American Idyll

yes, the river knows

Saturday, July 15, 2017

Reverberations Among The Cliffs


Robbie Robertson: Somewhere Down the Crazy River




There is an exquisite chasm in our ride today down this beautiful canyon. It gradually grows deeper with every mile of travel; the walls are symmetrically curved, and grandly arched; of a beautiful color, and reflected in the quiet waters in many places, so as to almost deceive the eye, and suggest the thought to the beholder, that he is looking into profound depths. We are all in fine spirits, and the badinage of the men is echoed from wall to wall. Now and then we whistle, or shout, or sdischarge a pistol, to listen to the reverberations among the cliffs.. At night we camp on the south side of the great Bow-knot, and as we eat our supper, which is spread on the beach, we name this Labyrinth Canyon.
--John Wesley Powell
journal entry for July 15, 1869

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