Waterfight  by B A Bowen Photography

It had always been a dream of mine to raft and camp along the Colorado River. My son was only twelve and was not old enough for those rough Class IV and Class V trips through the Grand Canyon. Last Spring I found this affordable family trip online offered by Western River Expeditions and I booked it for July 2009. I was also able to coerce my best friend from Ohio into joining us out there without much effort.  July in Moab can be as hot or hotter than Florida, but since we were going to be in the water, I was not concerned. The trip was part of a package that included a day/hiking tour through Arches National Park, an evening Hummer Ride in Hell’s Revenge, and a-two-days-one-night-rafting/camping trip down the Colorado River. I was glad to see there were several families with children of all ages and the trip leaders were great.

The first day of the rafting trip we convened at Western River Expeditions in the heart of Moab with our overnight bags excited about the upcoming adventure through the Canyon.  They shuttled us an hour north at the put-in where they assigned us our gear including: lifevests, paddle, and two dry bags for our belongings.  All of the luggage and camping gear was then piled high onto one raft. Our leaders took turns paddling this inflatable barge as it could be an exhausting task.  The rest of us split off into groups into separate rafts while the more adventurous chose the smaller inflatable Fun-yaks.  Since this was a family trip, this section of the river was fairly mild so my son and I opted for the smaller inflatable kayak.  We had fun spinning our rafts while we practiced obeying commands shouted out by our leaders “Paddle left, Paddle right…..your other right”.  Waterfights were started with our paddles when the command “Fire!” was bellowed in an attempt to drench the other raft until they retreat.  A good time was had by all as we travelled down this lazy river in Westwater Canyon.  Shortly we stopped for lunch on a small red sandy shoreline.  The kids took turns skipping the smooth river polished stones while the guides set out our lunch on an overturned raft.  I kept myself entertained snapping photos of wildflowers and the scenic red cliffs against the deep blue sky.  I sighed with delight as I thought “We could not have had better weather on this trip.”  As we all stood around munching on our sandwhiches and trail mix, a hummingbird paid us a by perching himself on a petite teen girl wearing a bright yellow top.  He must have thought she was a flower!  He sat there for several moments and the teen remained perfectly still so as not to upset the little bird.  She smiled shyly as we all gathered around in awe taking photos of this precious moment nature has just handed us.  Shortly thereafter we packed up our gear and were back in the rafts heading for our campsite a couple of hours out. 

The second half of the day proved to be a little more exciting as we ventured through two small stints of Class II rapids.  As the day went on the group grew more comfortable with the river and took to enjoying the water by jumping from the rafts for a refreshing swim.  The afternoon went fast and soon we arrived at the red sandy campsite along the riverbank.  The leaders wasted no time prepping for dinner as we explored the red riverside desert looking for the perfect spot to set up our cots for a night of sleep under the stars.  We chatted and explored the surroundings while others families engaged in a crafty game of ring toss.  We all quickly gathered around upon hearing a loud ringing of a frying pan beaten with a wooden spoon as one leader exhuberently shouted “Dinner is served!”  There was a modest but tasty buffet laid out on table cloth that graced two over turned rafts.  Grilled chicken and burgers were the choice of the main course with beans, fresh veggies and salad to round out the meal.  This was a welcomed warm meal after a day full of vigorous activity.  We all pitched in to help with clean up being careful to leave minimal impact on the desert land and river while washing dishes.  The leaders were quited skilled in keeping the group active and busy.  While the adults were taking care of the chores, the leaders had enticed the youngsters into the sport of toe fishing.  This activity served two purposes….one to keep the children occupied and two to get rid of the leftovers from dinner. Sqeals and giggles of delight could be heard from the shoreline as the catfish nibble the bits of leftover chicken from the childrens toes.  Out of curiosity, I decided to try this odd sport.  To my surprise, no tickles or nibbles for me….my catfish came in open mouth and chomped on the chicken scrap and my big toe simultaneously!  “Ouch” I cried…..there was blood on my toe…..”well that wasn’t supposed to happen…” the leader said to me with a huge grin.   “I guess toe-fishin isn’t my sport….” I thought to myself as I shrugged off the pain.  As the night settle in we all bonded and laughed around the cozy campfire as we listened to campfire stories and songs.  It was a beautiful night as the sky was clear with what seemed like thousands of stars twinkling on and off as if to put on a light show.

The next morning we wasted no time rolling up our sleeping bags and packing up our cots as we needed to get back on the river to be at our take-out be noon.  The day was overcast, althought the red cliffs of the canyon was still enchanting along Westwater Canyon.  We had to put our skills to use today paddling the rafts together as a team for the rapids were slightly rougher and encountered more often.  We arrived at the take-out with time to spare.   The guides set up a small lunch with snacks on an over turned raft as we sorted our gear and piled our paddles and life-vests for their return.  The leaders creatively kept the kids entertained by setting up an overturned raft near the shoreline, continuously dousing it with a bucket of water to replicate an inflatable waterslide.  They had fun as the adults took care of equipment and clean-up.  We thanked our leaders and said our goodbyes as we boarded the bus for our ride back to Moab.    On the trip home we were tired but the bus was filled with a buzz of light chatter as we shared our experiences with our new found friends. 

Click here for more photos on Rafting the Colorado River on flickr.

Dead Horse Point State Park, Utah

We were on our way to Moab, Utah from Grand Junction Colorado and arrived much earlier than anticipated.  I remember visiting Dead Horse Point State Park 13 years ago and felt it would be a nice little side trip to keep us busy until our Hotel check-in time!  We pulled out the atlas and headed out for some adventure.

The park has changed since my last visit but for the better I assure you.  The park fee is now $5 to get in but the experience is well worth the money.  They have this really nice visitor center that is stocked with toys, outdoors books and other keepsakes to remember your visit.  The center has an interpretive guide and the rangers are more than helpful with the site map and the rim hike.  I was extremely pleased with the quality of this State Park and its visitor center.  Very clean and well maintained. Coming from Florida’s Gold Medal winning State Parks, I would say the Utah is ready to give them a run for their money and then some!

After refreshing ourselves in the visitor center, we proceeded outside to hike the trail and enjoy the view.  Right off the parking lot we spotted two female mule deer grazing on the bushes.  I would have to say that was a very unexpected pleasure!  We were able get within several feet of them before they felt uncomfortable and scurried across the parking lot.

Female Mule Deer

From that moment I can only say that our experience got better!  Because of the 97 degree heat we decided to only hike 1.5 miles of the 4 mile loop.  The trails along the rim were well kept and had stone wall barriers that allowed us to get right up to the edge of the 2000 foot gorge.   We were very lucky to have such clear blue skies that day and it made for the absolutely spectacular views over the vast canyons!

Green River at Dead Horse Point State Park

Man's Face in Cliff Wall at Dead Horse Point State Park

Dead Horse Point State Park it a 5300+ acre park that stands on a rock peninsula overlooking the Green River.  This scenic rim trail sits on the edge of Canyon Lands National Park and on a clear day views can boast up to 50 miles into the park!  This area received its name from the old western Wranglers driving the wild mustangs out to this point to corral them.  Dead Horse Point State Park lies approximately 30 miles outside of Moab, Utah.  Despite its dark past, the scenery is breathtaking and certainly worth the day trip!

Guide Book

National Geographics Guide to State Parks of the United States, 2nd Edition