River and Ride 2010, continued...
DAY 1...continued
Geology -
One of the interesting facets of the river is watching the different rock formations grow out of the water. One day a formation will be barely exposed at the water line. The next day it will be towering overhead. During this day the river sits on the White Rim Sandstone. At the waters edge is the Moenkopi Formation which has the Chinle Formation on top of it. Both of these have talus slopes and huge slabs of rock on top of them. Above these formations is the very tall Wingate Sandstone which usually keeps anyone from climbing up from or down to the river. The Wingate is usually around 200 - 400 feet tall.
Activities along this stretch -
The first hour we get our sea legs under us. Then we learn how to relax and let the visual stimulation take over. We can swim, float, or daydream the hours away. This stretch will yield a few good echos along the cliffs. As we near Fort Bottom, we will see an Anasazi Indian ruin high on hill with cliffs. In the evening we will establish a perch, over-looking the river and scenery for our first wine and popcorn sunset.
DAY 2
After breakfast we continue on the river. About five miles later we will arrive at Millard Canyon, mile marker 33.5. At low river level, the mouth of this canyon provides the only resemblance of rapids on this stretch of water. This is because the huge drainage area all funnels down to the mouth of this canyon. From this spot we will be able to see the Buttes of the Cross. In 1869 John W. Powell first spotted this landmark. "Off to the south we see a butte in the form of a fallen cross. It is several miles away, but it presents no inconspicuous figure on the landscape and must be many hundreds feet high, probably more than 2,000. We note its position on our map and name it 'Butte of the Cross'." The cross is actually two buttes, one in front of the other. We will see them both later on the trip. Near mile marker 32.5 we will pass Anderson Bottom. Anderson is an abandoned river meander. One of the early ranchers blasted out a small hole in the side of the cliff face to make a spring. Later on the NPS blasted out a big store room in the side of the cliff at another spot. The store room is hardly used anymore. Depending on the time of day, we will either make camp at Andersen Bottom or we will push on around the corner to m.m. 26.0.
Geology -
The rock formations we saw near the river yesterday get taller today. Same formation types as yesterday. Near m.m. 37, the White Rim Sandstone emerges from the water. About a mile past this point, in a bend on the left and southeast side of the river, interesting crossbeds in the White Rim Sandstone represent preserved sand dunes. The Organ Rock Shale will also begin to appear today. Towards our camp the White Rim Sandstone will stand guard above the Shale layer and the Wingate has been turned into dust.