Paddling Ruby-Horsethief on the Colorado River

Ruby and Horsethief Canyons straddle the Utah-Colorado state line, on the Colorado River.  This is west of Grand Junction Colorado

Sunday I drove to Glenwood Springs. I had two hour lunch with my old friend Charlie, catching up, as I had not seen him face to face in a couple of years. I finished the drive to Fruita, checked into the Super 8, and took a nap. I met the group for dinner at Fiesta Guadalajara restaurant. The group is Eric, Connie, Bill, Laura, Pete, Beth, Debbie, and Tim. 

Bill, Laura, Connie, Eric, Richard, and Debbie at lunch on the river

On Monday morning, we drove to the Loma put in at 7:45, I was the first one there. We left about 9 to run the shuttle. Tim drove us back to the put in; Tim will not be joining us on the river. We got on the  river about 10:45. Some clouds, but not cold, wind minimal. We arrived at Mee campsite 4 about 3 PM. Mee Canyon is a popular camping area; there were groups in the other Mee camps. 

We had a dinner of shared elegant appetizers. After dinner, we sat around the campfire, telling jokes and stories. Some of the themes included vampires, ice picks, and alligators. 

On Monday, We had some rain at 5 am, and hard rain and wind around 7am. The rain stopped at 8am, and people got the stoves going. Some of us went back to our tents.   We saw some sun, but had on and off rain. It was not warm.   We watched a large herd of Bighorn sheep.

The rain continued on and off all day. I hiked up a ways into Mee Canyon, and got sleeted and rained on. The dinner was fancy appetizers again.  It rained more or less all night until 7:30 am. 

The black rocks section of the river

Eric and Connie

Pete taking a photo of me taking a photo of him.

Debbie paddling her own canoe

On Wednesday, the sun came out about 10 am, and we were glad to see it.  We got on the river at noon.  Late starts are pretty typical after a rain.   The black rocks section is interesting, but straightforward in terms of paddling, at least at this relatively low level.   We just kept paddling, and arrived at Westwater around 4 PM.  Typically for Ruby-Horsethief they arrive earlier, but of course we had a late start.   Some folks headed for home.  I checked into the Super 8 in Fruita, and met Debbie and Tim at Hot Tomatoes Pizza for dinner.

Eric, Connie, Pete, Beth, Laura, Bill, Richard, and Debbie

I drove home on Thursday.  It was mostly rainy, with a little snow, but got drier on the east side of the divide.  It was an uneventful drive home.

Cody, Buffalo, Casper, and Home

 

Cody's Buffalo Bill Center of the West is a massive museum complex, and includes sections on Firearms, Buffalo Bill Cody, Natural History, Plains Indians, and Western Art. The Plains Indian section was large and particularly impressive. It was very respectful, and did not gloss over the poor treatment of the Indians. The Western Art section was full of paintings by Bierstat, Remingtons, Catlin and many others. The Buffalo Bill section discussed his Wild West Show, but also other parts of his life, including his attempted divorce from his wife, which the judge rejected. I enjoyed the posters from his European tours, and the video of his wild west show.

We took a lunch break, where we ate at Wy Thai. The woman set up her business in a parking lot away from the central business district, using a gooseneck trailer that her father rebuilt and outfitted as a kitchen. The food was good; the medium spice was plenty hot for me. Her mother was the cook. There were plenty of leftovers, which we put in the refrigerator.

I returned to the museum, while Sandi walked to the nearby downtown, as she was on museum overload. She bought a pair of jeans, and a bunch of books. I continued with the museum, including spending some time talking to and watching a saddlemaker work leather. The chasing and repousse that I do in copper has lot in common with working leather; both use similar tools to create a low relief design in the material. I learned about checkering files, which create fine grooves in metal. I was not familiar with this tool, and will certainly buy one or two for myself, to use in creating texturing tools for chasing copper. The firearms museum was large, with a bewildering array of weapons. I learned a few things, including how a lever action rifle works. The natural history museum was divided into small sections for various climate zones, including the birds and mammals. I closed out my museum tour listening to actors portray some of the famous gunslingers of the old west. After that, we drank a beer on the patio of a brewpub, bought ice cream sundaes from Dairy Queen, and went back to the camper, where Sandi fixed pork chops and leftovers. The camper is mostly dried out, it seems, although we are leaving the fan on overnight.

