“I come into the presence of still water. And I feel above me the day–blind stars waiting with their light. For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.” ~Wendell Berry
Day Seven — Mile 15.5 Sand Bar Island to Mile 8 Sand Bar, 7.5 miles
We are now about two thirds of the way down the river from our put in spot of Mineral Bottom, heading toward the Confluence, where the Colorado and Green Rivers converge.
As we enter this final third stretch of river, the canyon walls get higher and more narrow.
Vast views of bluffs and red rock foundations are now more “up close and personal” with an intimate experience with the canyon in between dramatically sculpted walls.
We stop to get out and stretch our legs with a short hike at Jasper to see more ruins.
This “ruin in the round” was in pretty good shape, but the only one that we could find.
With shade so limited and the temps still unseasonably high, often times the only relief came from the river. Here, BJ relaxes in the water along the shallow bank.
Afternoon amusement comes in the form of wading upriver and floating back down again repeatedly.
Camp at the 8 mile mark. (For reference, the Confluence, where the Green and Colorado meet, marks Mile Zero.)
Day Eight — Mile 8 Sand Bar Island to the Confluence, 8 miles
Kathy, making the last “stretch” stretch.
As the canyon walls get steeper, the reflections get even more compelling.
An ice halo around the sun, peeking over a cliff. This is my first time seeing such a “rainbow” around the sun.
We have now reached the Confluence where the muddy brown water swirls into the deep green of the Colorado. Unfortunately, none of my photos adequately show the swirls in the water as what looks like chocolate milk flows into olive juice.
Our pick-up point, which is also our final camp is just a couple of miles down from the confluence, now on the Colorado River. All the boats are pulled out of the water and scrubbed clean. Unfortunately, a big sandstorm blows in shortly thereafter.
Sunrise near the Confluence Camp. I am grateful it is the last morning I have to try to tame the contents of the “exploding tent.”
Our “taxi,” Tex’s Riverways Jet boat arrives. Kayaks and gear will be loaded on the jet boat for the 2 hour ride back up the Colorado River.
The jet boat ride is a bonus, as it is a great ride through some unbelievable scenery.
I sure hope it is not the “Red Hat Society” again!
The competition, another river outfitter based in Moab, on their way to pick up clients.
I find the scenery up the Colorado side to be equally beautiful as the Green River, if not more so.
It is possible to kayak down the Colorado River side, but there is obviously much more motor traffic, as only NPS motorized craft are allowed on the Green.
We reach the boat dock at Potash Road, but we do not have to unload the kayaks. They will drive the jet boat onto the trailer, and drive it back to Moab, while we ride in the school bus.
Despite the heat, the sleepless nights, the frustrating hurdles, as soon as I lifted the paddle to part the glints of sunlight on the surface, all was right with the world…
To be continued….Next up, some final reflections on the trip…
Beautiful pictures. I hope this week has been as full of beauty as last week was. (And I’ll finish getting my gear cleaned up sometime before BJ gets home! 😉 )
John, that was one incentive about living in the Winnie– I couldn’t move until I cleaned it all up and put it away! 😉
What a wonderful trip and great opportunity for beautiful photos. Thanks.
Thank you for the nice compliment, Pamela
What an amazing trip. Thanks for sharing the beautiful photos and well written commentary. Amazing, as usual.
Thank you, Bobbie. I hope you enjoyed coming along for the ride.
Thanks for taking me on a voyage I never will do on my own. Mille gracias.
Thanks, Mi Amiga — Aren’t blogs great where we can visit with friends virtually? I am looking forward to enjoying sunsets from the Isla soon!
What a trip, what scenery, we salute you for your pictures and blog.
Thanks, Allen and Deede. Have a great trip to the St Lawrence River!
Stunning photographs! Thank you for sharing.
On a more mundane side, inquiring minds want to know how the food worked.
Hi, Anne — I am going to cover the food in my next post, coming up shortly. Thanks for the comment.
Yes! How did the food work for you? That was an amazing amount of prep. Love the photos, love the scenery. It’s just so beautiful out there.
Hi, Allison — Food prep would have been better spent. Stay tuned!
Love the canoe bow shot with the reflections. Its really stunning scenery but I’m sure the high temps would see me off. It would be a for certain thing that I would be in the water. I’ve just read a blog post where they hiked the Grand Canyon rim to rim and one of the comments was ” May you rise like a golden biscuit from the Canyon floor” !
Dave, that makes me laugh out loud! I had a reservation to hike rim to rim last June, but had to cancel it when I went back to Texas. Probably for the best, as I think I would have been one “brown biscuit!” haha!!
That first reflection photo is spectacular!! What a great way to end duch a neat adventure…taxi service home:)
Absolutely Awesome!!!!