March '04 Newsletter

Our new year started out pretty quiet. Suz had come down with a nasty chest cold Christmas night that was to hang on for several weeks. On New Years Day she was still feeling punk but by the next day she was enough recovered to head for Sedona with Bob and Blue for a rendezvous with their long-time friend Karen Fiore. Karen lives in the Village of Oak Creek and works for the forest service. Hence she is familiar with lots of great hiking around her stomping grounds.

We enjoyed a cool but lovely hike on the Jack's Canyon Trail, culminating in an off-trail mesa-top adventure to an extensive Sinagua ruin site. We topped off a wonderful day with a festive dinner at Karen's in front of her roaring fireplace. It was fun to see her house, spoil her cats, and inspect her recent artworks. Later in the month, Mike and Marsha came up to BCC for a birthday dinner. Followed by a trip down to Tucson to visit with Scott & Tennille. Hiking the last few days in January, we came across our first wildflower of the season, a runty but brilliant poppy. We started noticing a few more as the days went by but they all seemed smaller than in past years.

Both of us were unsuccessful in the Upper Salt River permit lottery but Susan got lucky and picked up an unclaimed mid-March permit. Now all we had to do was round up some friends willing to gamble and pray for enough, but not too much, water in the river! Tired of northern California's overcast skies, dear friend Beth visited for a long weekend early in the month. She and Suz used to celebrate their birthdays together when they lived more proximate. Suz turned 50 mid-month and she made a point of celebrating at every opportunity. On her actual birthday she did volunteer work at the church, ran errands in town, and went to the dentist. She received many calls, cards (both cruel and sentimental), a dozen lavender roses, daffodils, a night blooming cereus cactus, a black 50's t-shirt, along with other geriatric products for her second half-century.

The last weekend in the month, her Iron Range buddies from grade school / high school, Rhonda, Nancy, and Yolande arrived for a long weekend to celebrate their turning 50 this year. The first night, we invited river people Rhonda had met on a Grand Canyon trip a few years ago for dinner and a party. The nine of us had a great time spilling wine, taking a historical tour of our stage stop, eating dinner, and singing along with Ray and his guitar. No river gathering is complete without Ray's rendition of "The Motel Face" and we were not to be disappointed.

Unfortunately, it was in the low 60's and rainy for most of their visit. The poor gals were really cold and spent much of the weekend hot-tubbing and giggling. They all trooped down for massages with Jan, the local yoga instructor and massage therapist extraordinaire. Black Canyon Herbal and Ming & More, our Chinese antique store, were entertaining shopping stops. Both are a little unusual for a small southwestern town. On our one nice day, they rushed off to Cave Creek for some tourist shopping and lunch at enchanting El Encanto Restaurant. To keep out of their hair, Bob purchased a nice new slide / negative scanner (yes! another one!) and buried himself in learning how to use it. Anyone want to buy our Minolta Dimage Scan Elite?

The chest cold revisited Suz for several more weeks in late February. Coughing while doing push-ups is not a good idea and she reinjured a chest muscle tear that has taken over a month to heal. We are happy to report that she is finally doing push-ups again, though not at the level she had been. Our exercise routine became even more imperative when after 20 years of applying, Bob finally drew a Middle Fork permit for June. Not long afterwards, friend Ernie picked up a Grand Canyon cancellation for May. Suz is planning to row both rivers so she is buffing up.

Around the house, we have been enduring an exterior painting project the past few months, sometimes hampered by wind, weather, (too hot or too cold), laziness, and other more interesting activities. We expect to have it completed by the time you read this. As always, a plethora of weeds sprung up in the yard and we will be working on those until the summer heat fries them. The ocotillo we planted last fall is slowly coming to life and forming tassels on the end of its branches. Others around town are fully leafed out but ours may be in transplanting shock awhile.

Rosebud the Clown has only made one appearance to date but is shaking the mothballs out of her costume to masquerade as Jack Swilling's ghost in BCC's 19th annual White Cane Parade this weekend. She has alterations to her look in mind but will have to get cracking to have it ready in the next few days. The theme this year is Mining Days and she is renting a wagon to dress up as an ore cart. Our 8 year old neighbor rents cheap! She's paying in snap popper noisemakers. Thunderstorms are predicted, as is customary for the parade.

