Breakfast is bagels, pastries, and fruit.  We pack the boat and get on for our group picture taken by Carolyn.  Then we get to take a picture of our crew.  On both my prior raft trips, a jet boat came here and picked us up, but on this trip we are driving our big boat all the way to Pearce Ferry.  The Park Service recently completed a new Pearce Ferry road, allowing us to take out there.  Before, we went all the way to South Cove.

Our group picture 5-4-2012 @ 6:52	Our crew picture 5-4-2012 @ 6:53

     After pushing off, I tell everyone about an amazing story of heroism by Carolyn and Jake on my last raft trip in 2009 when there was another group camped next to us at Spencer Canyon.  They were asleep on the boat when Carolyn thought she heard something go plop in the water.  She raised up just in time to see a head being quickly pulled downstream.  She yelled to Jake about a person overboard and both jump off the boat.  Jake dived in the water while Carolyn continued running downstream just far enough to be able to pull the victim from the water.  The young lady was still semi-dazed and did not seem to realize where she was.  It turns out that she was a sleep walker and had been drinking heavily that night.  I hope she realized that she owes her life to Carolyn, who was diligent enough to raise up and investigate a noise she heard while sleeping.

     We are slowly drilling our way downriver in a area called Sand Alley.  It is shallow and care must be taken not to get our big boat stuck.

	Sand Alley 5-4-2012 @ 7:22

     In about an hour, we pass the Hualapai Helipad and boat docks where some people fly in from Las Vegas, view the Canyon briefly, and then fly back, having completed their visit to the Grand Canyon in a matter of hours.

Hualapai helicopter 5-4-2012 @ 8:40	Hualapai helicopter 5-4-2012 @ 8:41

Hualapai boats 5-4-2012 @ 9:13	Hualapai buildings 5-4-2012 @ 9:13	Hualapai boats 5-4-2012 @ 9:16

     We then come to the Hualapai Skywalk, high on the cliff.

Hualapai Skywalk 5-4-2012 @ 9:37	Hualapai Skywalk 5-4-2012 @ 9:37	Hualapai Skywalk 5-4-2012 @ 9:37

     Just around the corner is the Bat Cave, which used to have a cable tramway strung from the cave to a tower on a hilltop on the other side of the river.  When operating, this was the longest tramway in the world at over one mile.  The idea to commercially mine the cave for bat guano to use as fertilizer never panned out.

	Bat Cave 5-4-2012 @ 9:47

Bat Tower 5-4-2012 @ 9:47	Broken tram cable 5-4-2012 @ 9:48	Tram tower 5-4-2012 @ 9:52

     After another couple of hours, we reach Pearce Ferry and unload the boat.  Our van is waiting for us.  We say goodbye to our crew, hop on the van, and then we're off. 

Unloading at Pearce Ferry 5-4-2012 @ 11:38	Our van 5-4-2012 @ 11:38

     Box lunches and bottled water are waiting for us on the van.  We stop in Kingman and drop off our Fear and Loathing contingent and then continue the drive to Flagstaff.  I say goodbye to everyone and start the long drive back to Oklahoma.

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