The Green River is Very Brown

It's been over a week since we returned from our last big adventure - a 5 day, 68 mile rafting/kayaking trip through Labyrinth Canyon on the Green River in Utah.

We were lucky to have great friends along: fellow Trinity biologist David Ribble and his lovely daughters Olivia and Elena (shown with him below) made the trip even more enjoyable.

One great benefit of a rafting trip is that you can pack a lot of gear, as long as you don't mind rowing a pig-like barge (Kevin's a good sport):

The result is all the comforts of car camping

with the tranquility and solitude of a remote backpacking trip:

The first thing you notice when launching a trip down the Green River is the siltiness of the water.

We tried to measure visibility but ended up unsure that we could see even a quarter of an inch into the dense water.










Scout lost a khaki hat to a gust of wind early in the trip, and seconds after it blew off it became invisible, blending in perfectly with the water around it.

Obviously the murkiness didn't deter any of us - the kids spent most of the time in the water, swimming after the raft ,

wading through the shallow sections, starting splashing wars, playing endless games involving the mud at camp each evening, and our new favorite "run as fast as you can into the river":

Wish you could have been there!

Demolition Derby

We pushed hard after leaving Texas, driving with the AC on high and the Ting Tings turned up loud until 3 am the first night, just to be certain we wouldn't miss the annual Wasatch County Demolition Derby.  It was SO worth the lost sleep!

If you've never witnessed a display like this before, book your travel now and reserve your tickets early (they sell out quickly).

Basically, dozens of beat up, souped up (really loud) cars slam into each other repeatedly until all but one lucky vehicle is incapacitated.  There are several rounds for both cars and trucks, grudge matches, powder puff matches (accompanied by those classic feminist anthems "Girls, Girls, Girls" and  "Fat Bottomed Girls") and of course the main event.

Royalty

The Derby is presided over by Wasatch County Royalty and this year came complete with a plaid cut-off pep squad who led the 6800 fans in the Wave between rounds:

Derby Pep Squad

This was my first time, and I admit I was initially gasping and cringing when the cars rammed each other at full speed, but soon I was cheering with everyone else and rooting for highlights like 6 car pileups:

radiator geysers:

trucks high-centered on the cement barriers:

and flipped cars:

Mickey has never been more violent

What more noble way for an old car to leave this world?

But I think maybe my favorite part of the Derby was watching the couple in front of me - they were obviously young and in love (in a very demonstrative way...)

The beautiful people

You could sense just how deep the attraction was when she pulled out a purple comb and started repeatedly feathering his hair with it.  It brought me back to Oxford County Fair days in Maine in the early 80's.  The nostalgia, the spectacle, the noise, the fumes, the cheering children... can you put a price on this kind of experience?

And we're off!

Leaving Texas

Woohoo!!! After a couple frenetic weeks of remodeling our house, while packing and running endless errands, we finally hit the road Friday.

Goodbye to Texas heat, public schooling, constant business travel, hectic schedules, deadlines and every day routine.

Hello to 5 months of field research, lab work, hiking, camping, rafting, running, biking, and exploring the western United States with family and friends!

First Stop: Durango
Next Stop: The Wasatch County Demolition Derby!