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November 25th - Ecuador, Quijos River, Chaco Canyon

Andy:   Today we ran a classic run for Ecuador - Chaco Canyon on the Quijos.  Wow!  Endless big water class IV for four hours.  Top that off with breathtaking scenery (a basalt gorge for much of the run) and you have the makings for a classic day.  I lost count of all the great rapids - not one bit of flat water all day! Reminded me of a harder version of the upper Lochsa run in Idaho.

The run finished with a wild take-out.  We had to cross to the other side of the river via a cable crossing (see photo below).  After witnessing the dubious construction standards in Ecuador for the last two weeks, trusting the cable crossing was the most exciting part of the day.

There were also some welders working on the bridge.  They were using exposed (uninsulated!) rebar to carry the current for the welding machine! (I'm NOT joking).  Watch where you step......zap.

Steve, running the middle line of Panel of Experts rapid.  This was the hardest rapid on the Chaco canyon run.  A technical entry lead to a big water finish with lots of chewy holes.

The beautiful Chaco canyon of the Quijos - that's basalt rock on both sides.

Phil, on the takeout cable crossing.  We had to cross this cable line because the bridge was under construction.  Very exciting!

Tree tomatoes, a popular produce item in Ecuador.  Tasted like an orange, but looks like a tomato.  Our hosts at the farm house made lots of different foods out of tree tomatoes, including a mousse desert, marmalade, and juices.

Ride 'em cowgirl.  The daily cow milking at the farm we stayed at.  This farm (9 cows) produces $20 of milk a day, and is collected twice daily by a Nestle truck on the main road.

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