August 25, Expedition Island, Green River, Wyoming

The Sauer girls run Green River ½ marathon, Josh and Mike arrive from Montana in a.m., Marilyn negotiates access to launch site during town’s River Festival that is taking place at Expedition Island. Staging begins. Bob arrives in p.m. Young member of the Green River Police Department stops by around midnight, informs us of the “no camping” in city limit ordinance. After telling him about our trip, the officer calls his sergeant, receives permission for us to stay onsite overnight with our boats.

August 26, Expedition Island, Green River, Wyoming

Group continues staging, rigging boats. Marilyn and Jen do massive food shop at Smith’s. Total bill: $533. Back at the island, cooler packing and food repackaging begins. Josh completes multiple trips to Wal-Mart. Decision is made to delay launch one day. Deer steaks for dinner on the new Brunton grill. Another police officer stops by around 10 p.m., already knows about the expedition, just wants to make sure we are doing alright.

Day #1 on the water, August 27, camp at Boater’s Bottom, on the Green River, Wyoming

After launching from Expedition Island at 3:30 p.m., we row down the slow moving river and into still water. Under the light of a nearly full moon, we row the smooth water until 3 a.m.; make camp on a sloping bank covered in sagebrush.

Day #2, August 28, camp below Confluence Point, Flaming Gorge Reservoir, Wyoming

Now fully on the reservoir, we utilize the full moon to row through several hours of darkness and miles silenced river. We reach Confluence Point, where the Blacks Fork and Green rivers once merged. The confluence is now submerged under hundreds of feet of reservoir water. We make camp below this point at around 1 a.m. Very large fish jumping all around our boats throughout the day. A few anglers on the water, otherwise mostly quiet.

Day #3, August 30, Camp in small inlet just above Stateline Cove, Wyoming

The reservoir becomes wider and busier as we make our way south. We pull into a small cove just above the more popular Stateline Cove campground where dozens of vacationers are staking their sites for Labor Day weekend. From our camp, we can hear their motorboats and their generators, but we cannot see them. In the morning we plan to hit the marina in the cove so that Bob can make some progress with the thus-malfunctioning satellite unit.

“The French press really is the best invention since the rubber boat.”

                                    - Mike Roselle, over coffee before breakfast

Day #4, August 31, Camp facing Flaming Gorge near Horseshoe Bend shortcut, Utah

After rowing into Stateline Cove in the a.m., we determine the marina we need is around the corner. Reach marina in afternoon. Buy expensive beer there, talk to motorboaters who are curious about our rafts docked in the slip. Internet connection is spotty, after several hours of unsuccessful attempts at logging on, we resume rowing, just in time for a lightning and thunderstorm. Reach a beautiful cove that faces the blazing red wall the Major Powell named Flaming Gorge. Gorgeous evening light and a light rain shower as we pull in for the night.

Day, #5, September 1, Cove above Skull Creek, Utah

Enter tighter part of the reservoir today, just as holiday weekend boat traffic really picks up. The wake from the passing motorboats rocks our rafts as it passes underneath us, hits the canyon walls and comes back for another round. We are making just under 2 mph. We receive many stares and a few waves from other boaters. A law enforcement boat cruises by, and the ranger jokes that it’s only 2,000 more miles to the Grand Canyon. We tell him that’s where we’re headed, and it’s only about 700 miles. He wishes us luck and warns us to be careful of the drunken motorboaters that surround us. We make camp in another small cove where a large family is waiting for a resort boat to pick them up and take them back up to the rim. They offer us their crawdad haul, but we politely decline.

Day #6, September 2, Greendale campground, near Flaming Gorge Resort, Utah

In the morning we arrive at the boat ramp after only a few hours of rowing, marking the end of our painstakingly slow journey across 93 miles of reservoir. Euphoria sets in briefly. Then the shuttle arrives and we must load the boats and all our gear onto one trailer and into a Suburban. We must do this twice to make it all fit but it goes surprisingly fast. As we prepare to pull up the ramp, a motorboater tells us, “This boat ramp is for boats!” We attempt to explain that rafts are boats, but he is unable to comprehend this complex concept and pulls away in disgust. Our shuttle driver Tom takes us to Flaming Gorge Resort where his boss graciously agrees let Tom drive us to a nearby Forest Service campground and leave our gear on the trailer until the next morning when they will shuttle us below the dam to the access the flowing river once again. We wine and dine at the resort restaurant, make phone calls, and again fail to make an Internet connection.

