Grand Canyon Rafting - 5/2008

Boarding the bus after a stop at Cameron Trading post.

new Navajo Bridge

Water tower just up the road from Lee's Ferry.

Loading the boats at Lee's Ferry. Lee's Ferry has a long history as an actual ferry that was used to help move Mormon settlers (and others) across the river here. This is about the only good place to do this for a VERY long distance in either direction. There are still some remnants of the old roads running along the canyon walls here. Lee's Ferry is River Mile 0 for measurements along the river in the canyons.

About 30 seconds into the trip, looking back at Lee's Ferry.

Navajo Bridge from the river. Actually this is old Navajo bridge and new Navajo bridge. The old one (closer one) was opened to traffic in 1929 and is now restricted to pedestrians. The new one was finished in 1995. They actually placed a net under the construction to catch falling debris and prevent it from being washed into the canyons below.

Ten Mile Rock. In the general vicinity of river mile ten. Many things in the canyon have been named with just this brand of creativity. Many other things have interesting names like Zoroaster Temple, Wotan's Throne, etc...

Exfoliated rock layers in North Canyon.

A small pool a ways up North Canyon.

One of AzRA's S-Rig boats. Those that rode it started referring to is as the submersible boat. It has a slight tendency to go under and through waves instead of over them.

Vasey's Paradise. A couple of waterfalls pouring right out of the redwall. Named for George Vasey, a British botanist, in 1869 by John Wesley Powell as he made the first decent of the Grand Canyon by river. "On coming nearer we find fountains bursting from the rock high overhead, and the spray in the sunshine forms the gems which bedeck the wall. The rocks below the fountain are covered with mosses and ferns and many beautiful flowering plants."

The mouth of Redwall Cavern. A massive ampitheater shaped structure created by high river flows undercutting the limestone walls.

The view from the back of Redwall Cavern. You cannot truly get a sense of scale for the cavern until you get off the boats and walk to the back.

Redwall Cavern

A large boulder just down the beach from Redwall Cavern. I seem to recall that I was standing in little pool of nearly stagnant water for this...