My Grand Canyon Rafting Trip August 2000

These pages are a daily diary of my trip with more photos, locations and descriptions on the way. It was an amazing journey - great scenery, good people and an 'out of this world' feeling to it. It seemed 'time out of time' - the week seemed to go on forever.

Partly its just seems odd to be getting up with the dawn and going to bed with the sunset - what a concept!

En Route Saturday 8/19/2000 

Departed from my home in Phoenix mid-morning for the 150 mile drive up to Flagstaff, AZ for lunch and then on another 125 miles along the Vermillion Cliffs to Marble Canyon Lodge. Had a deluge of rain just leaving Flagstaff - with some flooding, cleared right up for a mostly pleasant drive, approx 5 hours total.  There sure is a lot of nothing after Flagstaff...

Marble Marble Canyon Lodge is on the way to the North rim of the Grand Canyon (I've have never made it to the North Rim yet but its on the list for a visit sometime!)

I arrived at the lodge in plenty of time a to check out the old Navajo bridge - now a passenger only bridge (on Right) and the somewhat less impressive new Navajo bridge (on Left).

I also drove out to Lee’s Ferry to scout out the boat launch site for the next mornings departure - here is the turn off with the Vermillion Cliffs in the background.

Had dinner at the Lodge (where else...) and unknowingly was eating in the same dining room as many folk I would be traveling with for the next 7 days. Probably the Lodge's busiest night of the week!

Main Photo Page  Launch Day