Grand Canyon connections
Exploring the Canyon Wren's Song
Common Ravens are common to both the Northwoods and the Grand Canyon. This one Is perched on a ledge of Tapeats Sandstone. The sweet, descending notes of a Canyon Wren cascaded down the sandstone cliff and reached my ears above the rumble of a 30-horsepower motor on the back of our raft. In the days leading up to this rafting trip down the Colorado River, I’d been hoping to hear that sound. I’d come to love the song of the Canyon Wren when I was an intern in Southeast Utah almost 20 years ago.
A Unique Adventure Unfolds
Little else felt familiar as the sandstone cliffs and dusty shale slopes of the Grand Canyon rose above the 19 of us on that raft. I knew just one person on the trip. Colleen Miniuk is a professional photographer I’d become friends with during Outdoor Writers Association of America conferences. This was one of the many photography workshops she hosts each year, and two years ago she’d convinced me to add this “Grand Canyon Rafting Photo Retreat” to my bucket list. But she was at the back of the raft with the guides, and I sat at the very front with strangers in a strange landscape. Colleen Miniuk is a professional photographer, but here she takes goofy photos of the raft as we load back up after a side hike.
The Beauty of Nature Unveiled
Various species of evening primrose flowers grow beautifully in both the Grand Canyon and the Northwoods.