The Big Ditch Part Three

Days Eleven and Twelve:
We hiked Deer Creek today. I had been looking forward to this hike most of all. The creek runs through carved red sandstone winding along to a 100’+ waterfall. Blades took a rock to the head on the hike and was pleasantly ga-ga for about an hour.


Dan's feet over Deer Creek.


Jamie and me at Deer Creek.


Deer Creek Caverns.

Just downstream from Deer Creek we lucked into the greatest layover camp ever. Poncho’s Kitchen is blessed with a huge overhang and day-long shade. The beach here was perfect for horse shoes and volleyball, we all spent a fabulous day recreating. Two of our crew brought black lights along to hunt for scorpions with. Incase you have not enjoyed this particular activity I’ll explain. Scorpions glow under black lights. They are really easy to spot and pretty cool to see. After our hunting trip my knee managed to find the only rock on the beach, injury number three.


Morning Yoga class.

Day Thirteen:
Dan’s back was still really hurting him so he took a ride on Prince William. Brook and I took my boat for the day. Around noon we all hiked up Matkatanuba Canyon, a sandstone slot canyon. Also a very cool hike I would love to be able to do again.


Olo Canyon above Matkatanuba.


Matkatanuba Canyon.

Brook and I loaded back into the raft, we were just a few miles above our camp and there was just one rapid in between. Our guide books had been really helpful and very accurate up until now. I checked the map and Brook and I had a chuckle over the description of upset rapid a class 3-8. This is a mighty big spread. Up until now we had been scouting everything over a class 7. The water had dropped down considerably in the last few days and we all assumed the rapid would more along the class 3 lines. We were wrong.

Brook lined up our raft perfectly, we tried to skirt the big holes by running right but the river took us and there was nothing we could do. The first hole slowed us to a crawl and delivered us into the belly of the beast, or the second hole, which delivered the knockout punch. The flip happened in slow motion for me I was acutely aware of everything that was happening. Brook and I both ended up under the boat and had to feel our way out. We came up on the same side of the raft and shared a big grin before trying to rectify our situation. It was the first flip for both of us, we were both fine and it couldn’t have happened in a better place. We re-flipped the boat and had pulled to shore for a complete inventory within ten minutes. Total cost of the flip: one sarong, one beer can and one visor. This was a very successful flip. Dan’s chest swelled at the fabulous rigging job he had done.

In camp Brook and I got the royal treatment and we recounted our tale to anyone who’d listen.

Day Fourteen.
Today was a mellower river day. We spent three hours hiking up Havasu Creek. What a phenomenal place. The hike is long and difficult now, due to a flash flood a few years back. The rewards are pool after pool of cascading clear turquoise pools and falls.


Havasu Creek.


Rattler along side Havasu.


Goat at Havasu.

We got to camp pretty late, ate and all went to bed early. Lava’s coming up tomorrow.

Next

The Big Ditch Part Four

Day Fifteen:
The build up to Lava was maddening. Ten miles of flat water and the entire time you know the biggest baddest rapid is coming up. Lava is legendary, every river runner knows about this rapid. Lava rapid is the fastest moving navigable water in the western hemisphere. One mile above we all pulled over and kissed the Vulcan’s Anvil, a huge lava rock in the river, a kiss for good luck.


Scouting Lava.

Well kissing the rock seemed to work, all six boats made it through right-side-up, although some more cleanly than others. Due to the low water level all boats had to run the right line, there was no left sneak route.


Prince William running Lava.


Juan and Val in Lava.


Kip and Blades in Lava.


Brook and Bjorn's Lava Run.


Lunch afterwards was an immediate drunk fest. What a weight off of all of our shoulders. There are still rapids below Lava, and they can flip boats, but this is the big bully of the Colorado and to have him behind you is a relief.


Motor Rig hauling our drunks to shore after Lava.

In camp Werner introduced to the Lava Follies. He began the show with his rendition of Hatchmo the desert elephant. He and Dan were transformed into Hatchmo with the aid of a tarp, a lifejacket, and a fun noodle. Eric Weink and I performed our river couples skit and no one was spared from our aping them. Werner and Dodger took us on a magic bus ride which was all just an excuse to throw buckets of water on the unsuspecting participants. The night was a blast.

Day Sixteen:I rowed all day today, up till now I had only rowed for a few miles each day. This day felt like a layover day on the boats. With Lava behind us everyone mellowed out. We blared our stereos and enjoyed a wonderful float. We had game night in camp, chess, backgammon and hearts.

Day Seventeen:
We camped at mile 220 the cook crew made mushroom polenta, this pared with the bean salad at lunch lead to the demise of groover #4. This was another nice camp for horseshoes, and we played a game of bocce ball before dinner.


An afternoon sun shower.

Day Eighteen:
Oops we missed the take out.


Exit Bouy.

