I know that I am finding my balance in life when I find myself on the river two weekends in a row. The opportunity presented to paddle the upper San Juan River, between Bluff and Mexican Hat, with my housemate Franklin, his girlfriend K-rissy and our friend Matt Gross (a Moabite in diaspora living in North Carolina. I didn't have to think long before accepting this invitation.
We rigged on Friday morning got to the put in at Sand Island later in the afternoon. Our friend Todd, a ranger with the BLM, was working there and saw us off, wishing no doubt he could come with us. With the river running at a swift 3,700 cubic feet per second, we quickly made some miles downstream, pausing to take in the amazing Anasazi petroglyphs at Butler Wash. We made camp above Desecration Canyon on a fine beach. Driftwood was plentiful and we whiled away the evening with a great fire and an amazing dinner of breaded tilapia, broccoli and cous cous.
We welcomed the next day with a lazy morning in camp, complete with breakfast burritos and coffee with a nip of Irish cream. We got off on the river, stopping for hikes to the incredible river house ruin and the rock art up Chinle Wash. Between those two hikes I took an unexpected swim to retrieve an oar ripped out of the oarlock after the oar caught in the sandy bottom of the shallow river. A little excitement in an otherwise calm stretch of river. We entered Lime Ridge and soon spotted a group of mature male bighorn sheep at the river edge. We made camp on a lovely ledge after several other camps we hoped for were already occupied by other boaters. It was a busy weekend on the San Juan. Another great dinner ensued, consisting of pork chops and applesauce. We retired to another large driftwood fueled fire and lively conversation.
The third day broke with warm sunshine into the gorge of Honaker and Paradox formation limestones, reminders of the great age of the rocks surrounding us. These limestones were formed by ancient seas that covered this region during the Pennsylvanian epoch some 300 million years ago. We easily navigated Eight Foot Rapid and Ledge Rapid. Afterward, I put on my work hat to check for signs of use or maintenance on a disputed ATV route along the river near Ledge Rapid. I would be saddened to see motorized vehicles in this beautiful and wild canyon, home to one of the state's most successful bighorn sheep herds.
By late afternoon we made the take out and shuttled cars. After derig we ate at a singularly impressive establishment in Mexican Hat, the Swinging Steak. This cowboy themed outdoor restaurant featured steaks cooked over a hot fire on a swinging grill, ensuring even heat. The old guy cooking the steaks sported a cowboy hat and a western shirt unbuttoned to nearly his navel, bristling with white chest hair. The place was straight out of a Coen brothers movie and provided a great ending to our river trip before our ride home.
This trip reminded me again of what a great river trip for a long weekend the Upper San Juan is. The past two weekends on the river have served to remind me how important traveling by river is to my sense of sanity and happiness.
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