On Tuesday, we drove to Buffalo, Wyoming, crossing the Bighorn mountains on highway 16. The warning signs were unique, including a diagram of the road. They have a cable system to stop runaway trucks. There were several sections of 7% or 8% downhill grades, sometimes separated by uphill sections. It felt different than any other mountain pass that I could recall. The drive was quite beautiful, and included a large herd of sheep. When we arrived in Buffalo, our first stop was to visit Mountain Meadow Wool. Sandi has purchased some of their wool, and wanted to visit the mill. They get their wool from local ranchers, and process it themselves, washing carding, pinning, spinning, and dyeing. The mill is good sized, with up to 30 employees, including part time. The machines have been redesigned by their foreman, including having to make replacement parts. They recently acquired knitting machines from Myramar, and use them them to knit hats and hoodies. It was an interesting tour, largely self-guided. We proceeded to Deer Park campground, very wooded, we like it very much.

Pinning machine for wool

Thursday morning we visited the Gatchell Museum, a surprisingly well done local museum. It covered the local history, including the Johnson County war, which was between the cattle barons and the local ranchers. Major bloodshed was avoided when the US Cavalry was called in. Mr. Gatchell was very interested in Indians, including speaking their language, and sometimes traded medicine for material goods. We thought that the bookstore was particularly good. 

Lobby of the Occidental Hotel

We visited the historic Occidental Hotel, and had lunch at the restaurant next door. We also visited a local potter's gallery, and Sandi bought a couple of bowls. We headed south to Casper, and visited the National Trails Interpretive Center, about the California Trail, the Oregon Trail, the Mormon Trail, and the Pony Express. We found the Rive r's Edge campground, which is next to the North Platte River. We drove to Aaron and Geneva's house, which is 100 years old, and then to “The Office” sports bar for dinner.

On Friday, rather than take I-25 home, we decided to go west from Casper, and then take Wyoming 487 south to the town of Medicine Bow, where we picked up US30 to Laramie, and then UN287 home. The drive on 487 was particularly empty, although there was a rest area with a WYDOT facility across the street. Medicine Bow, with such an elegant name, looked pretty sad and run down. The drive home was uneventful.

Yellowstone

 

We drove to Pinedale, where we visited the Museum of the Mountain Man. It is a pretty good museum, focused on the Pinedale area, where the mountain men had their rendezvous; it covered the mountain man beaver trapping era, which lasted about 30 years. The beaver fur trade era ended, due to the changes in fashion.

We continued to Jackson, where we had a nice lunch outside at Picnic restaurant, and dealt with Jackson traffic. We proceeded north, through Teton National Park and then through Yellowstone National park, to Madison campground, arriving at about 4:30. We were assigned a decent campsite, but without much sun; the campground is heavily wooded. There is no internet or cell phone service in Madison.

Friday morning, the outside temperature was 28F, and the battery had dropped to 70%. We drove into West Yellowstone, watching a solid stream of traffic coming into the park, and a backup at the park entrance. We heard later that the park set attendance records in July and August; we were told that it is always as busy as a weekend in Yellowstone. We had a snack at a coffeeshop, and checked our email. We bought gas and groceries, and headed back to our camper for lunch. We met and had a great chat with one of the seasonal workers, on her sixth summer. They are full time Rvers, working in Yellowstone six months out of the year. After lunch, we drove to Norris Geyser Basin. We walked both loops, going by a wide variety of thermal features, although we did not see any major geyser eruptions. The earth's crust is thinner in Norris than in anyplace else on earth, providing the heat. At points, you could hear the ground bubbling under our feet. We went back to the camper for a dinner on the grille, and then strolled over to the confluence of the Firehole and Gibbon Rivers. We were treated to elk bugling, and were able to watch an impressive bull, who already had six females, gather up two more females. It was quite a show, and the hillside and bank had dozens of folks watching.

Saturday morning, we were focused on the camper, and moving the camper. We ran the generator in the morning, and then drove to the dump station. We checked into our new site on the ridge, in the sun. After lunch, we headed south, towards Old Faithful, checking out the sights as we went. Firehole Falls was impressive. We drove the Fountain Flat drive, where we saw a small herd of buffalo, and shook our heads at the folks ignoring the 25 yard rule; you are supposed to stay that far away from buffalo or moose. We drove through the lower geyser basin, and walked through Biscuit basin. By that time, a strong cold wind was blowing, forcing us to hold onto our hats. We continued to the Old Faithful Inn, where we admired the historic building, and bought a few gifts. We then sat on the balcony, soaking up the vibe, and admiring the 4:45 eruption. Late in the afternoon, the Old Faithful area was not crazy busy. Thanks to our new sunny campsite, the solar panels added quite a bit of charge during the afternoon. Sandi cooked dinner. There were elk in the same meadow as the previous night, but we arrived too late to get a good look at them.