Day #7, September 3, Grasshopper #1, on the Green River, Utah

Back on moving water, we float effortlessly down the cool stretch of river that flows out of the bottom of Flaming Gorge Dam. An excellent site for trout fishing, we see several anglers testing their luck. Just by looking over the side of the raft, we can see massive rainbows and browns at the bottom of the river. Roselle snaps a wooden oar in a small rapid. We arrive at Grasshopper in late afternoon, set up camp with an excellent kitchen spot. Later in the evening, friends Rod Nash and Tim Mutrie of Colorado float into camp. They will join us for the next several days as we float through Brown’s Park and Dinosaur National Monument.

Day #8, September 4, Grasshopper #1 layover, on the Green River, Utah

Fine weather and an excellent camp convince us to stay put for a day. We enjoy a late brunch of biscuits and gravy. Rod and Tim paddle to camp upriver, find an osprey freshly dead. Josh and Jen paddle up to site in inflatable kayak later in afternoon, observe dead osprey and several other osprey flying overhead and calling out. Deer and elk steaks for dinner, courtesy of Josh and Howie’s successful hunt in the Missouri Breaks last fall.

Day #9, September 5, Big Tree, on the Green River, Utah

Rain begins to fall before we leave Grasshopper, continues on and off all day. Numerous lightning strikes and thunder, one within ½ mile of us, even closer to Rod and Tim who are about ¼ mile ahead of us. Its wet walk into Big Tree camp and the willows that line the trail are heavy with rain. Later, someone compares it to walking through a car wash repeatedly. Baked beans and Lil’ Smokies for dinner makes everyone feel warm inside. Rain continues on and off throughout the night.

Day #10, September 6, Nash’s Top 10 Camp on Brown’s Park sandbar, on the Green River, Utah

Rain clears by late a.m. Float near large male moose laying a river’s edge. Rod came very close to it, forcing it to rise and retreat into willows. Make final camp before floating into Dinosaur National Monument on sandbar in the middle of the river. We made ziti for Rod and Tim for a late dinner. Rod predicts this camp would be one of the Top 10 of our trip. Bob makes Internet connection; message from Desolation Canyon party received and responded to, Rod able to send email to Arlene.

Day #11, September 7, Pot Creek #2, Dinosaur National Monument, on the Green River, Colorado

First camp in the monument. No ranger at launch site but another group from the Front Range of Colorado there preparing for their own trip. Mike snaps second wooden oar. We run Upper and Lower Disaster Falls, where Bob and Mike were swept into the “Room of Doom,” an overhanging ledge on the right. The rock wall sheared the left pin off the aluminum frame. Amazingly, Mike and Bob were unharmed. We tow them through some small rapids; they line several more small ripples to reach camp at Pot Creek #2.

Day #12, September 8, Rippling Brook, Dinosaur, on the Green River, Colorado

Spend the morning fixing broken oar tower by using broken wooden oar and a spare oar tower from the repair kit (thanks Howie!). We then shove off to run Harp Falls, Triplet Falls and the biggest rapid for the trip so far, Hell’s Half Mile. Bob is the last to run Hell’s and wraps the Hyside on a rock in the center of the rapid. Luckily, Rod had alerted park ranger Chris to the potential for this situation to arise, and he is stationed on the bank alongside the rock with his two passengers. They are able to pull the boat off the rock using a Z-drag and we continue down the river to Rippling Brook. Ring-tailed cat visits our camp that night, unafraid of our headlamps. After we all go bed, he climbs all over the boats and across the three tables set up in the kitchen, but finds no food.

Day #13, September 9, Jones Hole #3, Dinosaur, on the Green River, Utah

Float out of Canyon of Lodore, through Echo Park and into Whirlpool Canyon. Stop at the confluence of the Green and Yampa rivers to listen to the echo there against Steamboat Rock that repeats seven times. Rod captivates us all with stories of his visit to Africa as we eat lunch. Arrive at Jones Hole just as high winds blew through, snapping cottonwood branches in the trees above camp. Tim fishes the confluence of Jones Hole and the Green, landing one 15 incher and losing flies to a few larger fish.

