Lees Ferry, where the boats put in/take out

If you haven't been to this country and seen that that river is in just a deep--very deep--crack in the ground, it's hard to believe that for 500 miles, this was the ONLY place you could cross. I told Bob--500 miles??!? No way. WE just crossed at Page. What the...? Oh. That was a bridge. Oh dear. Imagine this country without bridges and you start to wrap your head around it. See that slanted, sort of flat-surfaced escarpment across the river? That's Lees Backbone, the route the pioneers had to take up the other side of the canyon. And it's not flat. It's rugged and nasty. They said it was the worst part of the trip as they had to double team the oxen for the grueling 350' climb.