 

Firehole Falls

Sunday morning was wet and cold. We ran the generator, and then headed to West Yellowstone to go to church. Our Lady of the Pines was built from large timbers and knotty pine; even the stained glass featured pine trees.. We went to the airport, to try the Smokejumpers Cafe, but the wait was long, probably due to limited staffing. We then headed for the Duckling Laundry, which was busy but well run. The cafe next door had a long line, and was not taking takeout orders. I walked to Ernies, where I ordered sandwiches to go. Sandi ran several loads of laundry. After we finished the laundry, we went to find ice cream, visited some souvenir shops, and then went to Big Sky Anglers, for some advice and flies. We came back to find that the solar had not helped us much, due to the heavy overcast, so we ran the generator some more. The rain resumed as we returned to camp. It is forecast to be about 19F tonight, so we will need the battery to run the heater.

It was wet and snowy during the night. The camper was cold in the morning, and the furnace was not running right. The control board flashed three times to describe its unhappiness. Various attempts to reset the furnace failed, and we decided to pack up and head home. After an hour or two of driving, we noticed the the furnace was running normally. We continued on, not being sure if the furnace was going to continue to work. The drive got snowier as we drove. 

 We stopped at the Falls of the Yellowstone, and were duly impressed. We did not take the hike to the brink of the falls, however. We continued east, towards Cody. At one point, we ran into a traffic jam, which turned out to be bison next to the road. Some folks were foolishly outside of their cars, taking photos with their phones. Sandi was on the bison side of the car, and got many photos, including of a bison calf nursing, as well as a video with Bison noises.

We continued east, over Sylvan pass, into a very snowy landscape, with snow on the trees. We drove down towards Cody through some very interesting rock formations, not quite like others that we have seen. In Cody, we checked into the Ponderosa Campground, paying cash to three elderly ladies behind the counter. The daughter of one of them stopped at our campsite, saying that there was some confusion about what site we were in, but they let us stay in our site. I ran to Walmart for an electric heater, to dry out the back of the camper, which is suffering from water leaks. It goes into the shop in October for a new roof. We decided to spend a second night in Cody, and visit the Buffalo Bill Center of the West;

Dinosaur National Monument

 

After leaving Meeker, we drove through Rangely, which looked like an oil bust town. We stopped in Dinosaur Colorado to visit the Welcome Center, where we picked up some brochures, and chatted with the host. Dinosaur is a town of about 300 people, with peeling paint and dead motels. The host says that 400,000 people a year drive through, based on the Utah welcome center statistics.. We had lunch in the Bedrock Depot, which is on Brontosaurus Boulevard (US 40). They had tables outside. Sandi had a Brontosaurus sandwich, which was a turkey sandwich with pesto, I had a Reuben. We both enjoyed our meal.

We headed to the Dinosaur NM Colorado visitor center, but it was temporarily closed. We took the drive north to Harper's Corner and stopped at the scenic overlooks. We got to look down at the canyons, and a glimpse of the river at Echo Park. We turned around and headed back to Dinosaur Colorado, and continued to the Utah side of Dinosaur NM. The Green River campground is lovely, next to the river. It was a warm day, but comfortable once the sun went down. The sunset was beautiful.

On Tuesday morning, we drove down the Cub Creek road, where we saw petroglyphs, as well as Josie Moris's cabin. She lived in a remote cabin by herself for fifty years, which I was very impressed with. We then visited the dinosaur bone quarry which the monument is famous for. We also were able to use the park Wifi; it was pretty slow, but adequate for posting the blog. We went back to the camper for lunch, I laid down for a while, but it was hot. After lunch, we drove to the boat ramp, where our group had taken out a couple of weeks before. No one was there, but we took a seat in the shade. A small private day trip group appeared, speaking Spanish, which was surprising, so I walked over and talked to them. One of them was owner of a tour company offering adventure tours in Peru, Apumayo, and knew Raul, our tour guide in Peru, as well as Nilda, the head of the textile group in Cusco. Its a small world. The next group was 21 folks on an Oars tour, including 6 guides, in five boats. Sandi got to see how a raft group unloads at the end of a multi-day trip. Sandi grilled burgers and vegetables for dinner, as it was too hot to cook inside.

