To Main Page

Travel Page 

A sandy beach was the perfect spot for lunch. It always amazed me to see the  preparations our hostess had gone through. To feed a small army of hungry fellows on the river is no small task - of course, she has four sons and is a bit used to it. But to bring fresh lettuce, lunch meat with all the trimmings, fried chicken and loaves and loaves of bread for two weeks (not to mention the wonderful meals she had for breakfast and dinner) must have been a challenge. Thank you Janet!  

In the evening we had to unpack a lot of the gear. We would set up a "bucket brigade" to unload the rafts. We all pitched in with dinner and/or cleaning pots and pans with sand and biodegradable soap. Some had to do a little laundry, others pitched tents for the night. One of the fellows had brought a banjo, sang some songs as we tossed real horse shoes.  

That's when it happened!    I was just coming back from our outdoor potty when I felt a sharp sting on my heel. My immediate reaction was a thorn, but when I looked down I saw a small snake squirming into the bushes. It was 12 to 15 inches long and had left two small bite marks in the lower part of my heel. I was convinced it had been a young rattler, and I had stepped on it! One puncture showed a drop of blood; the other just my dirty foot. Thank God the bites were very shallow.

A snake bite kit and suction cup was used; I kept real still with my foot in icy water. I seemed to be alright. My friend woke me up every two hours that night to make sure I was OK. Should we make contact with other rafters who might have a radio, call for an helicopter? A thousand questions. Luckily I was fine and had no ill after effects. The following morning I was ready to go again. 

Loading all the gear back on the rafts always took a while. Then it was more rafting, sight seeing and relaxing as the river brought us further into the canyon. 

It was still early and the sun had not dropped below the rim very far, when we stopped at a place where the Anasazi Indians ones dwelled. I found a piece of pottery, looked at it and put it back in the same place. Later on we passed Vasey's Paradise, a place where pure, fresh water tumbles out of a hole in the cliff. It is filtered ground water and wonderful to replenish our water supply. Then we approached Redwall Cavern. 

Judging by the size of the people on the beach, you can see how huge this cavern is. When some of our group were deep inside and talking, we could clearly hear their voices near the river. It is a natural music hall. In fact, at one time several members of the Flagstaff  Symphony came down the river with their various instruments and played some classical music here. I wished I could have been there to hear a bit of Beethoven. 

No, we did not climb to the top of the rim, like Powell had done during his scouting excursion. I borrowed this picture from a postcard I bought in order to show the depth and size of the canyon we were now in. And how magnificent !!

As we continued our float downstream, we entered Upper Granite Gorge. The rock formations are black, old and quite rugged. At one point we stopped and took a hike up a side a canyon to see a waterfall. The view from above was also great as another tour group passed us.

We finally landed at Phantom Ranch. After many thanks and fond farewells, five of us crossed the narrow bridge where mule trails go to deliver supplies and people to the Ranch. We had our last glance at one of our rafts underneath the bridge. The rest of the gang would spend another week on the lower part of the river. For us it was the end, and while consuming several pints of water, we hiked 4,500 feet up the Bright Angel Trail, to the top of the south rim and back to "civilization".

I would have loved to stay with the rest; but, after a hot shower, a couple martinis and warm hotel food, could only dream of the large rapids that our group would still have to tackle. Maybe some day I will be there.