Rafting-The Verde

 

THE VERDE RIVER APRIL, 2010

                We left for Arizona the week before Easter stayed in Blanding on the way home and back and returned home 8 days later.  This was the first multi-day trip we had gone on with just the two of us since our honeymoon on the San Juan and we were really looking forward to a relaxing slow-paced vacation after a busy winter of working in the OR and non-stop oilfield freeze ups and problems so we were happy to leave the cold and head for warmer temperatures.
               It turned out to be a great trip there were some fun rapids that were about class III but the real technical part was trying navigate through all the trees in the river because the water was at such high levels.  Dave did a great job making the choices as to whether right or left would lead us to where we should go.  A couple of times we were frantically rowing upriver against a strong current to go the other way, otherwise our only option to get through would be to hack our way through a wall of small trees with our steak knives.  I'm not going to lie one time I was rowing upriver for about 5 minutes but was so tired at the end from the adrenaline rush of being left behind.  It was really hard at time to have a few different options and as Dave would disappear around a corner I would say a little prayer that it would be the right way and we would emerge from the forest without incident on the other end of the forest of trees.  I have never been on a river with so many trees in the water.

                    Dave attempting the first major rapid on the river after he made it through all safe the rest of us weren't so timid to give it a try, it was worse from the shore than it really was, but when going on a river you don't know a lot about and having it be the first time, there is always more suspenseful.

                   We got to this campsite before our neighbors showed up an hour later and we thought hmmm.....that's unusual there are how many camp sites and they choose to be right next to us?  So we were a little bewildered by their choice.  We hunkered down in the tent for a few hours and read because the wind was blowing hard and when we came out and I started getting food out for dinner one of the boaters across the way came to the shore and yelled for us to come over and have dinner with them so we both grabbed a plate and fork and loaded up on Dave's boat and scooted over to their side.  We ended up having a great Mexican dinner with two couples that were all retired school teachers living out their retirement dreams.  Their goal for the year was to spend three months on rivers and they were about halfway there when we met up with them.
                 We had so much fun visiting with them for a few hours around the camp fire while Dave shared his classic Edward Abby story with them and how his Dad had met up with him in Southern Utah when he was passing through.  They hiked the next day to Indian ruins that were in the area and we continued down river.

This was the only stream we saw on the whole trip all the others were dried up by the time we got there.

Dave getting working on dinner with his fire pan and beloved fire logs.

                  This was on top of an old bridge that had been rebuilt to resemble the old one that was used to drive sheep across the river, they found it was easier to do that than take them by ferry.  I can't imagine how hard it would be to live in this land in the early days and try to make a living out of nothing.

                  The takeout:  This was just a quick picture before we loaded up and hit the road with Babe, our shuttle driver.  The lake in the background was the reservoir that we ended having to cross at the end.  The map said that sometimes at high water there is a flat water row out that is 8 miles long and we happened to be at the perfect time and were rowing through a maze of drift wood at the end with a slight breeze trying to push us back upriver.    Dave blazed on ahead and left me and before long all that I could see was his oar blades dipping up and down in the water about a mile away.  I know I am not that mentally strong but I honestly thought this was really hard.  I also realized that I am a true emotional eater when my way of coping was to grab a string cheese and granola bar in each hand and in between each 4-5 rows I would take another bite my biggest fear was that I would run out of snacks before water.  At one point I even contemplated just jumping in and ending it right then and there, I know...what drama, but it was hard so anyways there's my little experience....wahhhhhhh.  Dave was to the boat ramp about 1 1/2 hours before me and I could barely walk from being stuck in the same rowing position all day.  I stumbled up the hill and he gave me a big hug as I was fighting back tears but also didn't dish out a lot of sympathy as he said, "You know, honestly bud, I didn't think that was really that hard at all."  And was a little incredulous that I didn't share the same feelings.  That's what happens when your forearms are like popeys I guess.  So if you decide to do the Verde just keep that 8 miles in mind and mentally prepare yourself for the row out.   We headed home after dropping Babe off at her home and found a cute consignment store on the way home where I found a cute chair and night stand, then on the way home we picked up two hitch hikers one just south of Bluff finishing a San Juan trip and another North of Bluff that was from the East coast headed to visit his sister in CO and had come by foot.  Dave always has pity for hitch hikers because one time he and his brother Dan were finishing a hike and it was 15 miles back to the trailhead and Dave started walking.  Fifteen miles later he got in his car and went back to get his brother and all their gear.  I bet that wasn't that hard either though.  ; )