John Dean Provincial Park 3 | The Casa Grande Ruins | Sandy & Diane on the Apache Trail | San Diego Botanical Garden | Imagine... the wolves | Arches National Park Revisited | Arizona Hikes and Drives - Chapter 1 | Arizona Hikes and Drives - Chapter 2 | Arizona Hikes and Drives - Chapter 3 | Arizona Hikes and Drives - Chapter 4 | Arizona Hikes and Drives - Chapter 5 | Arizona Hikes and Drives - Chapter 6 - Hackberry Springs Trail | Arizona Hikes & Drives - Chapter 7: Peralta Trailhead to First Water Trailhead | Arizona Hikes and Drives - Chapter 8 - Picacho Peak | Arizona Hikes and Drives - Chapter 9 - Flatiron Climb | Arizona Hikes & Drives - Chapter 10 - San Rafael Valley | Arizona Hikes & Drives - Chapter 11 - Madera Canyon | Sandy & Diane's Arizona Hike | Wednesdays | Chainsaw Carving - Soper Originals | Boyce Thompson Arboretum - Chapter 1 | Boyce Thompson Arboretum - Chapter 2 | Boyce Thompson Arboretum - Chapter 3 | Boyce Thompson Arboretum - Chapter 4 | Boyce Thompson Arboretum - Chapter 5 | Boyce Thompson Arboretum - Chapter 6 | Boyce Thompson Arboretum - Chapter 7 | Boyce Thompson Arboretum - Chapter 8 | Boyce Thompson Arboretum - Chapter 9 | Boyce Thompson Arboretum - Chapter 10 | Joshua Tree National Park: Chapter 1 | Joshua Tree National Park: Chapter 2 | Budapest, City on the Danube - Chapter 1 | Budapest, City on the Danube - Chapter 2 | Budapest, City on the Danube - Chapter 3 | Budapest, City on the Danube - Chapter 4 | Budapest, City on the Danube - Chapter 5 | Budapest, City on the Danube - Chapter 6 | Budapest, City on the Danube - Chapter 7 | Budapest, City on the Danube - Chapter 8 | Budapest, City on the Danube - Chapter 9 | Budapest, City on the Danube - Chapter 10 | Scottsdale Camelback Resort | Budapest Market - Chapter 1 | Budapest Market - Chapter 2 | St. Stephen's Basilica - Budapest | Szentendre, Hungary | Danube Bend | Prague: On the Street - Chapter 1 | Prague: On the Street - Chapter 2 | Prague: On the Street - Chapter 3 | Prague: On the Street - Chapter 4 | Prague: On the Street - Chapter 5 | Prague: On the Street - Chapter 6 | Prague: On the Street - Chapter 7 | Prague: On the Street - Chapter 8 | Prague: On the Street - Chapter 9 | Prague: On the Street - Chapter 10 | Prague's Vysehrad | Prague: On the Vlatava River - Chapter 1 | Prague: On the Vlatava River - Chapter 2 | Prague: On the Vlatava River - Chapter 3 | Prague Nights | John Lennon Wall | Campgrounds & RVing | At Large In The West | Selecting the Shots | Dawson City, Yukon | Dawson City Revisited | Top of the World Highway | Hodgepodge | Some Old Ones | On The Water | Peggy's Cove Revisited | Canadian Patrol | Searching for Autumn | At Large in the Adirondacks | Footloose in Nova Scotia | Mauch Chunk (Jim Thorpe) | Pete & Carol's Great Western Adventure Gallery | Just Bumming Around | Kamloops Country | Christmas Time at Heather's | Mesa Verde National Park | Monument Valley | Canyon de Chelley | The Hector | Canyonlands | Arches | Utah 24 | Bryce Canyon | Zion National Park | Ni Hao Friends | Feng Du, the Ghost City | Beijing, the Northern Capital | Shanghai, Window on the World | China's Haunting Guilin | China at Work | Lesser Three Gorges | Winding Li River | Ancient Xi'an | Along the Mighty Yangtze | September in China | Moscow Armoury Museum | Russian Folk | MokiMac | Nakusp | Montana Treasures | Puppies, Puppies, Puppies | The Cabin | Thomas Spence | Travelbug, Our 2002 (2003 Model) Chinook Premier 2100 Motorhome | Bluff Springs Loop Trail

Grand Canyon Odyssey

The Colorado River begins its journey as a trickle from an elevation of over 9,000 feet in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. By the end of its journey where it pours into the Gulf of California in Mexico, it drains nearly a quarter of a million square miles of seven states.

