This first pastel was done as we were first descending off the rim. I worked on it about 45 minutes but had no trouble catching up as this group was painfully slow.

This is the photo:

This is the pastel:

The first campsite had great views:

And of course there was music:

1800 feet down from the rim we came across Thunder Falls, the first water we had seen.

It came gushing out, a full blown river, from the base of a 1000 foot cliff of red sandstone.

It runs into Tepeetsee River

one of the best trout fisheries in the state,

shown here in the photo:

And in the pastel:

The Colorado River was a highlight, not just for swimming:

But for a fine pastel:

Stream crossing on the way back up, Jason riding herd.

Joshua, one of the instructors  had time to practice his air guitar while waiting for the troops to make it up the trail.

They made it eventually…

Shade was a real premium. We hiked early morning and evening and would rest at noon.

The guy in the middle hadn’t read the course description. He assumed we were going to drive everyday to scenic spots, then return at night to sleep in a nice hotel in Las Vegas. He managed to adjust…

This guy was hanging around Thunder Falls.

Managed to sneak in some climbing at Red Rocks

And near Moab.

It was nice to do a trip where the problem was heat rather than cold.  Very comfortable sketching conditions. Would like to go back with Alison and concentrate on the painting part. Even so, I did get seven pastels done. All in all a fabulous trip!