Colorado River Day 3

July 7, 2008



We awakened this morning to the smell of coffee and bacon cooking. I stumbled out of my cot and found my way to the coffee pot. Sue was already up and having a cup of tea. We began packing up everything for the continuance of our adventure. This included breaking down the cot, rolling up the sleeping bag, deflating the "pillow" and folding the sheets. Breakfast was french toast with bacon, juices, fruit and more coffee and tea. They did a great job again. I think everything tastes better when cooked outdoors. While all of this was being prepared, we each made a sandwich for our lunch later on today. The ham sandwiches went into a baggie with our name on it and placed in a cooler. After breakfast we started loading everything back onto the two rafts, including all of our personal gear, and headed off again down the River with the promise of larger rapids to come. We were not disappointed!

The day was bright and sunny...somewhere in the high 90's with nary a cloud in sight. After about 45 minutes of rafting, rapids, and more mysterious river stories shared by the crew, we stopped on the shore and headed to a cascading waterfall which originated up a canyon. We climbed over sand and then large slick granite type rocks with the only assistance being a rope with knots to keep our hands from slipping. We then came to a rope ladder which we had to climb, straight up, and found ourselves at the opening of a cave. We walked back into the cave and discovered a majestic clear waterfall cascading down the walls from far above. We both stood under the waterfall and let the water cascade down over us. This water was very refreshing and much warmer than the river water. Sue climbed up the side of the cave walls beside the waterfall and slid down into the pool of water with a splash and a grin from ear to ear. As we started our descent, the slick rocks became a little more of a challenge but Sue and I made it down with no mishaps and were thrilled at what we had seen, the joy of the experience and the excitment of what we had accomplished working our way up to the falls and down again. Remembering that it was only a little over 12 months ago when I was told that I might never walk again, this was an overwhelming gift from God. We both decided that this one experience was worth the horrid plane ride at the beginning.

Returning to the rafts, we headed out again and did three "large" rapids. The height of these rapids was not as high as what we have experienced at Ohio Pyle with the family, but it sure was a lot less work. The river guides do all the work of navigating the rapids for us. About 11:30 we stopped for lunch and to break down the rafts to join them into one large raft. We had to remove the pontoons on either side and roll them up for storage on the raft. When that was done, we pressed on until we met the jet boat for the final portion of the trip to Lake Meade. It was bittersweet to say goodbye to the four crewmembers we had gotten to know but we were all ready for a hot shower and a real bed.

Today was just beautiful and the jetboat ride was fast and hot. I think we were all a little windburned by the end of the two hours. Sue and I had covered up pretty well and were not sunburned.Other members of the group were feeling the sun's effect mightly by the end of the boat trip. The lower Colorado River is very laden with sand and the driver had to constantly maneuver around sandbars. I took lots of pictures during this portion of the trip. Upon arriving at the crystal clear Lake Meade, all of our personal gear and the entire group were transferred to a motor coach for the 3 hour trip back to Las Vegas. We traveled over the Hoover Dam on this return trip. Although we did not stop, we were able to see the dam and the bridge that they are building to take all travel traffic off the top of the dam. Lake Meade, at the Hoover Dam, seems to be down at least 50 feet from its highest marked point. We were told that this area has not had normal rain or snow for at least 10 years and the lake level surely shows it.

Arriving back at Las Vegas Airport, there were quick good-byes to the new found friends with whom we had just shared so much. We promised to exchange pictures and hopefully we will be able to keep in touch with several of the families. They hailed from Chicago, Massachusetts, San Francisco, France, Arizona and Ocean City, Maryland. We actually may try to keep in touch with the Maryland folks. They were a doctor, nurse and their two daughters. We really enjoyed getting to know them.

Sue and I got our duffel bags, jumped on an airport shuttle bus and headed to the car. It was about 5:30 pm and Las Vegas was a sweltering 114 degrees. We drove to the Kennel to pick up Pooh Bear. He heard me talking with the attendants even before they brought him out. He was excited to see me and obviously, he had made a real hit with the staff. It was very good to have him back and to return to the Silver Lady. Showers were the immediate priority and I think we flushed several pounds of sands into the Silver Lady's drains as we showered, washed our hair and shaved for the first time in three days.

We did not take the digital camera on the River opting instead to take our waterproof 35 mm camera. I took about 100 pictures. It will be a few days before we are in one place long enough to get them developed and transferred to a CD so we can review and post.


I first dreamed of this trip during my first year at Houghton College. I had a senior roommate, Robert Carr, who was about to graduate and he and his bride were going to do a Grand Canyon River rafting trip on their honeymoon. I caught the vision at the time. The events of last May and the surgery sure cast a doubt on whether this dream would ever be full-filled. God has been great and I was able to complete the long-awaited trip, doing all that everyone else did. I was clearly the oldest on the trip by at least 10 to 12 years, yet I was able to hold my own in the activities and the chores. Thank You, Father.


The Grand Canyon was definitely a trip to be remembered and, hopefully, to be repeated a few years down the road. The pictures we took and our efforts to describe in words, the majesty of what God has created, are great for our reflection and for the memories we both will carry with us forever.

As we were leaving the waterfall this morning, one of the other passengers, a Doctor from Ocean City, Maryland, asked what day it was. He was told it was Monday and his response was, "It seems like Sunday. We have just been to church while standing under that waterfall." That phrase best describes the entire three day trip. Sue and I definitely had a spiritual experience. We were drawn in a whole new way into the presence of God and given a new vision of His grace. How Great Thou Art!