Today is my dad's birthday. He's been gone for 4 years so I hope you'll indulge me as I reminisce a little. My dad was a large man. I don’t mean he was fat and heavy—I mean he was a man that lived life in a large way. He spent his entire life out of doors working hard. His occupation was a wildlife biologist so he spent his days in the mountains that surround our home. He was tall and strong, his face and arms brown from the sun that constantly beat on them. He took long purposeful strides. He loved to laugh, sing silly songs and tell tall tales. My favorite feature was his brilliantly blue eyes. He could lie on a ridge and spot a desert big horn sheep on the run quicker than anyone.
my dad in the front with the straw hat and overall's, putting the raft in the water
For my photo story today I thought I’d share some pictures (taken in the 70’s) of one of the very large adventures my dad took me on when I was a teen-age girl. Utah is famous for its white water. The year I graduated from high school my dad got a permit to run
Lodore Canyon. It’s a grueling 3 day run down the green river.
This is an ariel shot of Lodore canyon
This is a picture of where we put in--the gates of Lodore. It's called that because the two mountains forming the entrance into the canyon appear to be closed from a distance, but as you approach they appear to widen and open to allow you into the canyon.
this was our favorite rapid, aptly named Hell's Half Mile. We spent an afternoon there running it time and time again. I tell you its better than any roller coaster ride.
this shot is looking down the chute of Hell's half mile
my dad was famous for his dutch oven cooking. He cooked all the meals for us on this trip. This was breakfast the morning after Hell's Half Mile.
These two pictures are of Triplet Falls, we actually had one of our rafts capsize in this rapid. But fortunately they had their life-jackets on and body surfed their way safely through. All was collected at the end and we continued on our way with no more mishaps.
At the confluence of the Yampa River in the Split Mountain area there is a long stretch of flat, shallow, warm water. We mostly swam, played and of course had a gigantic water fight.
My dad is standing in the water after dunking all of the big boys who thought they could take him!
The River Rats at the end of the trip
my mother is wearing the floppy hat and holding a grandchild on her lap, dad sits next to her. That's Mr. J with the black ball cap and I'm standing behind him (the one with the long blond curls).
Running the river with my dad was just one of the many adventures he took our family on. I miss the old guy--he lived large in my life and when he left, he left a very large hole in my heart.
Excuse me as I'm out today celebrating my dad's life with my mother and siblings, I'll visit other stories another day.
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