A map of the Colorado River

I first met the Colorado River many years ago when my son and I were traveling across the U.S. We had just spent a few days at the Grand Canyon where I learned that the tiny strip of silver water that I had glimpsed at the bottom of the canyon was the Colorado River and was responsible for carving out this amazing wonder. From our view point at the top the river was unreal, just a slip of glass, reflecting the light.

You can just catch a little glimpse of the river from the top of the canyon.

We left the canyon and were making our way to Bryce Canyon National Park. It was 97 degrees by noon and our car had no air conditioning. We had all the windows opened but the hot air was no comfort as it whipped across our faces. I saw a sign for Lee’s Ferry and decided to stop there in search of shade and rest. We passed through an amazing landscape to get there, huge red rock carved into castles and canyons. Each turn presented another amazing structure and the light made everything shine in a bright vermillion shade of red.  At the end of the road was a beach called Paria beach and a river, the clearest river, cold and clean rushing by the beach. It was the Colorado river on it’s way to the Grand Canyon.

The scenery driving into the river is stunning!

Jack and I spent a wonderful hour wading and exploring down by the cool river. We watched laden rafts swirl by with people on their way to adventure. Fly fisherman were having luck at catching trout. I felt this was a magical place and vowed to return someday and camp here.

Maya swimming at the beach.

So it was that I returned sixteen years later and decided to spend Memorial day weekend at Lee’s Ferry. I was in awe of the red cliffs as I drove in. I set up quickly and took Maya down to the beach. Now that I’ve spent a few months in the desert I understand the power of an oasis. In the desert you can smell water, it’s like a fresh clean promise. I sat on the beach with my eyes closed smelling and listening to the rushing water. It was so cold, there were pins and needles in my feet as I waded at the edge. This didn’t seem to bother Maya as she plunged in to finally get cool. The fisherman were still there and so were the rafts headed for the Grand Canyon. I was thrilled that this place hadn’t changed much in sixteen years, it is one of the few places where you can access the Colorado River. Much of the river is in a deep canyon which makes it difficult to get to.

The beach is like a garden, filled with flowering plants, and interesting driftwood and rocks.

I learned that this became a big problem for pioneer families that came west. There were only two places you could cross the Colorado River, Lee’s Ferry in Northeast Arizona or way down in Yuma, Arizona which is in the Southwest corner of the state. The Yuma crossing was much easier but very inconvenient since many of the pioneers were Mormons headed to Utah. They took the risk of trying to cross at Lee’s Ferry. The wagons had to descend a steep hill of rocks called “The Spine”.  Wagons then boarded a raft that was at the mercy of the currents as it tried to make it’s way to the other side. Many wagons, rafts and people were lost in this process. In those days the Colorado River was much wilder, it didn’t have man-made dams to slow it down. It’s hard to imagine what the untamed Colorado was like, but then again that wild river did carve out the Grand Canyon.

The hill to the right that is filled with lumpy rocks was called, The Spine. It took days to get all the wagons down.

I checked Wikipedia for a few Colorado River facts. It is 1,450 miles long and drains into the Gulf of California, although it hasn’t had enough water to reach the Gulf since the 1960’s. Why? Because the Mighty Colorado now provides water to seven U.S. States and two in Mexico and they are among the most arid states in the land. Hoover Dam provides enough hydro-electric power to light up Las Vegas and Glen Canyon Dam sends it’s power to Arizona. Ninety percent of the river’s water is used up before it arrives in Mexico. The Imperial dam deflects the remaining water to the Imperial Valley in California for agriculture. Phoenix, Tucson and Las Vegas all depend on the river for water. I even learned why the river is so cold at Lee’s Ferry, because the Glen Canyon Dam releases the water from the bottom of the reservoir where it is a consistent 48 degrees. When the Colorado was wild it would warm up to the seventies in the summer!

Lower Colorado River below Parker Dam. Houses and resorts line the river on both sides.

I camped on the lower Colorado, below Parker Dam on the Arizona, California border in the Fall of last year; it was a very different river. Beautifully clear, it was warm enough to swim in. The flow was gentle enough to paddle my kayak up river. It was truly an oasis for this community, all the houses were along the river and everyone had some sort of boat. It is an important stop for migrating birds and a source of water for the wild burros who live in that area. Even though the temperature in the area was in the nineties every day Maya and I didn’t mind because we could play in the river.

This part of the river is very important for migratory birds.

After we camped at Lee’s Ferry I found another campsite right on the Colorado river by accident. The Colorado runs along the border of Arches national park just Northeast of Moab, Utah. There are a string of beautiful BLM campsites along the river. We found a great spot for six dollars a night, right along the river. Here the Colorado changed character again. The color of the river was red, like all the rocks in the area. The flow was very strong and the river was quite high -rangers advised people not to kayak. I did see quite a few rafters going down the river and since it was so hot I was dying to swim and kayak but I do have a respect for the power of the river. I solved the swimming problem by tying a tube to the shore, that way I

Greg departing in his Kayak. Notice the color of the water here.

wasn’t swept away by the current. The water was cool but not that pins and needles cold it was in Lee’s Ferry. I tried to kayak upstream but it was impossible. Iwas frustrated because I wanted an opportunity to ride the river. My chance finally came in the form of Greg from Durango. He was in town for the day and had brought his Kayak with him because this was a new part of the river he hadn’t tried yet. He was driving by and noticed my campsite was a great place to launch so he asked me if he could launch his boat there. I agreed and we got to chatting – I told him I hadn’t had a chance to try the river because I had no ride home. He offered to drive me and the kayak a few miles upstream so I could paddle back to the campsite. It was the ride of my life! I can only compare it to riding a big fast horse at a gallop. You feel the animal’s strength and energy under you and know that the sense of control that you have is just an illusion. Disaster can happen at any moment. Disaster didn’t happen, although I almost shot past the campsite and had to paddle like a madwoman to make it in. I am completely in love with this river and feel I have come to know some of it’s many moods. I have a new goal, someday I want to ride a raft down the mighty Colorado river.

Rafters on their way through the Grand Canyon. The trip takes about 22 days.

Rafters on the upper Colorado above Moab.

At dusk, wild donkeys came down to the river for a drink.

Sunset on the river.

Our camp on the lower Colorado River. The river is very tame here.

Some of the crazy rock formations that the river left behind.

Another view of the cliffs surrounding the river.

Glen Canyon Dam is located just above Lee’s Ferry. It forms Lake Powell.

Another view of Paria Beach.

View of the river from Lee’s Ferry