Two of Suz's former Parks & Recreation hikers visited our home and hiked with us in early March. JoAnne has been living in Maine for the past few years but was down working on the Apache Reservation and visiting her friend Cindy in Mesa. It was great to see them both. We dragged their butts around our short loop and came back to the house for lunch.

That's all for now. Time to get crackin' and get packin' for Havasupai!

2004 Trip Reports:

Upper Salt River Raft (3/17-3/22/04):

Just in time for our trip, a temperature pop brought the water level on the Upper Salt into that sweet range that we like to run between 1500 and 2000 cfs. The drive from Apache Junction to Superior was plastered with wildflowers and we were hoping to see more of them while making our way downriver. We met in mass in the Miami Wal-Mart parking lot. Paul Lupo was already there with a handful of shuttle drivers he had rounded up to bring our vehicles back to town. After a minimum of fargling around with water jugs, gassing of vehicles, parking of extra vehicles and so on, we piled into three and were on our way to Salt River Canyon. The Apache gals at the store were congenial as usual and we purchased our permits before even driving down to the put-in. We had a pleasant surprise at the store, when we ran into Ken who was supposed to be on our trip but had canceled earlier. He did some phoning and was able to join us after all.

It was a warm, sunny day and we were thrilled to be able to rig and launch in an area that had in prior years been limited to commercial access. With thirteen folks, nine boats, and one inflatable kayak, we needed a large amount of space and this worked out perfectly. First launch of the season, raft rigging went slowly for the two of us. The boat was covered with cornstarch from storage and the thwarts had to be sewn in before we could begin. Eventually we finished up and were able to amble over to the kitchen for appetizers and chitchat. Lorie, Dave, and John M. served a fabulous dinner; the main course being Salmon that Lorie had shipped from Seattle, followed by Dave's scrumptious Dutch oven pineapple upside-down cake. The temperature plummeted when the sun went down and we were all cuddled into our bags by 8:00 PM. We expected traffic in the form of other boating parties to arrive and rig during the night but were pleasantly surprised when only one vehicle drove down and left quietly.

Put-in day is always a zoo and this trip was no exception. Half of us hadn't thought to bring coffee mugs, so we had to scrounge up a few. Rich's kitchen doesn't include cups or a coffee pot, as people usually bring their own mug and he makes cowboy coffee. Suz had brought the Costa Rican drip system but couldn't find the coffee socks. The cowboy coffee turned out fine though and we were all sufficiently caffeinated to dive into a stick-to-your-ribs breakfast of eggs, bacon, and honeydew melon. Launching on a weekday, we were fortunate that there was little commercial traffic. However the private contingency seemed to have filled out their permits with people and boats. We left the beach early and slightly discombobulated after a quick check out with TNF Ranger Don.

We were guessing that the water was at about 1500 cfs when we launched. Bump and Grind, the place where the two of us expected to do some pushing and pulling was not bad. We briefly stuck on a rock near the bottom of the drop but Dave and Lorie knocked us off of it when they came through a minute behind us. Shortly afterwards they got out in front and entered Overboard Rapid much further left than we thought possible. They stuck briefly but made it through. We were glad that we hadn't followed them, as the 16-foot might have stayed there until next season. John M. showed his IK skills in a hole at the bottom of a drop near Salt Banks. He was there for what seemed like an eternity and we thought for sure he would swim, bracing one direction, then the other. It was not to be and he escaped the hole unscathed. We had hoped to hike up Walnut Creek but it was getting late and due to an undefined closure, we had to run almost to Rat Trap Rapid before we could find a suitable camp that wasn't posted. We ended up on river right not far above Rat Trap and were in camp early enough that most of us were able to bathe in sunshine. After Rich's chili & cornbread dinner, Steve and John M. brought out the guitar and noisemakers and entertained us around the fire, a lovely cap on an incredibly beautiful first river day. Their repertoire was varied from Brown Eyed Girl to Shenandoah to Tennessee Stud to Louis Jordan's "Is You is or is You Ain't My Baby?"

Steve's pecan, mango pancakes were to die for and a slow start afforded many of us the time to hike up the adjacent side canyon or on top of the ridge for views of the coming rapids. Wildflowers were not plentiful but certainly varied. The contrast of their blooms to the stark Sonoran desert landscape can be breathtaking.

