I’m going to wrap up our Colorado River posts on the Great River Series today. We will start just below Lava Falls Rapid where we ended our last post and journey to the beginning of Lake Mead where we finish our trip. I chose this photo from near the end to make a point: There never was anywhere in our trip down the Colorado that lacked in beauty.Much of this post will focus on the scenic views as we made our way from the Grand Canyon to Lake Mead. (Photo by Don Green.)I’ll also feature interesting rock formations such as this lava flow. This one was appropriately near Lava Falls Rapids. The columns are formed when a lava flow has turned solid but is still hot. And of course we will continue to feature the fun folks we had along on our trip and their interesting antics. Spontaneous dancing took place at camp after we had successfully made it through Lava Falls. Tom is in the background…Admiring the performance and supporting a new ‘do.’Further adventures awaited us as well…As expected, Bone would continue to find ways to get into mischief and amuse us.Now this would be a great place to row a boat!With most of the rapids behind us, I finally took a turn.Dave saw it as an opportunity to nap until we reached a minor rapid and I insisted he wake up to guide me through it.Peggy also was willing to take an oar. With Jame’s help…You can probably guess the name of this rock. It’s called Pumpkin Springs. The color is caused by minerals flowing out of the hot springs above it that include high levels of arsenic , as well as zinc, lead, and copper. Bathing in the hot springs is discouraged. Drinking the water is not an option!The cooking crew was getting a little rowdy in Camp.But Peggy was seeking balance.A convenient ledge gave those not working at the moment front row seats.Bone decided he had something in common with Steve Van Dore’s boat, Thing 2.A ‘cool’ way to read a good book?This pyramid-like structure in the background, Diamond Peak, reminded me of our trip up the Nile River. We will be returning there as part of our Great River Series. The dark rocks are volcanic.Tom had a final adventure planned for us that I mentioned above. it involved climbing this step/rope ladder near Diamond Creek. The Hualapai Tribe built series of ladders to help people access a ‘bathhouse’ on the creek.Beth climbing the ladder. (Photo by Don Green.)A cold shower was one of the options of the bathhouse. I decided Bone, me and my clothes would all benefit.A more civilized approach was a few feet away.I was attracted to a colorful set of rocks found in the area.Our ‘bathhouse’ provided creative frames.Another example.One of the most unusual sites we saw along the Colorado was this hundred foot waterfall made out of Travertine Rock.Another perspective.I caught this close-up of travertine framed by the sky at a stop nearby.And Don caught these maidenhair ferns.While Bone found a barrel cactus to perch on. Tough butt.And the scenery kept being spectacular as the miles rolled (rowed) by.Cliffs.Distant vistas.A combination of the river’s edge and far away.And a final view of the beauty that had awed us on our 280 mile journey through the Grand Canyon to Lake Mead.We were privileged to see several big horn sheep in our last hundred miles. I think these may have been lined up for their turn at a natural salt lick. It came as a big surprise when we spotted a different type of animal with horns…That convinced us that our journey was nearing its end! (Photo by Don Green.)Peggy struck her Titanic pose. I saw her do the same thing once over the piranha infested water of the Amazon River. At least, if she fell off here, the only thing that would happen to her is she’d get wet.Jame introduced us to a new way of rowing…And the women, for a reason I couldn’t quite fathom, decided to do a fingernail check. It’s possible that Jame felt as perplexed as I did. Or is that a semi-thumbs up?We woke up on our last morning with our campsite flooded. Go figure. Everyone good-naturedly went about his or her business of doing morning chores.A few miles down river we reached the take-out point. Our journey was over. It was time to pack up one last time. It may look like everyone was ‘laying down on the job’ here. Actually we were squishing the air out of one of the rafts. A final photo of Tom. He looked tired— but it was well earned tired. We all owed him a great debt of gratitude for the incredible adventure he had taken us on: For all of the planning and organizing, and for doing everything in his power to assure that we experienced everything the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon had to offer, and doing so in a safe manner— while having loads of fun along the way. While thanking Tom, I also want to thank the boatmen (plus Megan) whose hard work and skills meant so much to our successful journey.Don, I think, represented us all, while looking a bit scruffy, looked off into the distance one last time, contemplating the wonder of what we had just been through.Looking equally scruffy, I had added another whole layer of appreciation for the Canyon I had loved and explored over the years on foot, by mule, by car and by helicopter. And now by raft.And Peggy, who had loved every minute of the adventure, looked just about like she always does. How in the heck does she do it? (Photo by Don Green.)And finally: Bone. No-one had more fun than he did. Virtually everyone spent time with him. As a final gesture, he made sure that everybody initialed his PFD.
Next post: It’s on to the Danube River and Vienna!
Wandering through Time and Place 