I'm in Las Vegas for the weekend to run the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon on the strip and enjoy some great food and drink. That said, I don't want to be spending my day in the hotel and so, I arranged to take a short kayak tour on the Colorado a few miles below Hoover Dam through the Black Canyon. Even though the race is tonight, I think I'll be have enough energy to do both.
The Blazing Paddles (great name, by the way) shuttle picked me up as arranged at the Excalibur Hotel and Casino, where I met a few others going on the trip with me. After a short stop at their office to sign the necessary waivers, we headed to our launch point near the Willow Beach Marina, which is a few miles over the border into Arizona. In total, it took us about forty-five minutes to get there, but the company was good and the scenery spectacular. Though I lived in Nevada for many years, I never get tired of seeing this desert landscape.
After a very brief safety discussion, we were quickly in the water. It seems all of us are experienced paddlers and so, the guide didn't feel the need to spend to much time boring us with the basics. It was appreciated by everyone. The waters here are a clear dark blue, with tints of emerald green when the sun hits it just right. We begin our paddle heading up river, all of us making pretty good time and staying in a loose configuration. We observe an osprey scanning the river for lunch as well as a group of buzzards plotting to rob him of it. It feels good to be out on the water. I had a big dinner last night at Gordon Ramsey's Pub and Grill, and I need to work off some calories. Between this paddle and the race tonight, I'm sure that won't be a problem.
About a mile-and-a-half in, our guide indicates for us to beach ourselves near the ruins of an old river gauger's station. After a very short hike up the canyon wall, we explore what remains of the dwelling as our guide explains what it was used for. When they were surveying for construction of Hoover Dam, many factors came into play. One of the most important being river depth and flow. The hearty men that lived here were responsible for collecting that data. Not much remains, but this high spot above the river offers a magnificent view.
Relaunching our boats, we continue up-river toward the cave, which is our final destination for today. Along the way, we spot a couple of big horn sheep doing their rock-climbing along the walls of the canyon. We also see some of the scaffolding and a cable trolley car that remains for those days when the river was being surveyed here.
After turning a short corner, we approach Emerald Cave. This is a popular spot for tourists and we have to wait our turn to enter, but those ahead of us are quick and polite - no worries. When it's our turn, our guide says that's it's better to back-paddle into the small cave and each of us in turn does so. The cave is not very large, but goes back a few yards into the depths of the rock. It's notable because when the sun hits it correctly, the waters inside the cave shine with a emerald hue. We don't have the ideal lighting this morning, but we can still get some taste of what it might look like and it's quite beautiful.
We linger for a little while and then head back out to the main channel of the river to allow others their turn. The return trip down-river is very casual as we are ahead of schedule a bit. It seems everyone here has a pretty strong stroke. Our guide asks us to just float most of the way back and to take in the beauty around us. Okay, I'm convinced. It's very relaxing, but eventually we return to our launch point and pull the boats out of the water. In total, we paddled just shy of five miles. We head over to the small general store and enjoy some refreshments. While several of the other participants enjoy a cold craft beer, I abstain. I know it's quite out of character for me, but with a half-marathon to run in only a couple of hours, I decide to err on the side of wisdom. Overall, a great experience.
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