Day #14, September 10, Split Mountain Campground, on the Green River, Utah

Tim and Rod launch from Jones Hole at 7 a.m. We follow at 8:15. Rowed hard to reach the takeout at Split Mountain 19 miles downstream, arrived at 1:45 p.m. We met with River Runners’ Transport at 3-ish for resupply mission. Bob had previously made the decision to leave the trip at this point. We traveled to Vernal, Utah, where Ed and Melanie Morrison of River Runners’ Transport connected us with Dan at Industrial Repair Service. Dan was able to help some fellow boaters out by welding a new oar tower and pin on to the Hyside within two hours. Ed and Melanie sold us two new oars and donated three clips, several bags of ice and their shuttle services to the expedition. They took us to the liquor store, the grocery store and the welding shop, then back out to Split Mountain campground by 8 p.m. Without Ed and Melanie, we’d probably still be in Vernal. We can’t thank them and Dan enough for their assistance.

“I don’t think I’ve ever accomplished this much in one day.”

                                    - Jen, on the return to Split Mountain Campground

Day #15, September 11, sandbar above U.S. 40 at Jensen, Utah, on the Green River

We spend the morning at Split Mountain, cleaning and repacking our boats. We all agree it feels like a new start for the expedition. The frame weld and new oars are a perfect fit. Lighter and tighter, we relaunch at 1:15 p.m. and make 17 miles in seven hours across the Uinta Basin. The water is flat, and the sandbars are everywhere. There is lots of getting out of the boat and pushing over, around and upstream of these sandbars. We see elk, at least 100 sand hill cranes, and several deer. We reach the U.S. 40 bridge over the river at dark. Camp within earshot of the road but we all sleep surprisingly well.

“Dice in the mirror, bongos in the back, my ship of love is ready to attack.”

                                    - Mike, quoting Frank Zappa as we prepare to relaunch.

Day #16, September 12, Sauer beach on Horseshoe Bend, on the Green River, Utah

We put in a long day in our quest to reach Sand Wash, the Desolation Canyon launch site, by Saturday. We make 24 miles in 10 hours. See wild horses drinking from the river. Make camp on a soft, white sand beach that Jen selects, hence the name Sauer beach. Horseshoe Bend curves 10 river miles while traveling only two air miles. We throw in the towel around mile eight. That night, we party like we’ve already made it to Lake Mead.

Day #17, September 13, Old Charlie Bottom, north of Ouray, on the Green River, Utah

Another long day; almost 12 hours of rowing and make roughly 28 miles. The last several miles we float through the Ouray National Wildlife Refuge where we can here the elk bugling. As night falls, a male elk comes down to the water upstream of us, splashes around and plops down for a roll in the mud.

Day #18, September 14, camp at Ray’s Bottom, on the Green River, Utah

Awake at first light, make coffee but no breakfast and launch at 7:30 a.m. Row almost 14 hours stopping only once for a brief lunch. We make about 27 miles. Toward the end of the day, we begin to think we are close to Sand Wash. We float well past sunset hoping to see our friends from Missoula. In the darkness, we become disoriented and start to worry that we have passed the boat ramp. We row upstream to reach a sandbar, silently deploy our tents, and go to bed without dinner.

Day #19, September 15, camp Maverick Canyon sandbar, Desolation Canyon, Utah

In the light of morning we determine we are seven miles from Sand Wash. We launch around 11 a.m. after an enormous breakfast to make up for our lack of food the day before. Arrive at Sand Wash at 1:22 p.m. where we find our Missoula friends Jimmy, Allison and Morgan rigging their boat. Hugs are exchanged, stories of our respective journey to the put-in are shared, beers are cracked. We discover a map that tells us we have traveled 106 miles of flat water across the Uinta Basin in just over four days. We get the run down on our upcoming stretch from river ranger Jim Wright and shove off for another 20 miles of flat water before the rapids reappear. We row another 11 miles as a group to camp.

Day #20, September 16, Cedar Ridge Canyon, Desolation Canyon, Utah

Rowed through two rain and thunder storms and high winds to reach one of our nicest camps yet. Jimmy’s dog Freud stirred up a nest of bees at camp and came running for shelter. Later found comfort on Roselle’s sleeping bag in his open tent. Wind and some rain through the night. Short hike up Cedar Ridge in the morning.

