What I'm Focussed On - Water

[MarkBarbieri]

 

[klmall]

Box Canyon, Mt. Rainier NP

 

[MarkBarbieri]

That's lake Michigan. I think it looks a lot snowier today. Good luck anyone living in that region. I don't know how you guys survive those snowstorms.

 

[klmall]

 

[MarkBarbieri]

The Buffalo River in Arkansas back in 2007. The trip started nicely, but then a storm blew in. We survived a really rough night of wind, rain, and lightning, but it just kept raining and raining. At 9:00 AM the next morning, we decided we didn't want to spend another night on the river with everything soaked, so we loaded up and paddled about 45 miles with almost no breaks to get off the river.

 

[klmall]

I had a similar experience with our Venture Crew Scouts canoeing on the St. Croix River bordering Canada and Maine. Our very first night a huge, very scary storm blew in with massive lightning and thunder and practically shredded our dining fly and actually moved a couple of our tents. We had no choice but to continue (pre-cell phone days) and we didn't have a sat phone but we were truly shaken up. Luckily the rain only lasted a couple days but by our second night we were soaked and so was almost all the wood. At least the next seven days were better weather.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

My boys and I taking a boat along the Amalfi Coast. My wife took the picture.

 

[klmall]

Lower Salmon River, Idaho. The paddle standing up means the "facilities" are empty. Next user takes the paddle with them.

 

[senecabeach]

 

[klmall]

 

[PrincessInOz]

 

[klmall]

Arkansas River viewed from Royal Gorge Railroad

 

[kimmar067]

 

[PrincessInOz]

 

[klmall]

Chilnualna Falls, just outside Yosemite NP

 

[kimmar067]

 

[klmall]

 

[kimmar067]

 

[klmall]

 

[MarkBarbieri]

I don't recall who took this picture, but that's me and my wife sitting in the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. I think that was 10+ days after a the last rainstorm on the trip, but the water was still chocolaty brown. The quote was "It's too thick to drink and too thin to plow." In truth, it is what we drank. The crew could fill buckets from the river, let the water settle for several hours, and then filter the clear water on the top part of the bucket.

We were prepared for the water to be extremely cold (50°F or 10°C), but it was much warmer. Normally, it is very cold because it comes from the bottom of the lake behind the Glen Canyon Dam. The lake level has gotten so low, that the water is returning to more normal temps. That's great for the endangered fish in the area and for boaters wanting to relax in the river, but the low water is a huge problem for people living and farming out west.