Running Rapids - A View

Our raft ran over 140 rapids in my 187 mile rafting trip down the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. The water is 48 degrees F on a hot day. What does running rapids really look like? Where are the wettest seats? When you are cold, where are the driest seats?  The photos attempt to give you some answers.

Some background: I took these photos when I went on my rafting trip with Wilderness River Adventures - I was in raft B.  The raft B people "parked" raft B upstream, walked downstream to photograph raft A going by, then went back upstream and rode raft B down. It was exhilarating.  And wet.

Image 1: Waiting for the rafts on the Colorado River

A.  (above) Raft B members waiting for Raft A...

Image 2: Dry Raft on the Colorado River

B. (above) Raft A occupants dry...  There are 2 people on each pontoon, and there are inner seats on the main raft body.

Image 3: Splashed Raft Running Rapids on the Colorado River

C. (above) The port pontoon is splashed...

Image 4: Next rapid - compare rock background in Image 3

D. (above) the port pontoon is doused and submerged...

Image 5: Closeup of image 4

E. This is a closeup of (D): the Bathtub is hanging on...

(for terms like "bathtub" defined see this post here)

Image 6: Notice people 4-7 are wet!

F. This is a detail of (D):

Person 2 is in the bathtub, Person 3 is in the shower seat,
Person 4, 5, and 6 are on the inner seats,
Person 7 and the brown hat unlabeled person behind him are on the port pontoon.
     Remember, this water is COLD, 48 degrees F.
Guides 8 and 9 are in the back - the driest place on the raft.

Image 7: Wilderness River Raft passing by on the Colorado River

G. (above) Another hit on the port side...

Image 8: Raft running rapids on the Colorado River

H. (above) The bathtub is being filled... (remember, there are 2 people on the pontoon...)

Image 9: Raft getting wet in rapids on the Colorado River

J. (above) More water...

Image 10: People running rapids on the Colorado River

K. The bow lifts up and the bathtub is under... again...

Image 11: People running rapids on the Colorado River

L. (above) Pretty much the entire raft is emerging from this - Note the water draining from the seat area between the pontoon and raft body...

Image 12: Hanging on while running rapids on the Colorado River

M. (above) (Detail of L). The front pontoon rider hangs on with his hands, the water has pushed his foot way into the air...

Image 13: Rafting on the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon

N. Catch your breath, dry out and enjoy the scenery.  There is serenity even, until the next rapids...

If you enjoyed this post you might also like these Grand Canyon posts:

Gr Canyon intro

Getting There

GC Lees Ferry

GC Navajo Bridge

GC Indian Ruins

Running Rapids

GC River View

Elves Chasm

Bighorn Sheep in Grand Canyon

This bighorn sheep watched us raft down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon from a low cliff. We saw surprisingly few mammals on the trip, so spotting one posing was a treat.

If you enjoyed this post, you might also enjoy...

Las Vegas Night

Gr Canyon intro

Getting There

GC Lees Ferry

Gr Canyon River

Navajo Bridge

Gr Canyon Ruins

Grand Canyon

Elves Chasm

Running Rapids

July Etsy Treasuries

I wanted to share two wonderful July 1009 Etsy treasuries that included products of mine. Treasuries are great fun to be in, because a "curator" I never met found and selected my artwork to be in their collection. You get a kind of thrill when you are included in a treasury. Both treasuries have expired by now. (Alas, treasuries only last 3 days...) The treasury "Teen Scene" was created by anuradesignstudios and featured my lollipops card (In the top right corner).

The lollipops card is available for sale in my on-line store.

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MadAboutYarn created this treasury with the theme Peace. It featured my peace card pack (In the middle of the top row.) This item can be found for sale here in my etsy shop. I have a number of items with the peace sign. (For an explanation of Etsy treasuries, click here )

Colorado River View of Grand Canyon

View of the Grand Canyon from the Colorado River

A view of the Grand Canyon from the Colorado River. You can only get here by water. (Or a really long hike.) This is classic "Out West" to me.

I traveled here on a 6 day Wilderness River Adventures raft vacation.


If you enjoyed this post you might also like:

Grand Canyon intro

GC Getting There

GC Lees Ferry

GC Navajo Bridge

Grand Canyon Ruins

GC Running Rapids

GC River View

Elves Chasm

Rafting, Day 1, Part 3

We left Lee's Ferry boat landing, Arizona, elevation 3107 feet above sea level, at about 10:30 in the morning. The view as we started down the Colorado River was beautiful.

Image 1: View of Grand Canyon near Lee' Ferry boat landing

The terrain and views were so majestic - and big. Everything was more 3D, more stunning then I had expected. The texture of the rocks was so intense. The scale of the views around us were so different from Wisconsin's lush spring.

There were 2 rapids within the first couple of miles, the first of many - there were over 140 rapids in the 187 mile trip. 

Miranda and I were riding in Brad (left) and Zack's raft.

Image 2: Guides Brad and Zack in the back of our raft

After about the first half an hour (and a rapid or two), The rafts were lashed together and we floated downstream as Bret gave us an orientation lecture and instructions on the raft, where the munchies, water and soda's were, and other details.

Image 3: Two rafts tied together for the orientation lecture

Around mile 4 we saw condors flying overhead, and the Navajo Bridges.

Image 4: Hwy 89A Grand Canyon Bridge and Pedestrian Bridge over the Colorado River

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The Navajo bridges connect the North and South Canyon walls, soaring 470 feet over the Colorado River. 

Hwy 89A travels over the downstream car bridge built in 1995.  The upstream bridge, now for pedestrian traffic (and apparently condors), was built in 1929. 

The Navajo Bridges are last place a car can cross the Grand Canyon until 350 miles south, where cars can again cross the canyon at Hoover Dam. 


We passed under the Navajo bridges around 11:30 AM.

Image 6: Pedestrian Bridge over the Grand Canyon

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Condors can cross the canyon where ever they want, but seemed to prefer the Navajo bridges. 


I only remember seeing condors clearly the first day, at the Navajo bridge area, where they rested below the pedestrians on the bridge. Throughout the rest of the trip, a large bird might be spotted for fleeting moments, but I never saw one clearly enough to watch for a while, or photograph.



Around noon, the rafts were pulled up onto a sandbar. Lunchtime! The crew efficiently set up a washing area, serving table and a lunch spread. 

Lunch in the Grand Canyon, Day 1

Lunch was great - a hint that we would not go hungry on the trip. 

Lots of food, lots of choices. 3 kinds of chips, 3+ kinds of meats; lettuce, tomato, cheese, onions, avocados; 3+ kinds of pickles, choices of bread; Mayo, salad dressing, low fat options (5 options here); margarine, honey, Peanut butter and jelly, cookies, and more.

Grand Canyon Lunch, Day 1

By lunch time I was very glad I had worn all the water gear - The water that hit us was cold (48 degrees F). Pastor Swicegood had told us to wear lots of rain gear (for the rapids, not rain). I listened - Hey, he is the pastor. But the warm morning had made him optimistic, and he was in shorts - and cold by lunch time. Those people that wore shorts and short sleeve shirts at the beginning of the day loaded on rain gear and layers. Miranda didn't object to the extra layers this time.

After lunch we went through a series of rapids called the Roaring 20's : 26 rapids between mile markers 20 and 30. But more on rapids - in another post.




If you enjoyed this post you might also like:

Grand Canyon intro

GC Getting There

GC Lees Ferry

GC Navajo Bridge

Grand Canyon Ruins

GC Running Rapids

GC River View

Elves Chasm