Dana was kind enough to plan this trip with Judy, Barb, Ken, Dave, Val, Rod, Jim, and me. On the trip we experienced profound silence in the ever deepening canyons as we floated from Green River State Park to the confluence with the Colorado River in Canyonlands National Park. The canyon walls and cloud formations were stunningly beautiful and we saw wildlife including two mother & fawn Mule Deer pairs, Great Blue Herons, bats, Canadian Geese, and Catfish. There were also tracks from bobcats, coyotes, beavers, and birds of every sort. Beaver in particular left many more signs, including trails, stumps, tunnels, drag marks, chewed sticks, etc. There was also much history that we experienced in short walks, including several Anasazi ruins, settler cabins, and Uranium Mines. On the drive out, we saw a potash injection mining site and the uranium tailings pile left over from the cold war in Moab. I enjoyed the variety of experiences on the trip.
|
At mile 101, this spectacular butte borders the Green River. In spite of locally used names The Anvil and The Inkwell, John Wesley Powell named it Dellenbaugh's Butte after the youngest member of his 1871 Survey Party. |
|
|
Near mile 70 we beached and climbed Bowknot Bend. This guy guarded our kayaks.
|
|
Near mile 48, in the Moss Back Member of the Chinle Formation, across from Point Bottom, Jim and I explored this small Uranium Mine. Inside, the mine ran back maybe 75 feet with a few branches, and we saw the blasting holes, some with wooden stakes. Outside there was a large tailings pile and some structure remains. There were a few wasp nests on the ceiling, see below. |
|
|
At mile 41, near the left edge of the panorama below, we landed at Fort Bottom and visited the outlaw cabin and this Anasazi Fort. From the fort looking east, I took the panorama below, with Big Horn Mesa at center. Jim, Barb, and I walked the razorback to Big Horn Mesa. We camped at Tent Bottom, near the right edge of the panorama. |
|
|
An arch forming in the canyon wall.
|
|
Jim and I camped at the confluence with the Colorado River and found these miniature canyons carved in the sand banks of the river.
|
|
Other Kayak Trips