Having seen the San Rafael Swell from the top (i.e. from the Wedge Overlook), I decided it was time to see it from the bottom. I rented an inflatable kayak from the Carbon County Rec Center, waited for some rain to blow over, then impulsively decided to go down a Class II+ section of the nearby Price River. It proved a challenging introduction to the sport. Water’s powerful. Like, crazy powerful. Buoyancy is no match.
In any case, I survived (and, thanks to Jack’s Plastic Welding, my stuff even stayed dry!), somewhat wiser.
Kayaked the San Rafael River a few days later, from Fuller’s Bottom to the San Rafael Campground. The run was every bit as beautiful and impressive from the bottom as one would expect from the top. Went down a nearby creek the next day. Here are some pictures:
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| 2010.06.18 Rivers! |
Made it to Telluride early Saturday morning, in plenty of time to see some incredible music (including Jerry Douglas, Béla Fleck, Sam Bush, and Yonder Mountain String Band). Fittingly, a half-moon rose in the south-eastern sky while Yonder performed.
But Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros stole the show–giving one of the best live performances I’ve ever been privileged to see. Such tremendous and positive energy, channeled through a full stage of nine musicians. The band’s carnivalesque sound is borne out in their costumes–appearing as a band of gypsies, transported to Telluride’s mountain stage straight from their depression-era migration to California’s fruit fields in search of work. I can’t help but wonder if the band members appear on stage as themselves, of they’re in elaborate and brilliant costume. Whether sincere to affected, the result is brilliant.
I often find it off-putting when a band’s lead singer doesn’t play an instrument. Not so for Alex Ebert, whose eccentrism and energy would only be encumbered by an instrument and less mobile than a tambourine (at any given time, up to four tambourines are often being played on stage). I suspect he’s mad (or, again, a brilliant performer), but the passion that courses through the songs is powerful, almost palpable when performed for a live audience.
I don’t know if I’ve gained any new appreciation for their debut album, Up From Below–but I have tremendous appreciation for the band. If you get a chance to see Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros live, do. Period.
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It’s funny–I’m certain I’ve seen more “celebrate diversity” bumper stickers in Telluride than anyone representing the diversity to be celebrated. What an incredibly white place. You’d think I would be de-sensitized to angle-saxon overload, living in Bozeman the last six years.
I’m off to Mesa Verde and Natural Bridges, en route to Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Whoo!