Most Grand trips take out at mile 226, Diamond Creek, but not us, we are going to the lake. We camped at mile 236 the infamous Separation Canyon. This is where three men from Powell’s crew left the mission and hiked out, resulting in their mysterious deaths. Strange to be camped in a spot with such a past.

Conclusion

The Big Ditch Part Five

Day Nineteen:

The river is becoming increasingly calm now. There is still current though and we are hopefully it will last or we'll have a long haul across the lake. We camped on river left just below a tourist trip heli-pad. There were choppers coming in every five minutes. Welcome back to reality.

At dusk we were treated to visitors. Eric and Becky, friends from back home stopped by in the motor rig they operate for Hatch. They showered us with beer, ice and fresh vegetables.

Day Twenty:
Spent this day on the Blazing Paddles with Jamie and Brook, a nice girl's day. After lunch we shifted around a bit and Eric, Sutt, Brook and I loaded on the P.W. for the long haul ahead. On this day we covered 30 miles, much more than we thought we'd be able to at this late stage. We are now camped on Lake Meade. Only 4 mile left to go.



The last day:
We all drug our feet this morning, not wanting this to end. Finally we loaded the boats and began pulling across the lake. About an hour later Brent and Bonnie, Brook's parents, met us in their ski boat.


We took a few turns water skiing and then they pulled us to South Cove, the take-out.


We spent about three hours de-rigging and began saying our goodbyes. Some left for Aspen, others for Jackson and one for a new home in Dallas and his beloved Jonika. The rest of us non-working types stayed for another day of skiing and re-adjustment.



This trip was everything I thought it would be and so much more. The canyon is magnificent, the water exhilarating and the companionship unsurpassed. If you have the chance to run the Colorado through the Grand Canyon, do not let it pass you by. This place is truly magical and should be enjoyed by all.


Parting shots.


Dan and Rach at Havasu.

Take out coyote.

Raft Bed.

Y'all come back now, hear.

We leave tomorrow for a trip I have been waiting to do for more than a decade. To get a private permit on the Grand you have to wait an average of ten years, and as long as fifteen if you want a specific date. The group we are embarking with is solid. We have done many, many, river trips together, they are our dearest friends, and I wouldn't want to go down this river for my first time without them.

Running the Grand is logistically huge, here are the stats; 16 people, 21 days, 6 rafts, 4 kayaks, 960 meals, nearly 150 cases of beer, 14 rocket boxes, 5 aluminum kitchen boxes, 8 coolers, 24 oars, and a total trip cost of just over $11,000.


Rocket boxes filled with dry goods.


Only the finest brew for river trips. Actually beer snobs may not raft, no glass allowed, so you must adopt a quantity over quality attitude.


Here is my major accomplishment from the last two months. I crocheted 16 beer coozies and washcloths for the members of the trip. Yes folks this is what "retirement" does to you.

Thanks to everyone for following along with us these last 8 weeks. We'll be back in mid-September. I just purchased a new "super camera" for this trip, so I ought to bring back some decent pictures, and no doubt some good stories.

Cheers to All.
Rachel and Dan.

Summit Fever

August 14th, 2004
The Loneliest Highway Home.


We had intended to a take four days driving back to Durango, but summit fever got the best of us and we raced back in two days. Our fever pace didn't leave much time for photographs, but then again we were on the "loneliest highway" most of the way so there wasn't much motivation to stop. We were entertained by numerous fighter jets on training missions, a long stretch where people write their names in the sand banks alongside the road with lava rocks, and this fascinating anomaly, the shoe tree.





We made a pit stop in Moab determined to go for a mountain bike ride, but as I stated way back in a past post, Moab in the summer is hotter than the surface of the sun. Even though we should have endured the heat, as a form of training for the Grand in August we couldn’t do it. The pull to drive on the three more hours to Durango and a soft bed, hot shower, cold beer etc. was too great.

Note: While our free guide didn't mention this place, we found a nice road-side camping spot just east of Ely, NV. Look for the National Forest sign east of the town and the camping spots are on the right side of the road, probably 5 spots and a large lot if those are filled.


So here I sit at the in-laws palatial estate, sipping their coffee while they are cruising through Alaska. It is like being at a really nice B & B without all of the other people. Dan is washing his truck and in his happy place as a result. The remainder of this week will be spent rigging and preparing for our Grand Canyon river trip.

Heads Up: While I expect to post at least one more time before then, I am going to be unable to post for three weeks. Now before you all find newer, better, younger, web logs to adopt in my absence, please understand that I will be back and it will be worth the wait! My absence is due to a 21-day river trip down the grandest of all rivers. I have many, many megabytes of photo storage to bring along and I fully intend to post a book-sized photo journal of the trip upon our return.

Additionally I will not be able to respond to emails from the 19th to the 12th of September. If you really want to contact us, you can send us post cards/ mail/ care packages, c/o Phantom Ranch at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. We expect to be at Phantom on the 27th of August. Here's their address.

