I talked with John Rodgers today. John  is the Environmental Coordinator  for the Phoenix Expansion Project and the Transwestern Pipeline Company.

His job is to make sure the pipeline that is being laid from New Mexico to somewhere south of Phoenix with the purpose of providing natural gas to the masses of the Southwest is complying with the environmental agreements made between the necessary parties.

As I hobbled past him on my crutches at the coffee shop, I could not help but notice the picture displayed on his lap top. It was a great photo of a southwestern stream.

Being someone that absolutley loves rivers, I had to stop and ask what river was pictured on his lap top.

He told me, it was a picture of the upper Verde river where the company was laying pipe under the river.

With that, I couldn’t help but show him the picture on my computer of my wife and I canoing the Verde river  just south of his pipeline crossing.

He was impressed and we had a nice talk about his line of work and about how mountain biking is fun but risky.

The picture above is taken of Brenda and I  at this year’s Verde River Canoe Challenge.

The Verde was flowing at 550 cfs and we floated 10 miles in about three hours.

It was three hours of absolute fast flowing  fun and a great memory maker for us.

Brenda did great on the trip and she has been my canoe partner for the past three years for the Verde River Canoe Challenge.

http://www.prm.nau.edu/PRM325/verde_river_canoe_challenge_informati.htm

The Verde River is becoming liquid history for her and I.

More on rivers in the next few blogs.