Did a fun river trip with fort tuthill this weekend on the Colorado in another lower Grand Canyon, or "Diamond Down." I rowed my raft, the Odyssey...redemption at rapid 231. It's getting hot down there and the reservoir mead is drying up a bit quicker than getting flow from the river. Should be interesting in the months and certainly years ahead. A decade ago the standard take-out for a lower gorge river trip was at Pearce's Ferry. Now, nearly 110 feet lower, the reservoirs nearest usable boat ramp below the Canyon is at South Cove, 16 miles further. The lake continues to drop 5' a month! Just last week the park 'service' graded a new ramp there to accomadate canyon motor rigs, but word is that the ramp extends to maximum low elevation due to some unsuitable below surface conditions. For our last night on the river we talked the folks into doing a night float, where we rigged all boats together and cruised river currents till sunrise under stars and spires. A good time! But with droping lake levels there are lots of newly exposed obsticles- mostly rocks and pre-lake vegetation. Maybe oneday they will just cut a hole in the dam and we can just float on thru? We also had a good look at the Hualapai's newest attempt to cash-in on their canyon with a river level viewing of the Skywalk up on the rim- really bizaar, like something from outerspace! I'm gonna get a closer look this weekend from ontop and recon the Skywalk for fort tuthill. I'll be volunteering a day for the Leave No Trace program this Saturday workshoping with some boyscouts in Kingman and plan to camp near Spencer Canyon and do the Skywalk- Check back for a full review...