1
Deerlodge Park

Launching onto the Yampa River at about 5600 cfs!

And look who we found - Trevor!

Our first campsite - Tepee Hole.

Getting ready to unload the boats. The site is rather steep, so class IV firelines to get gear up to camp! (Firelines are where we pass gear from the boats up to camp.)

We got a great little spot for our tent.

Does Zach Downes (Partygrass bass player) love us? He stayed home this trip awaiting his first baby.

Trevor, our longtime river bud, is converting Jillian quickly!

Pixie brought monkeys for everyone! Three years ago, Zach and Dan from Carson City brought a little stuffed monkey named Juniper to represent the rest of their families. Juniper rode with about everyone that trip and has since become the band mascot. She is often hanging from her PFD off Pixie’s mic stand to this day .

Pixie took the time to name every monkey with some Partygrass word and write their names on the back of their PFDs in Adrift tradition. Steve’s is Ski and Jess’s is Pickles RIP (because we couldn’t find Pixie’s usual PFD “Pickles” this trip).

First night of music, and Chris’s drum box worked well.

^^Video: \240“All Good Things”

^^Video: “Cabin Fever”

^^Video: “Dance”

^^Video: “Come November”

^^Video: “Marching On”

Hanging out in the living room before turning in for the night.

2
Laddie Campground

Starting off the day with Tepee Rapid!

Mountain goats!

We’re deep in Dinosaur National Monument now.

Signature Cave, a few hundred feet above the Yampa

^^Video: “Paint You a Face”

^^Video: fiddle tune!

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This little cottontail was blocking our path coming down.

But not nearly as aggressively as this big horn sheep!

Camp number two - Laddie Park 1.

We found a nice shaddy spot, but full of box elder bugs!

Our “living room” for the evening.

^^Video: “Again”

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^^Video: “Wolf Song”

3
Yampa River

Loading up!

Steve has found a comfy spot on Joy’s boat.

Tiger Wall - it’s good luck to kiss it.

Jillian going for the kiss!

And the camera guys!

Warm Springs rapid, our one class IV. Joy nailed her line.

Camp number three - Box Elder 1.

Bryson made gyros for dinner! Steve was less than happy, but at least it isn’t Mexican. Adrift really likes their southwestern food.

Our living room was under an overhang.

Full of monkeys!

Fireline was challenging here too. We needed a zip line!

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^^Video: fiddle tune!

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^^Video: “Be Kind” - our favorite

^^Video: “No Friends on a Powder Day” - sassy version!

^^Video: “Club Thing”

4
Jones Hole

A little morning duo - Amanda playing with Tyler Grant.

Love that gospel voice!

At the confluece of the Green River.This area is known as Echo Park because of the way sound bounces off Steamboat Rock. We rowed upriver a bit to get more of the echo, which made for a dramatic entry of the band’s boat.

Joy came flying around the corner into the Green! Confluence tradition - playing “Home”

^^Video: “Home”

Those are true river rats - playing in PFDs!

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We found a bald eagle nest along the banks.

The geology gets really crazy here.

The mountains twist and turn and dive under the river.

Bill and Peanut found quick sand at our lunch stop.

Heading deeper into Echo Park.

At one time the Bureau of Reclamation was going to build a dam in this beautiful canyon. Outrage led by the Sierra Club stopped it.

Babies!

Camp numer four and the last night - Jones Hole.

Ben and Amanda duet in the creek!

While we cool off and enjoy the seranade.

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Last evening is always a costume party. We’ve had frogs, penguins, preying mantis, and inflatable T-rexes, but this year the bnad asked us to channel Zach Downes, their bass player.

Can you believe we had three other giys named Zach on the trip?!

We went for the future Zach look, post-baby.

Steve’s baby was creeping everyone out a little. 😂

Trevor and Jillian had Zach Downes shirts made.

^^Video: “Bear Shark” along with monkeys named in the song. First ever Partygrass puppet show! This is how silly things get after four days on the river.

^^Video: she goes so fast! 😂

^^Video: “Dance in the Kitchen”

^^Video: “California”

^^”Wolf Song” with the band this time.

And Ben closes out the night solo with a song we requested about the Annabelle Lee..

^^Video: “Another New World”

^^Video: this might be our favorite cover that Ben does. So haunting.

5
Split Mountain

Last stretch of river - Split Mountain.

Chaco and Teva feet!