Wednesday morning, we drove to Vernal, UT, where we bought gas, propane, and groceries. We headed north on highway 191, which I recalled as being very mountainous. Yes it is. We spent a lot of time in first and second gear, so progress was slow. Soon after leaving Vernal, we could see a mammoth open pit phosphate mine. It was the largest open pit mine Sandi had ever seen; Richard recalled the mine in Bisbee Arizona as being about the same size. The drive included signs marking geologic layers and features, with a few words about each layer. 

 Eventually, we arrived at the dam for Flaming Gorge Reservoir. I have paddled perhaps 1/3 of the length of the reservoir, and hope to paddle the balance of it in 2022, as part of my campaign to paddle the length of the Green River. We visited the overlook, and the visitor center. The Bureau of Reclamation built and operates the dam, as part of their system of dams in the Colorado River basin. They recently increased flows from Flaming Gorge and other dams, to put more water in Lake Powell. I spoke to the attendant about how I benefited from the recent increase in flows, when I paddled the Gates of Lodore. She said that Flaming Gorge, Navajo Dam, and the dams on the Gunnison River are all increasing output, which she said would raise Lake Powell about three feet, a drop in the bucket..... The plumbing diagram of the Colorado River shows how the Bureau of Reclamation probably thinks about rivers. :-)

As we were driving north towards Rock Springs, considering our slow progress north, we realized that our plan to spend the night in the Tetons was unrealistic, as it would require driving well into the evening. We had lunch in Rock Springs and considered our options; we decided to stop in Boulder Wyoming, at a very nice RV park that we had stayed in before, the High-Line Trail RV park. We were able to use the microwave and the Wifi, something that we had not been able to do since we left home. We celebrated by dining on leftovers.

Meeker Sheepdog trials

We started our trip about 9:15 AM by going up the Poudre canyon, over Cameron Pass. We stopped briefly at the Moose Visitor Center, part of State Forest State Park, to discuss the status of the various campgrounds. We had lunch outside at the Mad Moose in Walden, which is the new name for what was the Moose Creek Cafe. There is a large statue of a moose outside, so no matter what you call the restaurant, the name should include the word moose.

We went over Rabbit Ears pass, but turned south to Oak Creek and Yampa just before entering Steamboat Springs. Oak creek is clearly a mining community. We headed west on the Flattops Scenic Byway just before entering Yampa. The road turned to gravel, and we kept going. The area is beautiful, with many aspen trees, and occasional views of the Flatops and Pyramid peak. The gravel road turned out to be longer and slower than we had expected; I kept wondering if we were on the right road. On the way down the valley, we ran into a massive sheep jam. The herder on horseback, from Nayarit Mexico, told me had fifteen hundred (mil quinentos) sheep and seven dogs. We arrived at the Bufford Lodge around 5 PM. The lodge is a nice place, with a dozen cabins and about that many campsites; the North Fork of the White river runs through it.

Horses at the Bufford Lodge

On Saturday, we spent the day at the Sheep Dog Trials. We had a great time watching the dog and handlers work, as well as talking with locals. It was fascinating to watch; the sheep, the dog, the handler, the wind, all affect the result. There are several elements to the event, each scored separately, with points earned for completing an activity, but points also depending on just how it was done. I learned that you don't want to train a young dog more than 15 minutes at a time, once or twice to a day, and that a horse saddle is built around a wooden core, to hold its shape. We bought some pottery, and some peaches. Sandi talked to the Border Collie rescue folks, and plans to fill out a fostering application. We chatted with the University of Wyoming about wool judging. The Rambouillet wool is much finer than that of other breeds; other breeds are better for meat.

One of the competitors intently watching another dog work the sheep

We went to church, only to find that the website showed the wrong mass schedule, so we were there on the wrong day; another couple was in the same boat. We admired the quilts at the quilt show; the winters are long in this area. We went to the Jammin Lamb Festival at the courthouse. We drank a beer and watched a ranch wife sing songs, including one about fence work, which is apparently no fun. We were standing in line for dinner when a huge wind and heavy rain blew in. The ladies serving were ankle deep in water, but never stopped serving. We huddled under the pavilion until the rain stopped, and then got a good dinner of lamb. We got talking to a local rancher, and learned more about the local area and the ranching business. As we were leaving, we talked to a lady with a pet goat, only to find out that she had been a county extension agent, and was now a CSU professor, teaching extension agents. Dessa W. knew some of the folks that Sandi knows in Fort Collins, a small world.

