2 day 1 day

The daily double is a 30 mile trip on the Colorado from the historic Dewey bridge to the Moab bridge. 14 miles of the trip is covered on the Moab daily, so much of the views and interp is the same. Here are a few pics of our trip. I am quickly becoming the queen of the daily double as I have gone on it four times now. It is great!
Haley, Brian, me, and Kristina just got done fishing with chicken between our toes. We would hold really still and let the fish nibble on our toes; it is all very scary!

Lindsey

"Kristina love" and Me

Bubble wand I found in the arts festival

Rapid day

Our great group!

Cody and me

Rugged or Nappy?

So, I am lucky enough to be in an environment that has a gravitational field for great people. One of these is Matt Nielsen. I met him at the First Aid class, and we went on a few hikes shortly thereafter. We get along great, and I guess an outsider would call it dating...I would just call it spending time with a great person, doing great things, and having great conversations...so take it as you like...
Negro Bill Falls and Morning Glory Arch hike

the girl from ipanima

Glow in the dark Chacos


Matt and I at the wildlife preserve

Cataract Canyon

We took a three day training trip down Cataract Canyon on three 36 foot "J-Rigs." They are made of 5 pontoons, metal frames and a motor. There are lots of flex points on the rigs and 9 bull-riding seats on the front to maximize the ride through the huge rapids.
It was a great trip that had "all the elements" (drama, suspense, seduction, just kidding not those elements)...hiking, camping, gourmet cheffing, entertainment around the fire, and excitement on the rapids including Niagara Falls, Satan's Gut, the Red Wall, and the Panic Button Hole. Enjoy some pics from the voyage.

Becky is the straight arrow, Scott is the star, and Brian is the petroglyph.

RED bear...

This is actually an ancient calendaring method and a nice deer displayed by Vanna aka Parker. Sweet hand prints of the ancients.

One of the goals of a river guide is to make the passengers laugh. As we all walked by this manganese covered petroglyph Scott practiced his story telling jokes and counted the number of smiles and laughs.

This is a picture of the hike "Doll House." (I apologize for the weed in front, but it is really a secret weapon, a little stinging arrow, to throw at passers by that sticks into polyester shirts.)

American Gothic: Mark and Jess (minus the pitch fork)

My friends John and Des.

Victory back flips and the grand finale...VICTORY CARTWHEEL!! Courtesy of Derek, Shadrack, and Brian!

Gourmet Dessert on the last day. Hurrah for river people!!

Work or Play?

One of the best parts about this job is that I will work from 7am-3pm taking people down the river, and when all the guides get back from work to the trailers, we look at each other and say...do you want to float the river with me in a duckie (an inflatable kayak)? Then we all drive up the canyon to float the river again! This is when Des, Sammy, Kait and the jungle bum went.

"The Master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him he's always doing both." -James A. Mishener

Wild Rapids of Westwater

Westwater is a stretch of river that begins almost at the Colorado/Utah border. It is rated the #1 whitewater day trip in the Northern Hemisphere. The reason is because there is not only beautiful scenery and human history, but the canyon is made of Vishnu Schist, a dark black metamorphic rock that creates these great hydraulics and thus rapids. Powell named it "Vishnu" after a Hindu God meaning "creator-destroyer-preserver."

Well, we were lucky enough to go down the canyon twice a day for three days! I got to row it twice and I learned so much both times. I had a "FLOW" experience when my challenge met my skills at Skull rapid on the third day. Joselyn coached me through the canyon and I had a great experience! This canyon is not without risk, we had several swimmers (but no serious carnage) and it teaches me to respect the canyon. I loved Westwater!