Anne Seen Leading the Way

Yesterday, after eight hours of Canyonlands stairmaster like climbing, we decided to take it easy on our knees and float down the Colorado River instead. The outfitter put us in just north of Moab and we floated for 11 miles down river. Mostly through red rock canyons as pictured above. It was nice being all alone in this beautiful country and on a holiday weekend. While there was no whitewater, the river was running high and fast. We never could find any place to put in along the way. The end result being that even though we tried to take it slow and make the trip last, we finished an hour too early. The wait passed quickly though, because shortly after we had landed, a family from Florida came sputtering in, in their rented SUV. They had a flat. The long and short of it being, I read the manual and became their hero. They had just driven from Canyonlands on Shafer Canyon Road, which we the day before had joked about taking in the Prius. I rewarded myself for my good deed, by taking Anne to Red Cliffs Lodge for a sunset dinner. Situated on scenic Utah 128, it lived up to everything our outfitter claimed it would. 128 is rated the second most scenic road in America, after California Highway 1. The lodge and its surroundings have served as location for innumerable westerns.