Flagstaff, AZ. Thursday May 31
Floating on the Colorado River south of Glen Canyon Dam
Supposedly only 1% of the 5,000,000 people who visit the Grand Canyon area actually get down into the canyon. Well, we are part of the 1%. As mentioned yesterday, hiking down is not an option, nor is hiring a helicopter. We chose to float on 15 miles of the Colorado River. Wilderness River Adventures is a licensed NPS concessionaire and we chose their three-hour float trip.
Downstream side of Glen Canyon Dam from the Colorado River
Yes, much of the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon has rapids. But we started just below the Glen Canyon Dam which creates Lake Powell. Lake Powell is the second largest reservoir in the U.S. and the water that is released provides a relatively calm ride for the next 15 miles. The canyon walls in this section rise from 700 to over 1500 feet above the floater. The float trip includes riding through Horseshoe Bend, a well-known tourist vista normally seen from up above.
Our raft
The trip begins with a 6 A.M. check-in, including a TSA safety check since the trip begins in a restricted area beneath the dam. A bus transports us from the Page AZ gathering point to the base of the dam, including a two-mile tunnel ride from above ground to the dam base. Our raft held 19 people and our guide; the raft could probably have held as many as thirty people. Four rafts left this morning (yes, all came back) from a combination of individual ticket buyers like us to chartered bus trips.
Some of the petroglyphs
For the next three hours, we traveled downriver. Early on the day was cool. As the hours went by, the sun rose higher and it became warm, making us glad we did not take an afternoon trip. For part of the trip, a wind developed along the river and cooled us off. We stopped once for a bathroom break and short hike to view petroglyphs chiseled by the Ancient Puebloans and Hopi.
The boat pulled over to one side of the canyon walls by a spring that pours water into the river. The spring is purified by seeping through hundreds of feet of limestone. Adventurous souls like me tried a sip or two. Not bad, but I was expecting it to be cooler.
Top-part of mountain goat group; bottom-close-up
When we began the journey, Cole, our guide who also has a second job at Bonkers where we ate dinner last night, indicated that mountain goats inhabit the area. If we were lucky we might see some. However, he has only seen them twice in the last year. I was lucky enough to spy a group of nine of them and alerted the rest of the boat. A fortunate circumstance.
The beginning of Horseshoe Bend
As usual on such trips, the guide is eager to point out rock formations that resemble people, or animals, or shapes. Our guide was no exception but frequently to see the rock formation shape would take more imagination than I have. When we went through Horseshoe Bend, we could see the tiny figures of people 1000 feet above. When we visited Horseshoe Bend a few years ago, we stayed further back from the edge due to my vertigo and I would probably not have been visible to anyone on the river.
The trip finished at Lees Ferry, one of the few areas along the river with slopes gentle enough to allow early travelers access to the river. The LDS church sponsored an early ferry here to assist its members in their travels to Salt Lake City. Today it is a major jumping off point for river rapids rafters. Just downstream from Lees Ferry is a bridge that automobiles and travelers take to reach the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. That drive is spectacular, we took it in 2016.
View of Colorado River from Lees Ferry bridge
Buses were waiting to transport us back to Page. The journey takes an hour; roads are infrequent and the road back is not direct. The view of the Colorado River and the rock formations managed to keep it awake for the first 15 minutes. Lunch was at a Page restaurant called The Dam Bar and Grill. It was okay.
After lunch we headed back to Flagstaff for a last night with Lou and Joyce. We did make a stop at the Cameron Trading Post. This is a 100 year old store, restaurant and lodge and for many years was the major resting point between Flag and Page. Ice cream was our only purchase.
A beautiful morning on the Colorado River
Ed and Chris, June 3 Phoenix AZ
Chris Klejbuk and Ed Heimel travel adventure 
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