River Mail
Dan and Rachel Goddard
c/o Phantom Ranch
P.O. Box 1266
Grand Canyon, AZ 86023

The Golden State

Our trusty guide to free camping lead us to spend Monday night at the Irongate Reservoir in Northern California. This spot turned out to be very nice, right on the lake, and yes... free. We met some nice folks from nearby who furnished us with beer, a boat ride and even a free guitar lesson for Dan. Thanks to Cheryl, Debbie, Larry, Bud and Vincent for welcoming us to Cali.


Irongate.


Lassen Mountain in Lassen Volcanic National Park.

Tuesday we spent the night in a super nice Forest Circus campground outside of Quincy, CA. It too was free and as an added bonus we had the entire place to ourselves. Dan went for a bike ride without me, as I am suffering from a bit of a cold. While he was gone I realized that it was the first time I had been totally alone in 2 months.


Snake Lake as seen from here...


Our campsite at Snake Lake.

We have a meeting in Truckee, just north of Lake Tahoe at noon. We are meeting the lovely and talented Ms. Lara Beth Mitchell, my best friend. Beth lives in San Francisco and will be joining us in Tahoe for a few days.

Skip ahead to Thursday. Dan, Beth and I just returned from a nice short hike up to Eagle falls. We are camped at Meeks on Lake Tahoe. It's been great spending time with Beth. Having her in the camper with us is like old times, we all lived together before Dan and I got hitched. Tomorrow Dan and I begin the trip back to Durango.



Rachel, Dan and Beth.


Lake Tahoe.

ExpensesFrom last week.

Fuel $118.92
Groceries$85.65
Liquor $1.00
Treats $22.00
Repairs $-
Camping $38.00
Park Fees$5.00
Other $108.00
Total $378.57
Remainder ($98.57)
**Included in "other" was our $93 oil change. Note that our overage is almost equal to the cost of the oil change.

Note: Lots of people been emailing lately asking about our camera and software, I will try and address the most common questions here. We use an older model Fuji Finepix. Ours is only a 2mp model with a 6x optical zoom. The current version of this camera has the same zoom, 3.2mp and sells for around $199.
I use Dell Picture Studio v 2.o for my software. On occasion I have used the panoramic feature of this program to splice multiple pictures together, for instance I recently posted a picture of Horsetail Falls and this is a splice of two photos since I could not fit the entire falls into one shot. Aside from this feature and some cropping from time to time, the photos are posted as I, or on very rare ocassions Dan, took them.

Another note: I have finally, with the aid of Blogger Support, added a comment feature to the postings. Please feel free to use this as a guest book, or for, you guessed it... commenting.

Waldport, Oregon.

August 8th, 2004



Yesterday we decided we should have a beach day. Despite our efforts to not drive much we still drove about 50 miles. This stems from an affliction we both suffer from. F.O.M.S., or Fear Of Missing Something. Our friend Dr. Bob Daniels was the pioneer researcher in this area; in fact he is the one who gave this particular disorder its name. F.O.M.S. can be debilitating for Underaged RV-ers hell bent on seeing 3 countries in 52 weeks. This affliction is in large part the reason that we have been putting on so many miles thus far.

F.O.M.S. lead us to retrace our steps yesterday, back to the lighthouse we had visited the day before. We hadn’t had time then to check out the tidal pools and so we HAD to go back. F.O.M.S. is not always a bad thing, in this instance it lead us to see some truly amazing sites. Here are pictures from the tidal pools.







Coastal Shots.



See the surfers?



After the pools we finally made it to a beach. However, even though the skies were much sunnier today, the winds were just as strong. Dan surfed in his kayak for a while, the waves at this beach weren’t as friendly though. After an hour or so of continual sand blasting and wave blasting we called it quits, and retreated to the camper. We were just about to leave when the kite surfers showed up. We had to watch. These guys were surfing waves wind assisted and then jumping like 40’ in the air while spinning. It was amazing, we have to try it. I think if I hadn’t been so cold I would have tried then and there, but generally I have to really enjoy a sport before I am willing to freeze while doing it. I think this will have to wait for Mexico.

Last night we played a game of chess, (current stats are Dan 1, Rachel 1, stalemate 1) made fish tacos with fish we bought at Pike Place and drank a bottle of Two-Buck Chuck. Really RV-ing is the life for me.


Sunday, August 8th, 2004
Near Coos Bay
Yesterday we were treated to an amazingly beautiful, and apparently rare, day of sun, warmth and no wind on the beach. This will be our last day at the ocean for over a month, what a great last day. The pictures tell the tale.









Campgrounds in this area are pretty pricey so we took a page from our buddy George's book (if you don't yet know George, check out his blog under our links "visit our favorite vagabonds"). We enjoyed our day and evening at the beach and then after dinner we parked at Wal-Mart for the night for free. George never pays for camping and he figures why do you care where you sleep, you're asleep. Works for us. Now we are heading towards California. We have a hot date in Tahoe on Wednesday.