This river, named by the Spanish as "Red River", now loses much of its red silt and sediment as it settles to the bottom of Lake Powell, the pondage behind the Glen Canyon Dam about 10 miles above the start of the Grand Canyon. Below the dam, as the river regains its eminence, tributaries again feed it with the red sediment for which it was named.

Our odyssey began with a brief visit to the Grand Canyon Lodge and its various overlooks on the north rim of the Grand Canyon. Before a lightning storm, I captured a few pictures of the view from the rim, far away from the river, then we drove toward Lee's Ferry, past the beauty of the Vermillion Cliffs that paralleled our route.

At Lee's Ferry, we joined a wonderful group of rafters, kayakers, musicians and boatmen for a two week trip down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. Our tour, with Moki Mac, included 11 kayakers, 5 rowed inflatable rafts, each with a boatman and rafters, one powered supply raft, and one dory with a boatman, plus two musicians who joined two boatmen who were also musicians.

We slept on the sand shores of the river, endured heat from moderate to very warm, avoided the rattlesnakes, scorpions and (mostly) the stinging bites of the red ants, were soaked by the river's rapids and thunderstorms, one of which generated flash flooding, cliff collapses and grand waterfalls, the likes of which some boatmen had never seen in 28 years on the river.

The upper reaches of the river within the canyon carried mostly clear water, but when storms fed the Little Colorado into the main canyon, the river regained its red-brown colour, as did our clothes, teeth and skin. The tans we proudly displayed on the river mostly washed away with our first of many showers we took after the trip had ended.

We learned about the geology and history of the Grand Canyon and the Colorado River, the wonders of our solar system and the universe, hiked the hills, cliffs and side canyons, forded streams, swam in warm pools below waterfalls hidden in those canyons, and throughout were serenaded in regular concerts offered by our musicians, who on occasion were joined by others in the group whose talents we discovered during the two weeks. They often selected their concert venues from among the various grottos that dotted the cliffs along the river canyon or played for us at night as we gathered around a single lamp, or as we drifted into sleep below the stars and pondered the surrounding land beyond the cliffs that rose a mile above our river highway.

My trusty camera survived the first half of the two weeks... the memories from the second week though, are of necessity locked in my head forever. Except for a visit to Phantom Ranch, about 40% of the way through the canyon, it could have been possible to believe that nothing else was happening in the outside world.

Many of my pictures are grainy from evening shots in low light, blurred from bumping through rapids, rain spotted after shedding drenching waves or pounding rain and some of our wonderful new friends are missing from the gallery because I hadn't finished taking all the pictures I planned before my camera passed on to the next world. My apologies if you are not shown here. One picture of two mountain goats, in low light, looks more like a painting... and in fact, I later added "canvas" texture to it and have displayed it beside the first.