On Sunday we went to the finals. For the finals, they increase the level of difficulty, including going from 5 sheep to 20. The top handlers were very patient in working the sheep, and were not constantly talking to their dog. The dog seemed to know what to do. The winner was Scott Glen, a gentleman from Alberta, who appeared to magically separate sheep from a group; it was not obvious to us how he did it. Sandi won a door prize, which she used to buy some yarn; she was very surprised to hear her name called, as she says she never wins anything. There was another thunderstorm, which we sat out under the tent. It was obvious that this is a community event, with perhaps hundreds of volunteers. We left with a good feeling about Meeker. Back at camp, I fixed a broken wire, so the camper slide works again. I fished the river for an hour; no luck, but it is a beautiful river. Sandi grilled beef and vegetables.

On Monday, we got up and went to town, and ran various errands. While waiting to the dump the RV, we had a very interesting conversation with a couple from Northern Idaho. They competed in the dog trials, but did not make the semi-finals, so we did not see his dog work. They said that there are two associations offering pedigrees for border collies. The American Kennel Association is focused on what the animal looks like. The Border Collie Association does not care about what the dog looks like, only how the dog performs in the field. He was British with a Canadian passport. They have what looks like a horse trailer/RV, but instead of horses, they haul dogs. They are breeders, trainers, and sell dog accessories. We very much enjoyed the conversation, and learning more about sheep dogs. We were all really impressed with the winner of the event.

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Paddling the Gates of Lodore on the Green River

 

Tuesday, Kathy and I drove to the put in via Walden. We made minimal stops, arriving at the put in around 6. Debbie had arrived well before us, while Don and Sonia were just a few minutes ahead of us. It is a primitive campground, but the sites are large. We set up camp and had dinner. The ranger is a volunteer who works seasonally on the islands of North Carolina.

Wednesday, Nick, Barry and Kathleen arrived before 10 am, wIth the raft on a trailer. They had gotten into Yampa state park late, about 11 pm. The Gates of Lodore are impressive from the put in. Most of the place names are from John Wesley Powell, the explorer.  The rock is very red. We got on the water a little after noon, and arrived at Wade and Davis, a good camp, after 1 pm, a very short day. Campsites are assigned by the park service.  Some folks hiked to Winnie’s grotto.

The forbidding entrance of Gates of Lodore

Self supported means different things to different people. We generally do not have group dinners, or even a group porta potty. We are generally on the water by 8 or 9 am. Kathy says that we operate differently from other groups, who tend to share a group kitchen.

Thursday got off to a late start. I had requested a 9 am start, but we did not get in the water until 10. This was our big rapid day, with four major rapids. Lower disaster falls came up sooner than we expected. The raft hit some rocks, missed some strokes, and ended up in the right hand channel. They got caught under the overhang, very scary. The spare paddle was destroyed, and both of the people on the raft ended up in the water. Barry ended up bruised up, but we were lucky it was not much worse. The wind started around 11, which was very difficult for the solo canoes. We stopped about 4 pm before Triplet falls, and agreed that some folks were tired, and that it was not safe to continue. We camped at Triplet camp, and were fortunate that no other parties showed up with a reservation. The following day would include 14 miles and two major rapids, so a long day under the best of circumstances.

Kathy's canoe wrapped around a rock.

Friday we got onto the water at 9 am. Triplet rapid was right after the put in. Kathy was the last paddler, and wrapped her canoe around a rock. Nick managed to attach a line from his kayak. and after various tries, we were able to pull it off with a Z-drag. I was rusty with the z-drag, but got it done. . We were able to straighten out her boat to make it paddleable. When we got to Hells half mile, the canoes portaged on river right. We got underway again around 4 pm, and camped on a sandy beach downstream of echo park, as we were running out of daylight.

Saturday was uneventful, thank God. No big rapids, no bad winds. We were on the water by 9. Most folks hiked at Jones Hole to butt-dam creek, which they enjoyed. I almost missed Big Island camp, as it looked on the map that we should have seen Cove camp first, but I dragged my canoe upstream to the correct channel. Big Island is barren, with an occasional tree. It was hot, so we were happy to have a tarp for shade. Some swam in the fast current. The night was cold, about 40F in the morning.

Split Mountain

Richard

Debbie

Rock art of buffalo, look upper right

Sunday we got on the water a little after 9 am. It was slow current and slow going through Island Park. When we entered Split Mountain Canyon things got more interesting. Another group suggested that we scout Moonshine rapid, but it was probably unnecessary. The other rapids were fun but not difficult. The canyon is spectacular. We got to the takeout about 3 PM.

