Last Day on the River

Thursday, December 12th, 2013
Our last day on the river. We wanted to get up early to get a quick start and be at the take-out point before the PRO trucks got there. I got up at 5:30 am. It was well below freezing again but it didn't feel too bad.
We packed up most stuff in the dark, had a quick breakfast and were on the river by 8 am. We rowed steadily for 6 miles and arrived at the Diamond Creek take-out by 9:25 am. We unloaded the rafts, removed the aluminum frames, cleaned the rafts, hauled them onshore and deflated them. The PRO truck and van arrived by 10:20 and with the drivers' efficient direction, we had the truck loaded by 11:25 am.

 Diamond Creek is the first place since Lee's Ferry, 226 miles upriver, that there's a road right down to the Colorado River. In the foreground of the picture are the big coolers that are strapped into the aluminum frame and used as seats in the raft.

Once we got the everything loaded, we drove about 9 miles up the creekbed of Diamond Creek and then another 13 miles to the little town of Peach Springs, Arizona which is on Route 66. We were on Hualapai tribal reserve land. At Route 66, we stopped at a highway rest stop and ate a lunch brought by the PRO drivers. Some of us walked over to a Hualapai restaurant and gift shop to use the washroom. It was strange to be inside a building.

We were back at the Motel 6 in Flagstaff by 3 pm. That night we all went over to a sports bar and chicken wing restaurant in the shopping mall across the street. We had called ahead and they gave us a private glass-walled room. The Idaho group joined us. This sports bar had 91 (I think) large flat-screen TVs on the walls, all showing the same 5 or 6 sporting events. It was quite a culture shock after the quiet of the canyon. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the beer and wings and even had one last chorus of Bohemian Rhapsody, sung along to Queen on the sound system quite by chance.

The next morning, we all got to the Phoenix airport by different shuttles and rented vehicles. Jeffy rented a van that 7 of us packed into for the ride. On the original ride from Phoenix to Flagstaff, I hadn't realized that there was such a difference in elevation, which explains why Flagstaff is all pines and snow while Phoenix is desert.

Everyone got on their various flights and naturally United Airlines managed to lose lots of luggage. Back in Ottawa, it was very cold. Zack and Annie had a car at Park'n'Fly as did Jeffy. Thankfully, both cars started and we all got back to Beachburg by 4 am. Anita was already at Zack and Annie's waiting for us.

Despite a few days that were a bit cold for comfort, this was definitely the trip of a lifetime. The Grand Canyon is unique in the world and to share it with such great travelling companions was an experience never to be forgotten.

Next up: Turkey and Greece.