The wind is what we will remember about Day 2.  We start out very well and easily make the few miles from Salt Water Wash to House Rock Rapid.  House Rock is our first big rapid on the trip, one with memories from 1999.  The rapid is a sharp curve on the river where House Rock Canyon comes into the main canyon on river right.  In 1999 we cut the turn too hard to the right and over corrected to the left, charging our 14-foot paddle boat directly into the massive waves banking off the left wall.  Bill and Mark flew out of the boat.  Brian and I only stayed in the boat because of a quick high-siding move I made on the thwart in front of me.  We made it through the rapid and Bill and Mark quickly got in.  So Brian and I, running the paddle boat from the back again, had our own thoughts as we approached the rapid.  But this time we had a perfect run, as did the other boats and no one went swimming.  Rick supplied a flask of Cap'n Morgan's Spiced Rum and we downed "victory shots." 

Day 2 is supposed to be a fun day.  Starting with House Rock and typically ending near Vassey's Paradise, you spend most of it in the Roaring Twenties, the stretch of the river in the twenty mile zone that is dotted with medium sized rapids one after another.  You make great time flowing with the current, which picks up speed as it approaches the tongue of the rapid, and you have fun as you roar through the crash of water and rock.  So after a wonderful start at House Rock, all hell broke loose.

The wind.  A storm to the north was pushing winds up to 50 miles an hour up the canyon.  As we tried to move to our original destination of South Canyon, we found that we simply couldn't go forward.  Several times we discovered that in pre-rapid water, with all four of us paddling, we were not moving forward at all.  It was discouraging and tiring.  Unable to make a 30 mile day, we instead made it only 14 to a place we named Union Wall. Located at Mile 26 just above Tiger Wash, we pulled off onto a rocky s helf on river left (south side) and set up camp.

Why Union Wall?  Well, after we set up camp, we broke out the booze in mass quantities.  Tired and hungry, we started drinking.  And we founded the Grand Canyon River Runners Union.  Al was elected our first president.  We were going to let the French in - everyone's in the union - but we decided not to.  We have a chant - G! C! R! R! U!  We have an official drink, the Rum with a splash of coke, and we have an open door party all you want policy.  And no Baloney boats (those huge motorized tubular boat jobs that carry around 20 touristas who pay big bucks for a weasly run down the river.

Dinner was burgers and baked beans.  Bob is a great cook.  And a few folks had trout.  Fresh caught!