I wasn't sure about this whole canoeing thing but in my wanting to be a good wife, I agreed to this whim of Tim's to canoe down the Meander Canyon in the Colorado River. I like to be close to civilization and bathrooms (even if they are pit toilets) and I figured this part of the trip would be the most work. But, I will admit that I was wrong. It was very relaxing and a lot more fun than I imagined. However, saying all that, I'm glad it was only for 3 nights.
Our trip started at Potash and ended just north of the confluence and Spanish Bottom, a total distance of around 75 km.
Our trip started at Potash and ended just north of the confluence and Spanish Bottom, a total distance of around 75 km.We showed up at Tex's Riverways bright and early on the Friday morning to find we were the only people being shuttled that day, which meant we had the full attention of Kenny, our very informative and humorous driver. We got to the launch site only to find that we were surrounded by huge groups of rafters. Each group must have had at least 4 rafts, radios, tons of gear and I counted 19 cases of beer (and that was just the one group!). Kenny said that it would probably take them all day to get their act together and get on the water so to look for a small beach campsite the first night, one that could not accommodate more than 2 people or else there was a chance we might be sharing.
Kenny went over the maps with Tim and showed us where some good hikes were, where the good campsites were and where we could find some ruins. We also had to rent a washable, reusable toilet system that uses dry chemicals and enzymes to render solid human waste into non hazardous products acceptable for disposal in permitted landfills. Kenny had quite a few toilet jokes as he showed us how to use it. Tex's does not take very kindly to those who harm the ecosystem in the park and if the toilet weighs the same when they pick you up as when they dropped you off, there is a good chance you will be met at the launch site by a park ranger with a ticket book in hand. Notice it is for solid waste only. Liquid waste must be put in the river as there is not enough precipitation to break down any liquid waste in the ground. In simpler terms, we had to pee in the river.Yep, I'll tell you, there are not too many bushes to hide behind on the river. Oh, and guess where the this toilet fit perfectly in the canoe - under my seat. Good job it had a good seal.
Our second stop was to the Concert Hall. It was incredible. It was like walking into a mini Hollywood Bowl made of red rock. It literally took my breath away. I'm not going to post any of the pictures because they do not do it justice. They have a music festival in Moab and they haul a grand piano down the river into the Concert Hall and have actual concerts there. Now that would be something to see.
It was starting to get into the late afternoon so we figured we should find ourselves a campsite. We found a nice little beach (big enough for us but not big enough for any of those rafters!) which had a little rock ledge for cooking.
We set up camp, headed out for a short hike and feasted upon an Indian dinner on our return. The sky was clear and we slept under the stars (first time I have ever done that). It was pretty incredible waking up in the middle of the night and seeing the stars. It cooled off quite a bit during the night and I was cold and in the morning I told Tim I wasn't getting out of the sleeping bag until the sun was shining on me.
Our second day on the river consisted of more paddling and a couple of hikes to see some ruins.
Coffee Pot Rock
A granary
We found another sandy beach for the night and enjoyed an appetizer of hummus, salsa and crackers and another delicious Indian dinner.
On our last day of paddling, we headed into the Loop.
At the beginning of the Loop there is a trail you can access that leads up into one of the saddles. It took us a while to find the trail and it was quite the climb. At the top, we could look down and see the river on both sides of the Loop.
We packed up the canoe and away we paddled. The weather was absolutely perfect - not too hot and not a cloud in the sky. Our first side trip was a short hike to a petrified forest where we saw tons of petrified logs that just sparkled in the sun.
Our second stop was to the Concert Hall. It was incredible. It was like walking into a mini Hollywood Bowl made of red rock. It literally took my breath away. I'm not going to post any of the pictures because they do not do it justice. They have a music festival in Moab and they haul a grand piano down the river into the Concert Hall and have actual concerts there. Now that would be something to see.
It was starting to get into the late afternoon so we figured we should find ourselves a campsite. We found a nice little beach (big enough for us but not big enough for any of those rafters!) which had a little rock ledge for cooking.
We set up camp, headed out for a short hike and feasted upon an Indian dinner on our return. The sky was clear and we slept under the stars (first time I have ever done that). It was pretty incredible waking up in the middle of the night and seeing the stars. It cooled off quite a bit during the night and I was cold and in the morning I told Tim I wasn't getting out of the sleeping bag until the sun was shining on me.
Sunrise
Our second day on the river consisted of more paddling and a couple of hikes to see some ruins.
Coffee Pot Rock
A granary
Another granary with a view of the river and canyon.
We found another sandy beach for the night and enjoyed an appetizer of hummus, salsa and crackers and another delicious Indian dinner.
On our last day of paddling, we headed into the Loop.
At the beginning of the Loop there is a trail you can access that leads up into one of the saddles. It took us a while to find the trail and it was quite the climb. At the top, we could look down and see the river on both sides of the Loop.
The saddle.
On the trail to the saddle
Views from the top of the saddle
That was the only hike that day and we continued paddling until we got just north of the confluence (where the Green River and Colorado River meet). We found a beautiful sandy beach to spend our last night. It had started to cloud over and the weather forecast has predicted rain so we put up the campfire tent. It was a good job we did because it did rain pretty good during the night.
The next day we packed up all our gear and waited for Tex's jet boat to pick us up.
The ride back to the launch site took about 2 hours and it was cold. From there it was back to Tex's to pick up the truck, unload our stuff from the jet boat and reload it into the truck. We headed back to our hotel to clean up and then out to dinner at my favourite restaurant in Moab, Miguel's Baja Grill, home of the MOAB burrito.
Next (and last!) chapter - Shop Hard.
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