paddling the green river 9.3.14.

After driving up from Dinosaur National Monument, we aimed at Ashley National Forest and the Flaming Gorge Dam.

We didn't know if we'd just drive through or camp for the night, but when we arrived, we knew immediately that we'd be spending the rest of our afternoon paddling down the river.

After deliberating our self-shuttling technique (a single speed bicycle over four+ miles of hilly windy roads) we opted to pay the $40 fee for a shuttle service to allow us the privilege of paddling at a leisurely pace down the Green River.

We paddled from Flaming Gorge Dam to Little Hole, using a shuttle service out of Dutch John. 

The section we planned to paddle was A-G rapids, maxing out at class IV at best (Christian says, "It was III- at best, maybe at high flows it hits IV. I don't know. If flows matter, find a hydrograph for 9/3/14.")

We were the only ones putting on the river at the later time of day, so we had a beautifully empty river ahead of us. This is the view behind us as we started down from the dam.

The day was a deliciously warm sunny day with no wind, making for a perfect late afternoon paddle.

The water was amazing. So clear that we'd often get distracted by the river bed passing below us.

He opted to swim and soon tried to convince me it was good idea despite the frigid water temps.

This was taken right before I jumped in. I seriously hit the water and flew right out of it as quickly as possible because of the cold temps. As a result of the situation, there is no photographic proof of me swimming this day, though I promise I did.

The beautiful red canyon walls.

We found a spot to surf some waves.

As we took out of the river in late afternoon, we met a fisherman that knew the area fairly well. Our plan to camp included a pay-spot up the road that was fairly depressing because of recent fires having burnt out any and all vegetation. He recommended a free spot down a dirt turn off one of the roads through the area on our way out that would lead us to a perfect place to spend our night. I can't recommend getting local advice enough. As helpful as the free campsite websites are, you can't beat the local's advice when it comes to a safe and free spot to park for the night.

As a result, we spent the night right off the main road underneath a beautiful sunset and some powerlines as we planned our route for the next day.

Loulou loved sitting and watching as Christian or I cooked in the outdoor kitchen space each night.

finally hitting the road. 9.2.14

Because we'd worked well into the darkness the night before we intended to leave, after arriving back at my apartment to load up all our stuff and Loulou, we decided it'd be a lot smarter to leave a day later than intended to give us more time to prep and not rush.

Loulou wasn't exactly stoked when we first hit the road.

Loulou finally got settled right where she likes it…in the driver's seat.

Main streets don't have to be paved.

Christian consults Loulou the Navigator.

We headed north from Edwards, Colorado to Steamboat Springs and eventually found ourselves driving alongside their local stretch of the Yampah River. Readily equipped with our river gear and a Hyside shredder we'd borrowed from some of our good friends, we scouted the takeout, left our bike chained up to run shuttle and headed up to the put-in to pump up the boat and start paddling.

Our Campbulance quickly attracted a local's interest when we had parked and were prepping to get on the river.

Pumping up the shredder with our hand K-pump. Thankfully, it's a small boat.

The river was barely high enough to get through some spots, but luckily, a shredder handles shallow water extremely well and we were able to enjoy the sunshine and chilly water on the four mile stretch we paddled.

The weather couldn't be more perfect and as we rounded a bend, we noticed some natural hot spring pools so we pulled over to jump in and take our first river dip of the trip.

"This counts as a bath, right?"

My brand spanking new PFD made the hot spring experience even more relaxing.

They had some fun play waves along the way and a friendly sunbather offered take snap some photos of us attempting to surf.

After we dried off and got back on the road, we aimed toward Dinosaur National Monument for the night. We'd read about some BLM campsites just outside the boundaries of the monument on a Free Campsites website so we followed the directions to a beautiful secluded spot under the stars and made our first dinner on the road.

Our outside kitchen space makes cooking around a campfire pretty darn easy. Just pull up, open the hatch and get started!

Our first camp spot couldn't have been a more perfect start to the trip. Next update...onto Utah and another river adventure!