Green River Raft through Lodore Canyon (July 2007)

This was a spur-of-the-moment trip that I came up with when we were home in the middle of hot Southern Utah July temps, and we all wanted to escape the heat. We talked about going to Europe, but just didn't feel right about it. I really wanted to get on the river again, so I researched some river trips, and decided that the Green River through Dinosaur National Monument's Lodore Canyon would be just the ticket. It turned out to be much, much better than any of us dreamed, and we decided it has been one of the best family vacations we have taken ever! The guides, the scenery, the river, the laid-back relaxed pace, the absence of high technology allowed us to disconnect from our 'real' world, and connect with our real, natural world, and with wonderful guides and friends that we made on the river. None of us wanted the trip to end, and were sad to say goodbye to the river and to everyone else.


Stephanie, Brooke, and Sasha entering the Gates of Lodore on the upper Green River in Dinosaur Natl Monument. We took turns switching with six different guides, and 3 duckies.














Lodore Canyon was full of interesting geology and faults like this.










Our second camp from up above.











Our last camp spot at Jones Hole.



















"Chuck-a-deuce" Dewey and Caylin were two of our favorite guides.














Sasha getting poured on at waterfall near Jones Hole. People could sit in the chute above and dam the water for a short time, thus creating this deluge.


















Our guides: Alison, Dewey, Caylin, Erica, Randy, and Greg, from Dinosaur Rafting Co.









Beautiful white sandy beach lunch spot in the middle of the canyon near where a proposed dam was fortunately shot down back in the 60s. The lake would have flooded the Green and Yampa Rivers.










Girls posing at Steamboat Rock, just downstream from the confluence of the Green and Yampa Rivers.














Stephanie and Brooke borrowing Cristoff's tandem kayak.