For several people, including myself, this was a split trip. Mark Foster and Dave Solomon took out at Mineral Bottom which is where I joined the trip. Everyone else was top to bottom. My trip report is included within my photo gallery while Mark Foster has his summary written here. Photo accrediation to Dave Solomon, Jan Bronson, Roscoe Hodson, and Mike Watts.
Day 1: By morning, the rain had stopped. Mike & Jan, Roscoe, Mark, and Mike headed over to Tex's Riverways to meet the shuttle that would take them to Ruby Ranch. Dave and I got in my truck and headed for Ruby Ranch to meet them. Along the way, we did some unexpected four wheeling when an ambiguous sign sent us astray. We loaded the boats and headed downstream. The flow was about 2,400 CFS. It was 45 miles to Mineral Bottom, where Dave and I would take out. After a leisurely five miles, we called it a day and made camp. Mark's Photo Page.
Day 2: Today we needed to make some miles. We left our camp below the arch and headed downstream. There was a brief stop at Three Canyons. We passed June's Bottom and proceeded on to Register Rock. Then it was more paddling. We made twenty two miles for the day and camped on one of the Green River's many sandbars. Mark's Photo Page.
Day 3: Bowknot Bend was our first stop of the day. We climbed up to the saddle and admired the river views on both sides. It was about a quarter mile across. By water, it was seven miles to the other side. We continued on past the Bend and found a big sand bar to camp on. We had gone fourteen miles for the day. Mark's Photo Page.
Day 4: We left our sandbar and headed for Mineral Bottom. The plan was that Gene would meet us there with my truck and the water re-supply. Dave and I would leave and Gene would join the trip for the Stillwater Canyon portion. As it was less than five miles to Mineral Bottom, we took our time breaking camp. We stopped at a canyon to view some inscriptions. We arrived at Mineral Bottom about one. Gene arrived about three. The shuttle of my truck had been two hours late."
Dave and I loaded up and headed for Bluff. The drive out of Mineral Bottom was interesting. Two quads passed us, one of them carrying two 20' sticks of 1" rebar. Once we got to town, it took us close to forty-five minutes to get through the traffic jam and mob scene that is Moab. We eventually made it to Bluff and set up camp. After enjoying a beautiful sunset, we were surprised by a micro-burst that sent Dave's tent and other worldly possessions flying. Fortunately there are no pictures of the sight of two seventy-somethings running through the desert chasing down camping gear.
The next day we had an uneventful drive back to Phoenix. Mark's Photo Page.