Friday, July 1, 2011

Stats for the day:

·          11019 steps (on pedometer)

·         87°F at 8:30am at 3640 feet at Wahweap Campground

·         Hours on a boat: 4

·         Sympathetic looks due to a KC Royals Hat: 1

Today was a break from the extreme hikes and a day to recover a bit.  We had a lazy morning, with a short drive and then hike to Horseshoe Bend. 

Then, we boarded the Canyon Odyssey and headed to Rainbow Bridge National Monument.  It was great to spend the day on the water (Lake Powell is beautiful), and the scenery along the way was impressive.  Upon reaching the floating dock, there was a quick 1/3 mile hike to the bridge.  Now, some of you may not realize, but there is a difference between a bridge and an arch.  A bridge is formed above an established waterway, while an arch is formed from a combination of things (wind, water, etc), but isn’t over an established waterway.  Rainbow Bridge is nearly unchanged since its first documentation.  The ranger at the bridge was someone who loved his job, and it was neat to see all of the original photos he had.

Rainbow Bridge National Monument.  If you look very closely at the bottom left of the rainbow, there are people.  They're tiny, tiny, tiny, but provides some perspective.

After showering (something we all take for granted), we headed to dinner at the Wahweap Marina as a farewell to Brian.  It was nice to sit down, out of the sun, and once again to enjoy cold, cold water.  We treated ourselves to dessert, too.  Matt had crepes, Brian had cheesecake, and I had crème brulee.  I think we helped sell dessert to a few tables around us, too.  The end of dinner brought Brian’s departure.  It was great having him spend the week – thank you!!! 

Math thoughts for today:

·         Horseshoe Bend is where the Colorado River takes a 270° bend, or curve. 

·         Rainbow Bridge is a natural parabola, quadratic function, etc.  It’s also pretty massive.  This would be a perfect monument to have students come up with comparisons for the height and width (how many students standing on top of each other for the height, or standing next to each other for the width, how many school buses, etc).  I think it’s important for them to make comparisons to items around them that they know in order to truly understand (or at least grasp a bit better) dimensions.

Shout-outs:

·         Sherry McGhay – There was a McGhay (not sure how they spelled it as it as an auditory reference) who was involved in the exploration of the Glen Canyon area.  I was curious if you might be related through your in-laws.

·         Tim and Hilary from Houston – It was great to run into you tonight!!!  Tim and Hilary are a British couple who now live in Houston that we met while hiking Angels Landing in Zion.  We saw them again the next day in Zion on the shuttle and then happened to run into them after dinner in Page.  Much of our week had included similar excursions, and they were just a great couple.  I wish I had exchanged a phone number or email, but I’m hoping someday they might come across this blog and get in touch! Especially since I know I’ll be in the Houston area throughout my life (that’s where my boyfriend’s family lives)!

·         Mom – Brian’s dessert had this little strip of “fruit leather.”  Brought back memories of baking applesauce to make our own fruit roll-ups.