Now that spring is here and the weather is starting to get nicer, I am reminded of the time I spent in Page, Arizona for 2 years teaching. I loved the lake but didn't spend as much time there as I would have liked, since I didn't have a boat or any lake toys. But each year, the 4th graders would do a river run down the Colorado River from Glen Canyon Dam to Lee's Ferry. The first year's trip started off well, but ended disastrously- for me- at least, to the point that I was injured, my life (and the lives of several students) was put in danger, and I nearly had to threaten a lawsuit on the river tour agency in order to get a new pair of glasses. I am sure you can figure out what happened, but that is as much as I will say at this point. If you want to know the whole story, well, maybe you can ask me sometime. :) The second year, however, went much more smoothly and I stayed completely dry. I decided with the flood of river memories I have had over the past couple days with the beautiful weather coming in, that I would post a few pictures that demonstrate the unique beauty of the area, it's special history, and some special faces that I loved. God's finger truly must have designed this unique area to be like no other. No wonder it attracts so many visitors from all over the world! I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to spend 2 years there, the experiences that I had, the people I loved, and all the many things I learned about myself, others, and the area. It truly was a blessing I will remember every day for the rest of my life.
This post is a bit longer than normal, but I could not decide on only one or two favorite pictures from this experience. It should also provide some interesting western American/ Mormon pioneer history for many of you. I have included some links throughout this post that will give you more amazing information and pictures about the river's sites,
John D. Lee, Lonely Dell Ranch, and Lee's Ferry.
This post is a bit longer than normal, but I could not decide on only one or two favorite pictures from this experience. It should also provide some interesting western American/ Mormon pioneer history for many of you. I have included some links throughout this post that will give you more amazing information and pictures about the river's sites,
John D. Lee, Lonely Dell Ranch, and Lee's Ferry.
A.Rogers 2006
A. Rogers 2006
Kids in front of one of the homes at the ranch
A. Rogers 2006
The kids were all confused about what this big thing was, and to tell you the truth, so was I. What I was later told was that it was a boiler, a part of a large machine, that was used to spray large amounts of pressurized water against the rocks in hopes of removing flakes of gold. I had never heard about gold sluicing and had no idea that gold had been found in the area.
A. Rogers 2006
These images are a small part of a larger petroglyph panel that is just a short walk from one of the river's small "beaches." It was very interesting!
A. Rogers 2006
Kids in front of the "petro panel." This picture makes me laugh because KrystalLynne's face looks so tiny with her life jacket under her sweater.
A. Rogers 2006
A. Rogers 2006
The fort
I'm sorry you had a really bad experience with the float trip! I actually worked for them for a time and went on 3 or 4 trips myself, very pregnant with Adree...um, yeah. Their parent company (Aramark) isn't exactly known for being real customer friendly (or employee friendly for that matter). KrystalLynne's Mom and I grew up together! Haha, small world! Oh yeah and my Great-great grandfather was in fact, Warren Marshall Johnson. My beloved grandpa was born on the Lonely Dell Ranch and our family (with the help of some awesome park rangers) put up the headstone for "Calvin" (in the cemetery). He was my grandpa's baby brother.
ReplyDeleteI know you know Shaye M's mom too. I have seen that she is a friend of yours on FB. That is so cool that your family has strong roots there. And yeah, the problem with the company occurred after they had already agreed to replace my glasses (I didn't even threaten to include any medical costs til later when they gave me trouble) when another teacher told them I had planned the accident. Whatever. Small towns can be so silly sometimes. But, all in all, it was an amazing experience and I am just glad it happened to me and not one of the children.
ReplyDeleteI had to call the three parents who had been on the boat with us and ask them to write witness letters explaining what they saw and what the driver did. It was a scary situation and the stupid lady at the company spoke down to me like I didn't have the safety or well being of the children in mind. How it could have traumatized them if it had been worse and all this nonsense. Yeah, tell me about it. It wasn't my fault at all. I was just sitting there minding my own business when it all happened.
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