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This log is current to October 27, 2005 August 1, 2005: It was a terrific 46 mile, four-day rafting trip on the Green River -- one requiring a hard-to-get federal permit. This, one of America’s premier “floats,” begins at the north end of Dinosaur National Monument and ends under the dramatic Split Rock at the south end. Although Don’s spine operation precluded his participation, Becky joined her brother, sister-in-law, their son, and four friends in this terrific “float.” The water at the “put in” point could not have been more placid (the previous night’ s terrific hailstorm notwithstanding). But the group -- on four rafts and a rubber kayak -- found plenty of white water soon after entering the massive canyon at the Gates of Ladore.
Everything -- and we mean everything -- brought into the monument is required to be carried out. The rapids encountered ranged up to a “3+” rating, requiring experience and skill -- skill that paid off when rafts occasionally became “hung up” in narrow channels between boulders. No rafts overturned and the gear carried along proved perfect for the circumstances. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect. To show the value of this adventure, commercial trips on this stretch of the river cost $700+ per person.
A benefit of this stretch of the river involves its location less then thirty miles below the Flaming Gorge Dam. Although the water level in the river could change quickly in a heavy rain, the chances of a devastating flash flood are greatly reduced by the dam. The designated sites for overnight camping were so clean it appeared It was especially amazing when a large group of Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep sauntered nonchalantly past as the rafting party was Only feet away, the sheep were little concerned about the humans and soon continued happily on their way. There were also similar encounters with Bald Eagles and other wildlife. If you will allow us a personal note, Becky was especially thrilled that her six year old Nephew Gabe was on the trip with his parents. What a terrific opportunity for any child, and this boy is unlikely to ever forget it. As we travel the world, we often wish the impoverished children we meet in third-world A mini-adventure like this teaches thing like survival skills, teamwork, responsibility, ecology, archaeology, anthropology, geology, ornithology, self-sufficiency and navigation. Of course, to a child, it all goes by a single term: fun. In the meantime, we wish to thank the other members of this expedition for their friendship, expertise and generosity. What a great group of friends. In our nearly six years of adventure travel, most of our focus has been on distant nooks and crannies. We have long urged people to travel and explore faraway places. It is worth noting that no If it’s ghost towns you’re looking for, stop by South Pass City. It prospered for a few years when gold seekers flocked to the area just south of Wyoming’s Wind River Mountains. It seems odd to see a population sign at a ghost town, but if you look carefully, you’ll see that that someone crossed off the “one” in front of the seven. Maybe none of the last seven people bothered to change it to zero when they left. Although life here was horribly hard, the town prospered for a few years from another historic event, the passing wagon trains. This route avoided extremely high altitudes and the solid rock barriers of the Rocky Mountains. August 6, 2005 in Red Lodge, Montana This gentleman, one of the nation’s premier musicians, gave a demonstration of the Alpine horn -- which seems appropriate in this town at the base of 12,000 foot mountains. The music, singing and dancing made for a terrific day in this charming southern Montana town. August 10, 2005 in Sturgis, South Dakota Most of them, it seems, are as interested in motorcycle hill climbing as we are (or to be more precise, as Don is). A half dozen riders made it to the top of the impossibly steep hill (which contained nearly vertical sections). The others did their best. We have added our new hill climb You may notice that as more and more people have access to high speed Internet, we are increasing the quality (and size) of the photos in this site. However, the large photos are still only 1/74 of their original size. September 16, 2005 Don has been named the Authorized Biographer of United States Senator Al Simpson. With his wife Becky’s assistance, Don will begin extensive research across the nation that will lead to a book detailing the Senator’s unique personality, life and career. Working title: Al Simpson, Law Breaker to Law Maker. First elected to the Senate in November 1978 from the State of Wyoming, Simpson served in the Senate eighteen years -- ten as Republican “Whip,” the number two party position. He retired from government service in late 1996. Don served in Simpson office the entire eighteen years, first as Press Secretary, then as Chief of Staff. We invite all those who would like to share their experiences with the Senator to contact us at this special e-mail address: BIO-SIMPSON@USA.NET Please note that although our overseas travels will be curtailed during this project, this site will remain online and will be updated. Please enjoy our photos, logs and related materials. They represent nearly six years of almost constant travel in many countries. September 23, 2005 in Yellowstone National Park We escaped with inches to spare, but he turned and rammed the car behind us, rocking the entire vehicle and doing significant damage. While we were there, he attacked two other cars, ripping large holes in their doors with his antlers. October 3, 2005 in Yuma, Arizona We took off for Yuma, where we’ll spend the winter researching and writing (see above), although while enroute, with the temperature 104 degrees, the Gypsy Wagon transmission failed 50 miles from Las Vegas. We’ll post new photos if Minolta EVER sends a replacement for the digital camera that failed us. October 13, 2005 in Yuma October 22, 2005 in Yuma By the way, if you want to buy a new Toyota, go to City Toyota in Great Falls, Montana. Even though Don tends to hate car dealers, he thinks these people are terrific. |
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There are no man-made facilities along this route, assuring that it is much like it was when John Wesley Powell explored it in 1869.
Becky was one of only two women on the trip, and she piloted each raft at times.
nobody had ever been there before.
eating lunch.
countries could have experiences, and loving parents, like Gabe.
American needs travel far within the USA to discover important lessons in life.
photos to the gallery 
