Canoeing the Rio Grande

March-April 2015

Our route to the river

Wednesday, March 25

Arrival in San Angelo

• arrival at Microtel Inn and Suites, San Angelo, where we would overnight



• meeting Denis, Wendy and Jon

Thursday, March 26

Drive to the Rio Grande

• early morning shuttle to La Linda in Mike's truck (from Maine), Denis's van (from Colorado) and a rental van driven by Mike's friend, Larry Novak - Larry's wife, Jeannie, and daughter, Lori, were on board to shuttle the three vehicles back



• sunrise over the desert



• oil and wind farms



• canoe convoy



• through towns to the mountains



• getting to know fellow travellers (Betsy was casting on stitches to knit a poncho)



• travelling dusty dirt roads to reach the Black Cap Nature Reserve just outside Big Bend National Park

River launch

• lunch and put in at Heath Canyon in the nature reserve, near La Linda, Mexico, the site of a deserted mine



• orientation to paddling strokes by Jason



• the adventure begins

Rio Grande lower canyons

• Mike's and Denis' route maps - check out the turns in the river



• the canyons ahead



• we're off!