Arizona
Grand Canyon
May 2001		     As we proceeded downstream, the walls of the canyon continue to become more prominent.  From this point, it almost appears as if the river ends.  Matt asked, "which way do we turn?"  As we proceeded, the river turned to the left; the right side was a washout of an old side canyon.
As we approached, a minor rapid appeared.  Mike explained to us that a rapid is created when debris washes into the stream -
Dalila Tber, Paris, France             Guide: Mike Trainor, Colorado   
Bienvenue vers les Etats-Unis                                                         
  
as compared to a cataract, which is created when debris falls into a stream from the walls of a canyon.  Our guides, Mike Trainor, Matt Gerber, and MJ (Mary Jane) Bonilla were excellent!  I mentioned that Mike had his degree in Geology and he intends to get his masters in Fish and Wildlife Management.  Each guide was very familiar with the canyon, Mike alone had 60 previous trips down the river.  I'm convinced of one thing: your trip is only as good as your guide - and we got lucky!  Thanks Mike, Matt, and MJ.

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