No Lee, No Ferry, No Problem

Lee’s Ferry, on the Colorado River just before it enters Grand Canyon in Arizona, is where the one-armed adventurer, John Wesley Powell, began his epic rafting trip through the Canyon in the late 19th century.

He was the first white person to do this, and since my love for Grand Canyon knows no bounds, I’m destined to follow in his wake (zing!) sooner than later. Though I plan to have both my arms when I do.

I visited the spot where boaters put in for the trip in March, and it was already busy with activity. I was cheered to see a bunch of older folks prepping for the trip, who seemed to be well into the years of using their senior National Parks passes.

I tend to see two age groups in the parks – 20s/30s and 60s/70s. I’m between the two and seem to be in the small minority. Regardless, I’m happy to see anyone getting out and exploring, much less rafting for as many as 280 miles downriver.

Before we get to the river, though, I’d like to pay tribute to some big, beautiful rocks. I do love them, and I especially love trying to capture their grandeur in photographs.

What a butte! (God. So sorry.)

The clouds were gorgeous that day, seeming close enough to touch.

Okay, onto the Colorado River.

I made this image from the Navajo Bridge just before you get into Lee’s Ferry.

Here’s the view from a different spot. I loved the green of the water against the red of the rocks.

More gorgeous green water.

Some folks were practicing water rescues, which seems a smart thing to do before rafting the Colorado. It’s not for folks who like to float six packs of beer behind their inner tubes.

The mildest of rough water. This trip includes some class V rapids, and people die every so often. This, strangely enough, doesn’t dim my wanting to go. What about you?

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