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Show ' . .- - .... 'V2"'V ... i . . ; . ... v - .-- i So Far, So Good, Smokey Knowlton and his two sons, aboard J "River Love:" prepare to meet Big Drop Number Two In Cataract Canyon. Smokey and crew passed through Moab three Thanhs PJloab For Your Hospitality, Friendship Moab area river boatmen received high praise from a recent visitor for their care and respect for the Colorado River, and the people of Moab also received thanks for hospitality offered. Smokey Knowlton and his sons, Ron and Randy, who are traveling the length of the Colorado in a unique 3-unit craft of their own conception, wrote to express their feelings. Of local boatmen, Knowlton said, "These young men I have the highest respect for. They have, through their jobs, chosen to be protectors of the river and land they travel. The river banks I travelled above , Moab were undisturbed and weeks ago on a trip that will cover the length of the Colorado River. After Cataract Canyon, their only obstacle will be the Grand Canyon. So Far, So Good. absolutely clear of litter, with mud, wildlife and beauty. It was unbelievable to us when we discovered that as many as seventy to eighty people per day travel by boat through this beautiful canyon." He compared the situation elsewhere saying, "I know from my experiences up river that fines and signs don't make the difference, but the boatman with his interpretation interpreta-tion to the people and absolute respect for the river and the land through which it travels does make a difference." Those men make an impression impres-sion on the people they take on river trips, said Knowlton. "In talking with them about the excitement of rapids and the unpredictable hazards of the Colorado as it finds its way through great cliffs and canyons, I get a feeling about their work. The money, the job is not that important. More important is that others are able to feel and understand what this land is about with its wierd and wonderful rock formations, calm winding river, riv-er, blue skies, white clouds, green vegetation lining the river flowing through flat valleys and canyon floors and the wildlife and birdlife." He attributes the care boatmen take to the fact that "the depth of time and history of its exactness, now as it was years ago when Indians and early pioneers saw things just as we see them now, make it a place where God is felt with its desolation and stillness." Knowlton expressed thanks to those who picked he and his sons as they traveled back and forth from camp during the 5-day delay here while waiting for Park Service permits to go through Canyonlands National Park on the river. He said, "especially appreciated were those with their loving dogs that tried to lick us to death (being away from home we appreciated the love and affection)." He also noted that "everyone "every-one was nice and friendly to us during our stay," adding that "we were spotted early as outsiders because of dress and absence of shoes, which had been discarded weeks before in our venture down the river." He concluded "Our five-day delay in Moab turned out to be a most memorable part of our trip south. To Moab and its people: Thanks for your hospitality." |