Debbie, Kathy and I went to Vernal to spend the night in a hotel. We had a good dinner at Swain Brothers steakhouse, and laughed at some of the cheesy dinosaur images. The rest of the group headed back east to a hotel Craig Colorado.

A good trip, despite the “carnage” and damage. All made it out safe.

Paddling the San Juan River

 Monday, I went to Eric's house, put my canoe on the roof of his car, and headed for Nick's house. We left Nick’s with raft and trailer at 10 am. We had a 1.5 hour delay for construction at the Eisenhower tunnel. With a relatively late start and the construction delay, we had no way to get to the put in before dark. We decided to stop at Dalton Springs campground about 9 pm. This is a very nice campground west of Monticello, at about 7000 ft elevation, so it was blessedly cool.

Tuesday. We picked up a convenience store breakfast in Monticello, and met our group at the Sand Island boat ramp. Our group would be 9 people and seven boats, with Don and Sonia in an inflatable kayak, Eric and Nick on the raft, and the other members in various craft, mostly inflatable kayaks. I had the only canoe. We got on the water at 10, not bad for a first day. Stopped after 8 miles at Big Stick. It started to rain at dusk. We saw turkeys and donkeys.

Wednesday we were on the river at 8:45am; a good start, which was typical on this trip. We ran four foot, 8 foot, and Ledge rapids. I saw a river otter, and we saw many Bighorn sheep.  We stopped at Lime creek camp, mile 21 at 3:30. There were a couple of rain showers. Several of us sat in the water and chatted. About 10 pm, we heard a roaring, and someone yelled flash flood. The almost dry creek was a raging current, with my canoe securely tied to opposite side. In the morning, I waded across the creek to get my boat. All the boats were secure, and we had no loss of gear.

The famous rock formation of Mexican Hat

Thursday. The river was clear above Lime creek, and bright red below. The rapid at Gypsum creek rapid put water in my boat; I had been wondering if I should have brought my electric bilge pump. We stopped at the 7-11 in Mexican Hat for water and treats.  The raft hangs up on rocks occasionally, as do we all. We all hiked to Mendenhall cabin, on a saddle at a gooseneck. We arrived at mile 37 camp about 3 pm. Another hot day.  I think that this was the day that I saw a beaver tail, before it slapped the water and disappeared. The ants at camp 37 were a pest.

Friday we were on the river at 8:15. Some hiked partway up Honaker trail. We saw more tagged and collared bighorn. In fact, almost all the bighorn were tagged or collared. Our preferred campsite was oven hot, so we kept going. We camped at 56.5, paddling almost 20 miles; this was a long day, and tiring for everyone.

Raft stuck in Government rapid

Don and Sonia in Government Rapid

Saturday was to be a short day, so we got on the river at 9.  We took a hike/scramble to look at a pour over at Johns canyon. We ran Government rapid; the raft was spun around by rocks and ended up stuck on a rock, but Nick and Eric worked it off. We keep seeing a nice kayaking couple from Ridgeway. Otherwise folks ran it, but bounced off some rocks. Camped at Slickhorn C, mile 66. It was broiling hot but the water was our refuge. Some of us even walked across the river to the shade on the other side. The shade soon arrived in camp, so we fixed dinner. While eating, the rain came. Some took a hike up the canyon in the evening.

Eric in Slickhorn

Sunday morning some of us hiked up Slickhorn Canyon, which is a slickrock ravine, kind of unique. We were on the river about 9:30 am. It was 10 miles of shallow water with sand bars to Oljeto Wash. I dragged and towed my boat quite a bit: the raft passenger got out and pushed. It was again very hot. We stopped at Grand Gulch for lunch. We arrived at Oljeto camp about 2:30. Some folks took a walk up Oljeto wash.

Monday morning at 6 am, our camp was a flurry of activity and packing. We had only 8 miles to go, but were concerned about headwinds. Surprisingly, on this trip we did not have any significant difficulties with wind, the dreaded “W” word. The river was milky, like a latte, gritty, with visibility less than one inch.  It was shallow; I got stuck frequently. There was no wind, and we made it to take out before 11. Eric, Nick and I made a wrong turn on the drive out, my fault; we stopped in Blanding at the A&W, which curiously included a bowling alley.  After a very long time on hold, I got a tent reservation at the state park in Fruita. The showers are now free, and felt good, although not really hot. Roger joined us there, but got his campsite at the  gate, as there was an attendant; I shared a tent site with him. Dinner was at Fiesta Guadalajara.