Having been down the river the prior week, Ray led us into a nice parking lot above Canyon Creek so we could take a brief hike. Fink pulled into the mouth while the rest of us parked with Ray. Hopping from boat to boat to reach shore took its toll. Ray slid down between two and came up scratched up with a rather large hematoma on one arm. Suz stretched a little long and converted her favorite river pants into chaps. A few people hung out close to the mouth, some sunning like lizards on rocks, while others made their way up-canyon over the rocks in and out of the streambed.

By mid afternoon we were at Pete's Pond looking for a late lunch spot and a camp where we would be able to rendezvous with Darla. It was a Friday and drive-in Gleason traffic was up. While we set up lunch, Bob took a walk up the shoreline and immediately encountered Darla who had been ferried in by Paul and Phyllis. Paul and Bob drove back to locate a good camp for us. While we set up camp, Darla sorted her gear and Paul and Phyllis were able to leave in plenty of time to make it out the Gleason Road before dark. Steve and Ken hand cranked out several batches of serious margaritas to accompany Ray and Fink's Mexican dinner. Around the campfire, Steve and John M. again sang and entertained us. John sang his infamous Tatshenshini adventure song that we all so enjoy! Unfortunately some of us had snuck off to bed really early and missed out on that, so he was cajoled into repeating it the following night.

Neal's experimental breakfast quiche was fabulous though a challenge to heat up. We steamed it in the Dutch oven's but came up with some alternative methods for next time. Eye of the Needle was less exciting than in some past years when the water has been higher or lower. We proceeded on down through Black Rock Rapid without incident. The Maze was much more technical than we had remembered it and was moving fast as always. We felt like we were dropping down through a pinball machine. John L flipped his 16-foot cataraft. He landed on top of the upside down floor while Susan L. washed away, only to be passed by John and the raft seconds later. She was in the water for a mile or so before Neal and Darla could catch up with her to pull her into their boat. Those of us in the lead, had pulled off the river at Blackjack Wash for lunch and were oblivious to their situation. We waited for nearly 45 minutes wondering what had transpired. Our original plan had been to coast on down through Quartzite, camping not far below it. Susan's swim had tired her out enough that we elected to stay at Blackjack to give her some rest and time to dry out their gear. It was getting late in the afternoon, we hadn't yet had lunch, and no one was looking forward to the challenge of Quartzite and Corkscrew. We celebrated Steve's birthday a few days early with a Dutch oven poppy seed cake adorned with tall sparkling candles and a little black frosting.

Four of our crew were up and packing when the rest of us straggled out as they needed to leave the group and return to town early. Since Suz had finally located the coffee socks, the coffee was better than usual and they stuck around a little later than planned. They had more miles to go than originally slated and were somewhat concerned about meeting the shuttle on time. Not to worry, we later heard that they had no mishaps at Quartzite and were out in three hours, even with a touch of upstream wind. We missed them immediately but down to six rafts from nine, it was much easier to keep track of who was where. A small group from Seattle pulled into the Quartzite scout immediately after we did. There wasn't much to tie to, so some of us held the boats and managed the ropes for those running early and later. Bob got a few great pictures of our runs but had forgotten to change his camera card, so was limited. To keep Susan L. dry, John L. took the drop backwards and Bob shot a nice three shot sequence of them coming through. In her excitement above Quartzite, Suz bailed Bob's rowing gloves into the drink. She was relieved that he didn't ask for them until much later in the day when the adrenalin and testosterone levels had subsided. We all pulled in below the Falls for a quick look at Corkscrew, which can be tricky. When all had gone through, the group spread out a bit and leisurely floated down to lunch.

