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November eNewsletter |
| Happy Fall! We just finished celebrating the end of our 2009 season here in Bluff with our first ever interpretive training trip and a lovely gathering and feast. Our historically focused training trip included a diverse collection of folks who have explored, guided, written, photographed and researched various aspects of life near and on the San Juan River. We were met at River House by Brandt Hart, one of our local BLM River Rangers, who was kind enough to spend a day off sharing information about historic inscriptions that he is researching. We were treated to animated and engaging stories of Norm Nevills and Kenny Ross (founder of Wild Rivers Expeditions), of evolutions in gear and boats, of UFO's and beaver graves. We hiked and shared and learned things we never would have expected from one another which we'll look forward to making part of the experience that we are able to share with passengers as well as our boating and resident community here in Bluff.
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| Wild Rivers is proud to offer... |
With the 2009 season coming to a close, we are looking toward 2010. We are grateful for the chance to work with an array of scholars and specialists who share our love of the river to offer trips with specific areas of interpretive focus. While some are still in the incubator, we do have new trips coming together daily and hope that you'll keep an eye on our website where we'll announce new "Featured Trip" offerings. We are delighted to have met Dr. Bryan Brown, a career ornithologist on the Colorado Plateau who will join us for two trips next season that focus on bird life here on the San Juan River. We'll explore the upper canyon with Bryan in early May and then travel from Bluff to Clay Hills Crossing in early June. While our interpretation often focuses on the abundant archeology and striking geology that are present on the San Juan, a river in the desert is a bloodline for the entire ecosystem and we are anticipating the exploration of the river through the lens of it's natural history with great excitement. We have also recently scheduled a trip in September of 2010 focusing on the geologic and natural history of the Colorado Plateau with Dr. Gene Stevenson. With a career in guiding and interpreting the geology of the area and a passion for paleotectonics, we are always astounded at Gene's ability to lead us through a story to understand the rock we are standing on and the view that it affords. Please find trip dates and details for these and other 2010 adventures on our website and contact us with questions or further informational needs.
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| Winter in Bluff |
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Things get awfully quiet here in Bluff in the winter, but we are proud to be part of a community full of people who share a love of the landscape that we all live in and whose talents amaze us again and again. The Bluff Arts Festival is coming up soon with a remarkable line up of events that focus on the river and, as always, fantastic art and poetry. You can find out details about this mid-November event by clicking here. In late January, we'll anticipate a few mornings of skies full of hot air balloons at the annual Balloon Festival as well. Keep track of Bluff events and businesses at www.bluffutah.org. |
| Honoring Marcus Buck |
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We are proud to honor Marcus Buck with our very official River Guide Press Crown this year. The honor was passed on this fall from the reigning Nathan Sosa (check out the NYTimes article here ) one fine morning at the Sand Island boat ramp. In addition to a full handful of stories in the European press this year, experiences of a day on the river with Marcus were recounted in the Las Vegas Review Journal as well as a front page spread in the Navajo Times. We applaud Marcus' determination and professionalism through many years of learning and share the opinion with many of you as our guests that he has truly made a craft of sharing the San Juan River with his passengers. |
| End of the year celebration |
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Our end of the year party celebrated an outstanding 2009 season and the life of a special friend of ours, Lupita Dos. In an ongoing exploration of the production and consumption of food, we raised our second pig here at Wild Rivers this year. Lupita Dos followed in her predecessor's hoof prints with her own, rather sassy style, and taught us countless lessons about food, and pigs, and ourselves. She was often seen with front legs atop the railing of her pen grunting away as trips pulled in, as if to say, "Bring me those coolers". Lupita Dos provided the feast for our celebration, a serious stash of meat in the freezer, and our first attempts at brining and curing ham and bacon. We'll remember her with gratitude and fondness.
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- IN THIS ISSUE -
Happy Fall!
Wild Rivers is proud to offer...
Winter in Bluff
Honoring Marcus Buck
End of the year celebration
Birding Down the
San Juan River
November Recipe -
Antipasto-style eggplant
Find us on Facebook
Featured River Trip
Birding Down the
San Juan River
Location: San Juan River
Date: 5/5/10 - 5/8/10
Duration: 4 days
Join Ornithologist Dr. Bryan Brown as he leads a 4 day trip down the San Juan River from Bluff to Mexican Hat. This trip is for both the casual birder and the more experienced birders. Bryan has studied the birds of the Colorado Plateau for over 30 years. Learn about Peregrine Falcons, bird calls, identification and more!
Find out more »
November Recipe
Antipasto-style eggplant preserved in olive oil
Peel and cut a ripe eggplant into chunks (we like thin rectangles 1 - 2 inches long). Toss with salt and allow them to sit in a colander to drain for at least 12 hours. They will lose a lot of liquid so set the colander in a larger bowl or sink. Toss the drained eggplant with enough red wine vinegar to coat and then layer it into pint jars with basil, red pepper flakes and smashed cloves of garlic. Press the layers down. Drain off excess vinegar and cover the contents with extra virgin olive oil. Put the lid on and keep refrigerated. We kept each other from breaking into the first jar for at least a week and they just get better with time. We like them on sandwiches and pizzas, and are often caught eating them straight out of the jar.
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