Lance, Eric, Roger, Richard, Don, Sonia, Becky, Kelly, Nick

Tuesday we were on the road about 7:30 am, after stops at McDonalds. We refueled in Grand Junction and Arvada. The drive home was uneventful.

Steamboat Lake and Steamboat Springs

On Sunday, we left Fort Collins about 9:30 AM, arriving in Walden about noon. We had lunch at the Mad Moose Cafe; We waited a long time for lunch, as the restaurant was very busy, with lots of tourists and motorcyclists in town. We drove over Muddy Pass and Rabbit Ears pass, through the city of Steamboat Springs, to Steamboat Lake State Park. Our campsite was on the Arnica Loop, and was appropriately covered with Arnica Flowers (Moose Ear). It was quite nice, with a mix of Aspen and Pine trees nearby. The sunset was red, due to fires.

On Monday, we explored the park some, as well as the historical village of Hahns Peak, and then headed to Steamboat Springs, which Sandi had never seen. We had a good lunch at Cinco de Mayo, Michoacan style Mexican food. We walked across the bridge over the Yampa River, watching tubers float down. We visited Howelson Hill, admiring the ski jumps. Apparently they jump on Tuesday mornings, starting around 8 am, sliding on plastic instead of snow. We also watched some young members of the ski club doing exercises. There are would-be-Olympians in town; people from all over the US come to Steamboat to train. 

 

We visited the town bookstore, as well as the F. M. Light western store, 100 years old. We had ice cream at the Soda Fountain, and then headed back to the park, stopping to check out Pearl Lake. Pearl Lake is a smaller park, with a smaller lake, with smaller and fewer campsites, but quite nice. There were many people on rented stand up paddleboards.

After a dinner of hamburger, we headed towards Steamboat Lake dam to do some fishing. Richard had no luck, but we did see and hear some Sandhill Cranes.

On Tuesday, we drove downhill to the state wildlife area on the elk river. Richard did some fly fishing; he was pretty rusty, and had no bites. We gave some travel advice to some folks from Indiana. We stopped at the Clark store for ice cream. In the evening, we walked from the campground down to the lake; Richard fished, and had one fish on, but it got off... We saw some deer in and around the campground.

On Wednesday, we headed north. Our first stop was in Columbine, a mining town that became a rustic resort. We chatted with the owner's son. Richard solved a puzzle for them related to a mysterious piece of equipment, which he recognized as a rain gauge. They get 300 inches of snow a year. We drove to an old mine, now plugged. We continued into the Routt National Forest, driving forest roads 500 and 550. It was quite beautiful, a mix of pine and aspen, with an occasional large clearing, that they call a park. We had a nice lunch at the Hahns Peak Cafe, with a great view of the lake and mountains. We headed over to Pearl Lake, where Richard fished, unsuccessfully. We chatted with the ranger about fire bans and life jackets. In the evening we drove to Sage Flats, for more fishing practice. Richard had one fish on and two nibbles. Sandi took a hike on the Willow Creek trail. The weather changed as the day went on, from sunny to overcast.

On Thursday, our schedule was dictated by a business conference call that Sandi had at 1 PM. We took it easy in the morning, and then headed for Steamboat Springs. We stopped at a fishing store for a line nipper, and Sandi bought some T-shirts as gifts. Richard dropped Sandi off at the Starbucks, where she would take her call, while Richard drove into town for lunch. It was a bit of a challenge to park the rig, but Richard found a place and walked to the Back Door Grille. Richard noticed that his waitress, Nicole, seemed to be particularly good; when he started asking detailed questions about the tip system he discovered that Nicole was actually the operations manager, filling in, and of course knew all the details. With the high cost of housing in Steamboat, the cooks get around $20/hr and then 3% of gross sales as well. The servers no longer share tips with wait staff, due to Colorado law and the 3%. When Sandi texted that her meeting was about over, Richard ordered a bison burger to go for Sandi, and drove back to pick her up.

Our drive home was somewhat rainy, but not difficult. The nice touch was seeing a moose at a distance on Cameron pass.

Buffalo River Trip

Friday I left Fort Collins at 8:30 am, headed for Denver and then East on I-70. It was windy, so hard driving, especially with a boat on the roof. I stopped in Hays Kansas, about 4 pm Denver time, which was my original plan. I stayed in an adequate Econolodge, and ate at Vernies Hamburger house. I was tired. 

