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Show PI. Grove Residents Run Colorado's Yampa River ' .pjJW jIImMSM '""aKB jyjjjgfrB Fifty Ride White Water In Colorado by Jack Hid Spectacular scenery, exciting rapids and people who don't mind getting wet are all ingredients that we found in last weeks western river run. Tuesday, July 18th, we put in the Yampa River, last undammed tributary of the Colorado River system, at Elk Springs, Colorado. Elk Springs is about 100 miles east of Vernal, Utah. For eight pleasant miles, the meandering Yampa treated us to sights of swimming beaver and honking Canadian geese set in a backdrop of rolling sagebrush and juniper covered hills. STOPPED Within a mile of our first nights campsite, Deerlodge Park, just inside Dinosaur National Monument, a terrific wind and rain-squall rain-squall battered our six and nine man rubber WHITE WATER Warm Springs rapid is shot by Marty, the boatman, Cindy Robinson, Ray Proctor & Cindy Bayless rafts. The force of the wind stopped us in mid-stream while crashing thunder made the hugh raindrops seem even bigger than they were. We paddled our boat for shore, a muddy sand bar with an overhanging sagebrush covered band that offered some protection. As Mark Bonham, Don Wright, our boatman and I shivered knee deep in mud, struggling to hide behind the wind whipped tarp, we all got, unexplainably, the giggles. My wife, An ne, and son Clark found a somewhat dryer spot a few feet away and when the squall stopped as suddenly sud-denly as it had begun, five soaking wet river rats with the giggles had another good laugh. Right then you knew it would be a great trip. (Continued on Page 4) Down the Rugged Yampa River in Rubber Rafts HELP! Mark Bonham enjoys an exciting ride down Warm Springs rapid. This rapid, best on Yampa River, was formed in 1965 when a flash flood washed pickup truck sized boulders into river channel. (Continued from Page 1) DEERLODGE Shortly we were at camp, in dry clothes that were being warmed war-med by the setting sun. A nearly full moon, shinning through the mist of heavy dew, turned the campsite into in-to an unforgetable picture pic-ture of black cotton-wood cotton-wood trees silhouetted against a background of silver. LONG RUN Wednesday's run of 26 miles, the longest of our five day trip, took us to Harding Hole Campground. Several rapids, "white water", gave variety to the float and of course Paul Allen, Clarence and Carol Wilson started star-ted enough water fights to keep everyone wet in between the rapids. With the big snows of this past winter win-ter still feeding the Yampa, "Tepee, Five Springs and Big Joe" rapids kept everyone alert. 50YEARS AGO Fifty years ago, The Denver Post sponsored a Yampa expedition that took two weeks to complete. Their 1928 wooden boats were frequently swamped, causing loss of supplies and photographic equipment. From written writ-ten acounts, it was more ordeal than fun and the four man expedition ex-pedition was happy just to survive. TODAY IS FUN Modern equipment, rubber rafts, life jackets and years of hard earned experience make today's river run more fun than ordeal. LOADING AT HARDING HOLE Joy Proctor, Dennis Wilson, Clarence Clar-ence Wilson, Ray Proctor, Carol Wilson and "Doc" Cottam load boats after camp at Harding Hole. "Doc" Cottam was oldest member mem-ber of the group at a young 73!. River running was fun for him. CATFISH Because the Yampa fluctuates so radically between high and low water, it is not a good trout steam. It is, however, famous for Yampa Catfish. At Harding Hole we caught a mess of the famous channel cats to fry for breakfast Thursday morning. STORM Late that night, the towering sandstone canyon walls echoed the sounds and reflected reflec-ted flashing lights from a booming celestial artillery duel and light show. The thunderstorm was a great treat for some of the 56 member party, par-ty, but frankly I've never been comfortable in the middle of one of natures awesome displays of power. NEXT WEEK Cliff Jumping at Box Elder Park |