Day #21, September 17, Chandler Creek on Ute tribal land, Desolation, Utah

Started day by viewing petroglyphs about two miles downstream from last camp. Fun rapids: Fretwater, Steer Ridge, Rock Creek. Beautiful camp on the Ute side that we were able to use by securing tribal permit. There was an old cabin, corral and chimney all near camp. Old road made for great hiking and running in the morning.

Day #22, September 18, Rabbit Camp out of Desolation into Gray Canyon, Utah

Excellent rapids today. Good runs in both Wire Fence and Three Fords. Scouted Three Fords. We stop at the old McPherson Ranch that was homesteaded in the late 1800s. The red stone walls of the house still stand and many outbuildings are intact. Several decades later the Ute tribe acquired the land and built the Ouray Lodge to capitalize on the river runners passing by. That venture has long since been abandoned. The doors to the motel rooms and the lodge are open, all in disarray. Remnants of every day life blanket the floors and the walls, many disheveled by a bear that reportedly ransacked the place in 2000. It looks like a scene out of the Montana Meth ads. We move on and reached camp late in the evening.

Day #23, September 19, camp at Nefertiti Rock, Gray Canyon, Utah

Make roughly 10 miles today. Our last night with Missoula folks, we celebrate with Jimmy’s famous stuffed pork loin and most of the remaining beer and whiskey. No one is ready for the goodbyes that will come in the morning as Jimmy leaves for a new life in Portland, Allison heads to Wyoming and Morgan returns to a life we left behind in Missoula.

Day #24, September 20, camp at Green River State Park, Green River, Utah

It’s a short day of eight miles to the take out for the Missoula crew. We splash through the final rapids at Sand Knolls, Small Canyon and Swasey’s, reaching the take out all too soon. Morgan’s truck isn’t there as it should be, spotty cell phone coverage garners the info that the shuttle driver had a breakdown and it should be arriving within about three hours. They could still be there for all we know. Beware Tumbleweed Tours of Green River, Utah. We lunch in the shade, share our final beers, and finally say our goodbyes. For them, the trip is over, but we have 50 some days to go and must continue to make our way downstream toward Lake Mead. We leave with a round of sincere hugs and best wishes, then go our separate ways. It’s another 12 miles to the second town of Green River and we have visions of burgers at Ray’s Tavern. But first we must scout and run Tuscher Dam, a hideous man-made contraption that spans the entire river to divert water for irrigation ditch. After scouting from both the left and the right, Josh captains each boat down a sliver of water at river left, the only place where the water doesn’t cascade abruptly down a concrete wall. It’s a tight line, but he nails it and we are on our way once again. We reached Green River State Park at 8:06 p.m., just minutes after the last light retreats over the western horizon. It’s too late to find Ray’s so we reheat Jimmy burgers and call it another night.

Day #25, September 21, Green River State Park, Green River, Utah

We awake to find ourselves back in civilization and set about taking care of business. There is laundry to do, coolers to wash, batteries to charge, showers to take. Roselle spots Uncle Ramon scouting the boat ramp, he’s in town with Wally and Laurence just to keep us company doing our layover. They commence beer drinking and catching up. We have dinner at Ray’s Tavern, where we are forced out of our table after too few beers for the Exxon employees that have arrived. We retreat to Green River’s best liquor bar, aka Ramon’s motel room, where we drink Irish cream and whisky on the rocks until it’s time to walk back to the park, our tents and our rafts which sit lonely on the boat ramp, unmoved for only the second time in 25 days.

Day #26, September 22, Green River State Park, Green River, Utah

Another day in town. John Weisheit and Bob Lippeman make the trip from Moab to Green River to deliver food supplies, talk river running and plan our upcoming stretches together. John will join us for Cataract; Bob is hoping to join us from Diamond Creek in the Grand Canyon to Lake Mead. We swap stories and laughs, share some grapes and do an interview for Bob’s radio show. River folks are good people. Josh and Jen do a massive resupply shop for the next 3 ½ weeks at the tiny market in town, nearly depleting them of several items and holding up most of the town in the check-out line. The boys head to dinner at Ray’s for another night just as a rain storm moves through and drenches everything not covered by a rain fly.