The genesis of this road trip began about three years ago, when Bernice Lewis (a singer-songwriter from Williamstown, MA) mentioned at the end of a concert, that she was organizing a raft trip down the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. We did not think twice before saying “Sign us up!”.
The trip had a musical flavor. We traveled with guitars, ukuleles and other makers of joyful noise. Music was made each evening and a few times at stops during the day. Songs were sung most of the time and more than a few verses of, mostly doggerel, lyrics were composed while floating the river.
The rafts, guides, etc. were provided by Arizona Rafting Adventures (AZRA) out of Flagstaff, AZ. The two rafts were large motorized craft. They accommodated 29 folks, including the guides, and everything we needed (or wanted) for ten days.
One thing the rafts were not… dry! We were damp (or soaked) for most of the day while on the river. All part of the adventure!
Our guides (Jeb, Dennis, Kelly and Bert) kept us safe. entertained. educated and well fed. Thank you all.
The service provided by AZRA and our guides was first-rate. Highly recommended.
During they day, while on the water, I made relatively few photographs. The light was poor (harsh and high) and my little cameras batteries gave out some time on day four. Most of my “river photos” were made in camp, either early-ish in the morning or late in the afternoon, as we made camp for the night. The real “golden hour” light (just after sunrise or just before sunset) that landscape photographers love never reaches to the river st the bottom of a canyon. Although I knew this going in, it still took some getting used to when actually there at the bottom of the canyon.
I was most interested in making photographs showing the river in the main canyon…
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Some days, we made mid-day stops to hike side canyons…
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Sometimes the light at the “local rim” was too interesting to pass up…
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Here are some photos I made while actually on the rafts….
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Even though the colors in the canyon border on fantastical, I made some black and white photos…
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Wonderful photos, Frank! Thank you so much for sharing these. We just got home last night, so we’ll get some out to share, soon.
Robin & Jeff
Comment by Robin Brickman — 11 October 2018 @ 10:10 PM
Frank,
You’ve captured the color and majesty of the canyon terrifically! Thanks so much for sharing these spectacular photos and the experience.
All the best,
Rudi
Comment by Rudi Berkelhamer — 11 October 2018 @ 10:12 PM
Thanks for sharing your wonderful photos Frank! I really enjoyed getting to know you and Joan, you are delightful people and I hope to see you again somewhere down the road
Comment by Susan Gurvich — 13 October 2018 @ 4:44 PM
Your photos are indeed fabulous and I have enjoyed photos and blog. Thank you so much for sharing. Hope we meet again someday. Norma
Comment by Norma — 13 October 2018 @ 7:57 PM
Spectacular photos! I love the way you’ve captured the dramatic light and shadow, shape and color of the canyon. Thank you for sharing these. Such good memories. Kathy L.
Comment by Kathy L. — 15 October 2018 @ 2:58 PM