Saturday I got going about 8 am, and continued east to Salina, where i turned South. I turned east just north of Wichita on road 400, a good two lane road that was limited access in places. I turned south at Joplin Missouri, and headed for Bentonville, where I had a reservation at the Crystal Bridges art museum. I checked into a Quality Inn before 4 pm, and drove to the museum, to explore the art outside. The grounds are beautiful. 

I ate at Wright’s Barbeque, good and very popular. I walked around downtown a bit, and saw many folks dressed up, presumably for wedding photos. I even saw a wedding in progress outside the courthouse. The downtown is gentrified, and looks good.   Lots of Walton money.....

Sunday I went to the Crystal Bridges museum. Not a lot really struck me in the main museum, although I liked some of the outdoor pieces. The grounds are huge; you have to walk to see all the art. The special craft exhibit did have some excellent work. I had a good lunch outside at the Pressroom. 

I drove two hours to London, to Randy’s house. He rents a pretty good house for less than half what a studio apartment in Fort Collins would cost. He showed me around a bit. Very green, hills, reminds me of Kentucky. He cooked chicken on the grill. I spread out my gear and went through it , I think I am ready to go. 

We drove up to Ponca, and met Jim and Cynthia at Buffalo Outdoor Center at 9. We signed up for the shuttle there, and drove to Pruitt for the put in.  The put in was crowded with day trippers. I spoke to a lady from Houston Canoe Club, she knew John and Anne O. 

Our group, Jim, Cynthia, Randy, and I

We got on the water about 11. We paddled to mile 60 below Hasty Campground, about 8 miles. We scraped some until we got to Little Buffalo River. The river changed character below the Little Buffalo, it got wider and deeper.   We camped in the trees. Randy started a fire on the gravel bar. We found three folding chairs and a set of horseshoes.  It rained most of the night. 

Tuesday, We put our tents away wet, and got on the river 9:45. Jim and Cynthia got their canoe jammed against  a tree limb, after misjudging a cross current. Randy was able to pull the canoe loose, but it was full of water. Luckily, no one was hurt, with nothing lost but a paddle, which Randy found downstream.  The day was sunny and nice. 

We saw a turkey, many blue winged teal, and a bald eagle swoop down to the river to get a fish. 

We paddled pretty steady until 4 pm, and covered 14 miles to about mile 74. We saw no other boaters all day. We cooked and ate facing the river, on a gravel bar. 

Although it was clear earlier, it rained most of the night, sometimes hard. 

Wednesday. When we paddled by Richfield creek, it  was muddy and high, and the river changed character again, now muddy with water in the trees, like it was in flood.   We paddled to about mile 85, so 11 miles. We camped on a sand bar, but high enough to protect us if the river rose a few more feet. Randy started a fire and told stories. We talked to one guy in a car today, but saw no other boaters. It rained some overnight. 

Thursday. The sun was shining in the morning. The forecast was for rain that night, and all day Friday. We decided to come out a day early. We got in the river about 10 am, and reached the takeout before 2 pm, after a lunch break. 14 miles in 3 hours, 5 mph, despite a headwind. The high water meant fast current. We saw several boaters that day. 

Randy and I had fried catfish at Hillbilly Slims;  we got a tour of the commercial wood shop in back. 

Friday was on and off rain. Randy drove county roads and showed me his paddling spots. We fished some, no luck. Randy drove me to the dam on the Arkansas that creates Lake Dardenelle. 

Saturday we ran Big Piney Creek from the state park to the Moore Outdoor center. We had a quiet paddle, spent a long time socializing afterwords.  People were just glad to be able to talk face to face after a long covid winter.  Randy has known the Moore’s for 30 years. 

Sunday I said goodbye to Randy, got on the road before 8 am, and stopped in Shamrock Texas, a town with a Route 66 theme, including a 1930’s art deco gas station with a Tesla charging station in back.  The town is an odd mix of old junk and new murals.   I stayed at the retro but nice Shamrock Country Inn, 1970s style.

Monday I got on the road at 7:30, stopped at the Cadillac Ranch art installation in Amarillo, and then pressed on through wind to the Sand Creek Massacre site. I stopped in Limon at the Quality Inn after 10 hours of driving; I was tired.  It was snowing in Fort Collins, and cold in Limon.  

Tuesday there was about an inch of snow on the car, and the road reports were not good.   I went back to bed, and left the hotel about 10 am, after the sun had melted the ice on the roads.   The drive home was straightforward, with roads that were wet and dry, but not icy.