Thursday, July 3, 2014

Flaming Gorge

A couple of weeks ago I went on an overnight work trip to call on customers in Vernal, Utah.  Since the kids were out of school I took Taylor, Parker, Xander and Jesi with me.  We did the usual fun things the first day: dinner at a restaurant, swimming in the hotel pool, a movie on Netflix.  (The boys and I watched "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance," a classic western with John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart.  Jesi didn't want to watch a black and white show, so she watched something more Disneyish.)  The next day after I had made my calls, we decided to take a longer route home and visit Flaming Gorge dam.  Just as we were starting our tour, a flash of lightning in the distance required that the tour be postponed an hour. We watched a movie about the building of the dam while we waited.  It was a fun trip with the kids, and well worth the extra time.

Since they were dealing with spring runoff, the water was being let through at full capacity, over 8000 cubic feet per second.  Normally it comes through at 800 cubic feet per second.  The water flow was powerful and magnificent.  It almost felt like a bomb was going off as it hit the river below the dam.  Extraordinary experience.  We all enjoyed it!  (I'm not sure if Jesi is overwhelmed with the power of the water or just disgusted with her brothers, but it sure makes for a couple of funny pictures!)

-Jer