‘There is no sight on earth which matches Grand Canyon. There are other canyons, other mountains and other rivers, but this Canyon excels all in scenic grandeur. Can any visitor, upon viewing Grand Canyon, grasp and appreciate the spectacle spread before him? The ornate sculpture work and the wealth of color are like no other landscape. They suggest an alien world. The scale is too outrageous. The sheer size and majesty engulf the intruder, surpassing his ability to take it in.’ JD Morris
Friday July 16th
We meet my Brother Eric and his family at Lees Ferry "The put in" and are told that Eric is "The Real River guide". His friend Mark Lineback who also ran rivers for many years is there as well. Dave McDonald gives us lectures on the layers of rock strata. It’s so great to have his explanations. I thought I understood and appreciated the rock layers the first trip, 15 years ago. But, this is a new appreciation.
Once we donned out life jackets and were in our pontoon boat, we stopped in this huge amphitheater to play volleyball. KC (Keith) was the star running down the hill to rescue the ball from the river. His P90X has paid off. 
Vacey’s Paradise is a spot where a spring shoots out of the top of the cliff resulting in lots of green foliage and clean sweet drinking water. 
My newphews Andrew and Beau are interested in Mark Lineback's daughter Aimee.......for her umm...... river knowledge. 
This promises to be an interesting river trip on many levels, the geology, the spiritually, the rapids and the PSYCHOLOGY of four teenagers .Saturday July 17th
Unkar ‘Delta. We saw remnants of Indian homes and McKenna found these “real” arrowheads. (which Eric bought and had her hide there) 
We camp on the sandbars at night and put together some pretty excellent meals from the supplies we bought from the ceiba adventure company. The rapids are noisy but the stars are really bright.
July 18th Sunday
We saw Elves Chasm. Stopped the boats at Phantom Ranch. The only sign of civilization for many miles. Got this cool t-shirt and got to use a real toilet instead of the big ammo can with a toilet seat we have to use in camp.
July 19 Monday
We went up a narrow slot canyon for lunch. McKenna was worried about flash flooding. While we explored we heard a loud booming sound and decided to exit quickly.
July 20th Tuesday
Lovely waterfall, the others continued up to Deer Creek, but the fath ws too narrow and sloping for me. Dave did fall and scrape up his leg, but they made it up safely.
July 21st Wednesday
Lake Havasu Day. 4 hour hike. Beautiful canyon and milky blue water, this is the gem of the Grand Canyon. It was hot and my wet pants chaffed my legs. We camped at a place called Fern Gully, a narrow slot canyon with enough water that ferns grow on the rocks.
July 22nd Thursday
Got up and did Lava- the most famous rapid. It has a ledge that makes it technical, so you park the boat above the rive and climb the hill above it to "scout" out the rapid. It gives you a little bit of a scare to think you are going to take your boat through a class 10 rapid on purpose!
It was my duty to sit in the front like I did 15 years ago. Danica sat with me. It was such a wild ride, the strap broke where KC was holding onto the pontoon. Afterwards Mark talked me into going through 3 rapids in the inflatable canoe. It was exciting. Crystal rapid was the other exciting and very wet rapid that came close to Lava.
July 23rd Friday
Stopped at a beautiful waterfall. It was so hot and the water so flat, we kept shooting each other with the water canon. Kassidy and Mark Lineback were canoeing in the inflatable canoe and got too close to the front of the boat, stuck in an eddy and then run over by the boat. It was really tense. Kassidy was drug underneath the boat. We thought she would be a goner. We cut the motor and screamed her name helplessly. After what seemed like minutes she popped up with a look of terror on her face. 
It's just so hot, maybe 110 degrees F that it just doesn't feel that bad when someone named Danica drags you into a beautiful waterfall. 
Did awards on everyone in the camp. Andrew told me his dramatic and tragic love life and we looked at the stars with the star chart.
July 24
Saw a boiling rapid past the Pierce Ferry. Heard that a boat got stuck in the 90 degree angle and couldn’t get out. 
Stopped and bought a handmade necklace of Turquoise from a Navaho named Sally. It is so sad to leave the beautiful Grand Canyon.....but glorious to take a hot bath in the motel after 9 days of sleeping in the sand.
