More scenery on the Burr Trail - it will take us down into Capitol Reef National Park. Unfortunately all this sight seeing was taking a time toll on us. Our destination for the day was Moab and we were looking at a midnight arrival. Long day.
You eventually get to a junction where you can take the Burr Trail down to Bullfrog Marina on Lake Powell where you can hire houseboats or turn left on to Notom Road and head north to the highway to get us on our way to Moab. This choice of route sadly made us miss Fruicta, which I had pencilled in to see a long time ago. Another time for that.
Day 5 Rest day of sorts but a quick visit into Arches NP. Traffic jam just before midday. There is serious talk that a car reservation system is going to take place from 2019 to limit cars into the park. We had no issues with traffic once we were passed the entrance gates.
Good bright view from the visitor centre. We didn't do much else today but prep for the next day. We had hit the ground running since LA so it was nice just to have some time to look around Moab and relax.
Day 6 Early start cos we were off to do something we had not done to this extent before. First stop was a plane ride in a little Kodiac.
Awfully hot. Regularly between 42 -45 degrees or in their language its 108 plus again today! ON our hikes everyone had a one litre waterbottle and we had two big backpack water packs as well and on some hikes like Angels it was not nearly enough. But it was a very dry heat not like the humid crap we get in Brisbane so it made it more bearable.
I didn't get a shot of all the planes that landed on the mesa but once we were all down on the ground we started to unload our gear.
The van took 7 hours to get to the landing strip from Moab. Our flight was about an hour north. Once our packs were loaded onto the van, we could choose to go in the van or take the hike down into Desolation Canyon. All of us chose the hike. It was all downhill so easy peasy.
Yep so the next 5 days we will be on the Green River through Desolation Canyon. When we started planning our trip we got the cheap flights over then started looking for things to do and one night with +1 I saw the River Wild - the movie with a mean Kevin Bacon in it. We thought lets do that without the mean stuff! We researched up on the Rogue River, which was a 3 day expedition with two nights in wilderness cabins. Looked pretty schmick but wanted to get more for our $$$ so started looking at other options. Wanted to initially try the Salmon river options but then we decided on Green River because it would allow us to the Mighty 5 National Parks of Utah. Since we had only seen some of them in winter previously, summer would give us access to all the trails we couldn't do because of snow and ice before. We knew the heat was going to be bad but we just had to suck it up. The rafts are linked together here while the guides prep lunch.
When do you hit John Wayne Country? A lot of westerns were shot around the Green River and Monument Valley.
We visited Dead Horse Point State Park close to where Thelma and Louise did their final bit. We didn't go to Monument Valley but went close. We just ran out of days to do stuff.
We made camp while the guides made dinner. They made all the meals fresh and they were filling. We were offered tents but we decided just to use the cots. Wasn't really an issue with flies or mosquitoes at night. The water was too fast flowing for mosquitoes to do their thing and create problems and there was no water lying around outside the Green River.
Day 7 Breakfast was filling. We always had a team meeting before heading out on the river to explain the day's events and some jokes before jumping on the rafts.
Another camp near the river. Well they were all near the river. it was just what scenic spot we were going to get tonight.
The toilet called the groover was always in a discreet location but it always had a view! To tell others it was taken a life vest was put at the trail entrance to it and you took it with you if you wanted to go to the loo!
Day 8 Woke up a bit earlier because it was lightly raining and the big crack of thunder was very loud. I wish I could have recorded it. The echo through the canyon was pretty sweet. A bit of a panic as we were not in a tent but the rain soon stopped.
Then Caesar salad, garlic bread and meatballs - (so full). And then shortbread with cream and strawberries for dessert.
I should mention you may notice the change in scenery actually. We have moved out of Desolation Canyon where the cliffs were red and orange and quite close to the river. We are now in what they call Gray Canyon and still isolated but without the big huge mesa's as close as the other canyon.
Bouncy grade 2 or 3. Lotsa fun. How fast was the river, and how often did you hit white water? Did they make you paddle or was it a cruise?
We saw quite a lot of wildlife on the trip. Not as many birds as I thought though. Wild horses, ranch cows, mule deer, beaver, wild sheep but no bears. They do exist as a much smaller version of the black bear and I was hopeful but no luck. We did hear coyotes and when you are not expecting it late at night it freaks you out.
Yep 2s and 3s. Everyday we hit white water except for the first day. We were contemplating doing this or the 4 day Cataract Canyon expedition, which has some big 4s in it but all the whitewater is at the very end and they use j-rig rafts for that. The guides can do that all on the last day but they split it up now so that there is white water half of the third day and the fourth. We opted for Desolation Canyon with Western River Expeditions because we would get a bit every day and it catered for the younger one in our group. She was too young anyway to do that part of the river, which sort of made our decision easier. Now for the sad bit - the Green river had more water flow than the Colorado (until they join) but the rivers were all running like late August so we were told because of the horrible winter. We got to paddle if we wanted to on the main rafts except for one section, which would have been a low 4 I think if the water had been higher. The guides stopped and scouted it as they were warned about that one by a ranger before heading out. I had hoped they would have the 6 man rafts where they have more of the group doing paddling but this wasn't the case. In parts it was a cruise if you wanted but we had heaps of fun regardless and would definitely recommend it for younger families. I think with more teenage aged kids Cataract and some of the other rivers would be more adventurous though I have seen video of what our expedition would have been like in higher water. Speed of the river was slowest on Day 1 because of the long stretches of flat water and they actually motored that part as we had 17 miles I think to cover on the first day. Made worse when one motor broke down. Scenery is to die for and has definitely made us think about the Grand Canyon one down the track. I don't really know how fast it was but I know it could have been a lot quicker if the water was up.
Two of my daughters running a rapid here. My youngest at the front says she wasn't scared but I think otherwise She made it through and good on her.
A few of my girls running a rapid here. My youngest at the front says she wasn't scared but I think otherwise She made it through and good on her.
They are great shots. This is my daughter on the Upper Murray at Tom Groggin aged about 11. This is her second go "Can I have another go please?"