Lunch was served on a non-descript shady spot. A few garnished their sandwiches with juicy Miner's Lettuce growing there as if for our enjoyment. We pulled into the camp at Coon Creek by late afternoon. It was a long haul up to the camp, so we left the kitchen right off the back of the boats and set our personal gear up the hill in the trees. Immense sycamores dominate the camp, adding a pleasant aroma and much appreciated shade. While many bathed and prepared to cook dinner, five of us struck out up-canyon, up and over the saddle to view the defensive ruin site atop the lava columns upstream. On the way down we almost encountered our first rattlesnake of the season. He was down deep in a pile of rocks that we walked over and stayed quiet while Lorie and Dave went over, buzzed slightly for Suz and Bob, and was damn sick and tired of us by the time Neal crossed. Fortunately he was not coming up to inspect our progress any more closely. We fought our way through the brush, down the steep slope to the river and along its bank to camp. By the time we reached it, our legs looked like we'd been tussling with tigers. Lorie and Dave each had close encounters of the worst kind with Jumping Cholla and are likely still removing spines from their hands and legs. We were all ready for a bath and Jambalaya when we hit the beach.

All were up early, eager to get underway for the take-out. We passed the Seattle group camped slightly downstream of us. The few miles to the take-out were uneventful and restive. We spotted the first blooming Hedgehog cactus of the season. No one was on the ramp and even though the Seattle folks joined us immediately, there was plenty of space for all of us to keep our gear separate. Just about the time we were ready for vehicles, they showed up and we were on our way. Another enjoyable Upper Salt trip completed!

Participants:

Ken Blurton, Darla Ekbom, Lorie Erickson, Bob Finkbine, Susan Groth (Suz), Rich Harter, Ray Lewis, John Lupo, Susan Lupo, John Manning, Neal Manning, Bob Marley, Steve Tweito, and Dave Wimmer.

2004 Whitewater Rafting Trips:

One day we were sitting around lamenting how we never seemed to draw in the river lotteries and how it was getting harder and harder to do a group rafting trip. Of course almost immediately the situation changed. When the Middle Fork lottery returns came Susan opened hers at the post office and brought Bob's home unopened. He took a look at hers (all choices "unsuccessful"), ripped his open and said it's the same, damn it. Then he took a second look and his first choice was different, it said "successful". After close to 20 years of submissions he had finally drawn on the Middle Fork. Then Susan called in to the Salt and found they didn't allocate all of the days so March 20 was available and we suddenly had two raft trips going. Then Bob Kerry invited us to join him in Alaska on a Tatshenshini adventure in August and our good friends Ernie and Sandy Hilder picked up a Grand Canyon cancellation trip in May. Suddenly we were very busy with lots of river trips.

Because we didn't know what the water level would be until almost the last moment, the Salt River trip was comprised of primarily local boaters although Dave Wimmer did come down with his gear from Colorado to join us. The Hildners have been on the Grand Canyon waiting list for close to 10 years so they have a lot of family who wanted to do the trip with them. By the time Ernie satisfied all those folks and we rounded up the boatmen there was precious little space to invite others. We also filled the Middle Fork trip very quickly with boatmen, their significant others, and people who applied to the lottery. We even have two people on the waitlist for it. However we are continuing down the Main Salmon for a week and there are still two spots open on that trip if anyone is interested.

Yippe! We're going to be on the river a lot this year and hopefully some of this river time will be spent with you.

Future Trip Information:

We're sticking pretty close to home this year, no foreign travel. Our major out of the continental US move will be to Alaska. We plan to take the ferry up the inland waterway to Skagway and meet Bob Kerry and his Tatshenshini group in Whitehorse. After the trip we will take our time back through the Yukon and British Columbia on the Alaska Highway. We're expecting to be pretty exhausted by the time all of these trips are completed. If Bob's knee responds well to a very active summer we may just head back to Nepal to do some high mountain trekking next spring.

General Trip Information:

We must receive your deposit and a completed Q/AR form, for you to be considered for inclusion on one of our trips. If you are planning to join a future trip and you haven’t done this yet, please do it now. If a trip is popular enough to require a waitlist, we will use five criteria to determine who goes. Initial preference will be given to those who have a current mailing application on file, have paid any required trip deposit, and have promptly returned the necessary Q/AR. If this isn't sufficient, we then compare trip deposit dates and lastly Q/AR postmark dates.

We continue to send information to our travel friends using email. If you want to be the first to know what's happening, send us your email address. We'll also continue to communicate unique travel opportunities by ‘special mailings’ to those who travel with us frequently and who have a mailing application on file.

Best of luck in your adventures, whatever they are, and wherever they may be.

Susan & Bob

Updated on Friday, May 30, 2008 @ 3:30 MST © 1995-2008 by Robert R. Marley