By the end of our two week odyssey, at Lake Mead... the pondage behind the Hoover Dam... we had dropped half a mile in elevation over the nearly 300 miles of our trip... and what did we make of it all? It can best be answered by our wonderful friends of nearly two decades, Sue and Dean, whose 4th Grand Canyon rafting trip this was... "you're never the same after the Canyon".
Grand Canyon Fury
Grand Canyon Fury
Layers of Time
Layers of Time
Canyon North Rim View
Canyon North Rim View
Millennia
Millennia
Only a Side Canyon
Only a Side Canyon
One Giant Step
One Giant Step
Rocky Road
Rocky Road
Before the Lightning
Before the Lightning
Leaning Away
Leaning Away
Sans Camera
Sans Camera
To Bright Angel Point
To Bright Angel Point
Marking the Sky
Marking the Sky
Grand Canyon Lodge On High
Grand Canyon Lodge On High
Door
Door
View from Grand Canyon Lodge
View from Grand Canyon Lodge
Vermillion Cliffs
Vermillion Cliffs
Readying at Lee's Ferry
Readying at Lee's Ferry
Red Wall Cavern
Red Wall Cavern
Camping Prohibited
Camping Prohibited
It's Huge
It's Huge
Seats 50,000
Seats 50,000
Concert at Fern Grotto
Concert at Fern Grotto
The Venue
The Venue
The House
The House
Attentive
Attentive
Front Row Seating
Front Row Seating
Don & Kim Listening
Don & Kim Listening
Attentive Folk
Attentive Folk
Grand Canyon Storm
Grand Canyon Storm
Into the Storm
Into the Storm
Flash Flood
Flash Flood
Impossible Storm
Impossible Storm
Tumult
Tumult
Cascade
Cascade
Sunsplash
Sunsplash
Rain Spotted
Rain Spotted
Camera Drops
Camera Drops
Crashing Torrent
Crashing Torrent
Overflow
Overflow
Like a Painting
Like a Painting
With Canvas Texture Added
With Canvas Texture Added
Donkey Train Over the River
Donkey Train Over the River
Deb Surveys the Ranch
Deb Surveys the Ranch
Phantom Ranch
Phantom Ranch
Phantom Ranch Cabin
Phantom Ranch Cabin
The Ranch
The Ranch
View from the Ranch
View from the Ranch
Away from the Main
Away from the Main
Zig Zag
Zig Zag
Sue, In Charge
Sue, In Charge
Milling About
Milling About
Deep Down
Deep Down
With No One There
With No One There
Storm Runoff
Storm Runoff
Matt Teaching Us History & Geology
Matt Teaching Us History & Geology
Day's End
Day's End
Wind & Water
Wind & Water
Steiner, Intent
Steiner, Intent
Mad Mud Flow in the Little Colorado
Mad Mud Flow in the Little Colorado
Darrell
Darrell
Will's View
Will's View
Steiner as Surveyor
Steiner as Surveyor
Larry's Seat
Larry's Seat
Congestion
Congestion
Cactus Delight
Cactus Delight
Bobby Johnston in the Grand Canyon
Bobby Johnston in the Grand Canyon
Back to the River
Back to the River
Ancient Dwelling with a View
Ancient Dwelling with a View
White Water
White Water
Steiner & the Supply Raft
Steiner & the Supply Raft
Larry at the Oars
Larry at the Oars
Water, Water...
Water, Water...
Setting up Camp
Setting up Camp
Kim on the River
Kim on the River
Waiting
Waiting
Santa's New Sleigh
Santa's New Sleigh
Kim on Canvas
Kim on Canvas
Safe from Here
Safe from Here
Kevin
Kevin
Jay at the Oars
Jay at the Oars
I'm the King of the Bert Roper
I'm the King of the "Bert Roper"
View from the Hike
View from the Hike
Hey Mom!
Hey Mom!
For Thousands of Years
For Thousands of Years
Boss Man
Boss Man
Below the Little Colorado
Below the Little Colorado
Around the Bend
Around the Bend
Adrian & Cindy
Adrian & Cindy
Tunnel Vision
Tunnel Vision
Rush Hour
Rush Hour
Thomas & Betty on the Shredder
Thomas & Betty on the Shredder
Roughing It
Roughing It
