The San Juan River has a few lively rapids but is mild by whitewater standards. The canyon is famed for rock art, cliff dwellings and surface sites that together tell the story of the now-departed Ancestral Puebloan civilization. Highlights include lower Butler Wash rock art panel and River House cliff dwelling. Equally interesting is the upper canyon's geology. Exposed rock layers evidence the Earth's history; their warping, folding and erosion into stunning canyons makes for one of the most dramatic red rock landscapes in the world. Highlights include comb ridge, the lime ridge anticline and abandoned entrenched meanders. The trip almost always affords close looks at desert bighorn sheep foraging at the river's edge.

We journey down a 26-mile section of the San Juan river in about 8 hours, making stops to hike to nearby archaeological sites and fossil outcroppings.

On the way back on Friday we stop at the beautiful Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park where many westerns were filmed and take a Navajo-narrated guided tour in off-road vehicles.

We will stay at the beautiful " Desert Rose Inn " in Bluff Utah. This Inn is less than 10 years old and boasts beautifully decorated western-themed rooms with many amenities.