Cataract Canyon River Trip, Aug 22-27, 2008

Another nice set of spires a short way down the river from Mineral Bottom.
--to be continued

Just downriver from the launch, this view presented itself.

Our raft, a 14' Hyside, looks small compared to one of the commercial trip's 18' boats. But it is a good size for the two of us.

A commercial river trip arrived the morning of our launch and set up their boats. Their passengers were soon flown in, landing at the airstrip that is very near Mineral Bottom. Here, the commercial boatpeople are readying their boats.

Upon reaching the bottom of the cliff, you drive upstream for perhaps two miles to Mineral Bottom, located by the big trees at the end of the bottomland. Maybe you'll do your own car shuttle (take your car to the takeout near Hite and get back somehow) or you'll have paid a shuttle company to do this. We paid a shuttle service in Green River, Utah.

The road into the launch on the Green River, Utah, switchbacks down this cliff to a place called Mineral Bottom, just north of the Island in the Sky part of Canyonlands National Park. This is the part of Canyonlands that's between the Green and the Colorado Rivers, reached off Highway 313 from Highway 191 between Moab and I-70. This place is also not far from Deadhorse Point State Park, though that is on the Colorado River side of the plateau.

At the bottom of the cliff, you'll find the junction with the White Rim Trail, which goes downstream above the Green River and back along the Colorado River, paralleling the Green River portion of our river trip. Reservations are required to camp along the White Rim. Reservations are also needed for river trips traversing Canyonlands National Park, which this trip will do.

Artisans in Papaturro

Three artists of Papaturro, who all do beadwork, came to Patty's for me to photograph them. Results, as I understand it, may end up on a website supporting the work of artisans in El Salvador.

The Ruins of Copan, Honduras

Patty walking into the large museum near the Copan ruins, where many of the original stone carvings are now kept. This way, the originals (having been excavated) are not out in the rain and in the moist Honduran climate.

This was the Ball Court that Governor 18 Rabbit built. The sloping surfaces on either side were apparently part of the playing space. Points seem to have been awarded if the ball hit one of those pillars seen atop the sloping surface. Spectators sat on another slope, on stone benches, at the end of the court just out of this photo.

Possibly, this building was once part of the living area of the ruler and his family. At least this building was toward that end of the complex. Having more time at Copan would probably answer this question.

Detail of the magnificent Mayan ruins here

One of the central parts of the ancient ceremonial site. This Copan site was active during the final centuries of the Roman Empire though the two cultures, on different continents, didn't know about each other.

These wildly colored macaws sat on the fence near where you buy your ticket into the ruins.

Our great little hotel in the town of Copan Ruinas, Honduras. We did have to change rooms to get an air conditioner that worked, but this was a minor thing.

This bus headed uphill and upvalley from the highway junction at La Entrada, Honduras, toward the town of Copan Ruinas. It broke down partway there, but a van came and took us the rest of the way. So we made it to where we wanted to be.

Patty's Home in Papaturro, July 2008

A neighbor's house, seen from Patty's porch in Papaturro.

More colorful growing things...

A multicolored plant on the porch.

Another view of Patty's porch. Here, the house is for cooking and sleeping. The large porch is for living.

Washing dishes with a young friend on her back porch.

Her house includes a large, covered porch with hammocks--a common thing in that country!

Less visible because of Central American greenery, this is Patty's house in Papaturro. The small town is probably 35 miles NE of San Salvador, about 11 miles off the road to Suchitoto.

Papaturro Community and Farmland, July 2008

A particularly beautiful field, with an expanse of yellow flowers in the distance.

Lolo and Patty, standing among other crops (beans?) that Lolo raises.

Lolo and his crop of corn. He took us on a walking tour of farming land near Papaturro.

Esperanza, wife of Lolo, near neighbors of Patty, makes tortillas. These are smaller and thicker than tortillas we generally get in the US.

Papaturro, School, July 2008

Outside of the elementary school in Papaturro

Girl in one of the classrooms we visited. A pleasant face here!

This is a teacher at the elementary school we visited in Papaturro. School was in session in July, so El Salvador must have a different school schedule than we do.

Below, the teacher running her class, which scene I don't suppose is particularly different from the same scene anywhere in the world.

Suchitoto, July 2008

I only have one photograph of this wonderful town in the north, so I'll make a separate post just for it. This is Suchitoto, through which we passed on our way to Honduras.

San Salvador, July 27, 2008

The main street leaving San Salvador

Small town near San Salvador

Leaving San Martin, a suburb of San Salvador

Graffiti in San Salvador. I don't remember what the red post in the median held up.

We caught city buses in San Salvador. I'm glad Patty knew where she was going.

Teresa's in San Salvador, July 27, 2008

Street in front of Teresa's home

Patty and Teresa

Patty and Teresa in Teresa's home

Teresa's kitchen

This is a pila. Everybody in El Salvador has one. It's a concrete structure which is mostly a large tank of water, accessible through the middle opening. The left and right sunken shelves are drained to the outside. You dip out water as needed for dishwashing or other jobs.

Ducks, which clean up amazingly well. Anything edible that you may drop is immediately eaten, so you just don't worry about it.

Our first stop in San Salvador was the home of Teresa, who, when Patty lived in El Salvador for several years, provided day care for Patty's son and daughter.

Travel to San Salvador, July 26, 2008

Somewhere over the Caribbean, or perhaps Yucatan, Mexico, I was enroute to San Salvador, the capital of El Salvador. Because of cloud cover, it was hard to tell exactly where I was. I flew from Denver to Dallas/Fort Worth, and from there to San Salvador.

I include this photo, taken the morning of my departure, to show how different my part of the world is in comparison to the region I was about to visit. This is South Park, Colorado, taken from the summit of Kenosha Pass, enroute to Denver.

Last of the San Juan (for now)

An overhang above the river where ancient people had built
a structure of stone, as they often did.

Sand-blown. It was rather windy on our first night.
This is how my bedroll looked in the morning. I don't
sleep in a tent if I can help it, but perhaps would have
if I'd known about this.....!

Mouth of Slickhorn Gulch from upstream

Pool in Slickhorn Gulch

Two rafts--my Hyside and Smiths' Adventurer

Detail, shoreline. Water and wet rocks.