The Wall
The Wall
Ron
Ron
The Stop
The Stop
The Bert Loper
The "Bert Loper"
Rainbow
Rainbow
River Attire
River Attire
The Point
The Point
R&R on the Hike
R&R on the Hike
Planning the Line
Planning the Line
Oh, It Was Rough
Oh, It Was Rough
Muddy Little Colorado River
Muddy Little Colorado River
It Rained Up There
It Rained Up There
I Don't Wanna Look
I Don't Wanna Look
Gretchen
Gretchen
Evening's Rest
Evening's Rest
Bobby's Turn
Bobby's Turn
Beavertail Cacti
Beavertail Cacti
Approaching the Riffle
Approaching the Riffle
Above & Below
Above & Below
The Other Guru
The Other Guru
The Next Riffle
The Next Riffle
The Narrowing
The Narrowing
The Guru at Ease
The Guru at Ease
The Dory
The Dory
The Bert Loper at Rest
The "Bert Loper" at Rest
Swa-Healy Boatman
Swa-Healy Boatman
Respite
Respite
Prickly Pear Cactus
Prickly Pear Cactus
Others Too
Others Too
Must Have Tasted Good, Adrian
Must Have Tasted Good, Adrian
Mud Splattered in the Afternoon
Mud Splattered in the Afternoon
Into the Breach
Into the Breach
Hike's End
Hike's End
George, Thru the Rapids
George, Thru the Rapids
Endangered Humpback Chub
Endangered Humpback Chub
Bobby on Canvas
Bobby on Canvas
Beach Day
Beach Day
Another Hike
Another Hike
A Long Day
A Long Day
Mouth
Mouth
Scouting the Rapids
Scouting the Rapids
Julie
Julie
Closing In
Closing In
Wrath
Wrath
Running the Rapids
Running the Rapids
Jenny Takes the Lead
Jenny Takes the Lead
Cindy Emerges
Cindy Emerges
Which Way Were We Going?
Which Way Were We Going?
Row, Row, Row Your Boat
Row, Row, Row Your Boat
Jay & Larry Blending In
Jay & Larry Blending In
Cindy
Cindy
Trudy Listening
Trudy Listening
Ron in the Dagger
Ron in the Dagger
Into the Maw
Into the Maw
Boil & Bubble
Boil & Bubble
Big Sky
Big Sky
Awaiting the Kayakers
Awaiting the Kayakers
Troy
Troy
Rancid Tuna Again
Rancid Tuna Again
Resting in the Calm
Resting in the Calm
Intimidation
Intimidation
Trailers
Trailers
In-Line
In-Line
Thomas Strumming
Thomas Strumming
Playing in the Puddles
Playing in the Puddles
In Thought
In Thought
The Pick-Up Team
The Pick-Up Team
Peace in the Canyon
Peace in the Canyon
Haystacks & Holes
Haystacks & Holes
Fearless
Fearless
Don Shows the Way
Don Shows the Way
Checking First
Checking First
Bobby, Skyward
Bobby, Skyward
Beach Time
Beach Time
Adrian
Adrian
The Only Way Through
The Only Way Through
Over There
Over There
The Canyon
The Canyon
Outcrop
Outcrop
Surveyor
Surveyor
Out of the Blue
Out of the Blue
Streaming
Streaming
Mike
Mike
Leslie in Motion
Leslie in Motion
Kevin
Kevin
In the Soup
In the Soup
Gretchen On Her Own
Gretchen On Her Own
Dripping Paddle
Dripping Paddle
Curious
Curious
Can You See Them Scouting?
Can You See Them Scouting?
Bobby in the Wave Sport
Bobby in the Wave Sport
Barb
Barb
A Perfect Start
A Perfect Start
Stacey at Ease
Stacey at Ease
Speed Bump
Speed Bump
Somewhere in There
Somewhere in There
Soft Music
Soft Music
Snapshot
Snapshot
Serenity
Serenity
No, the Plastic Side Goes Down
No, the Plastic Side Goes Down
Matt in the Lead
Matt in the Lead
Larry & George
Larry & George
Kev
Kev
I'd Go That Way
I'd Go That Way
Giant
Giant
Down Around the Corner
Down Around the Corner
Concentrating on the Rapids
Concentrating on the Rapids
Camping at the End of the Rainbow
Camping at the End of the Rainbow
Boating with a Buddy
Boating with a Buddy
Will, Fiddling Around
Will, Fiddling Around
Away
Away
...so then the wife says....
...so then the wife says....