Today is December 14th. On this day in 1955 my dad took his second wife and his newborn son home from the hospital. He left to go to work but the job was cancelled. For some reason he and his friend decided to go duck hunting in the overflow of the Tualitin River in Oregon. The boat overturned. My dad made it back to shore and realized his friend wasn't with him. He took off his shoes and left his wallet behind and he went back for his friend. Neither of them survived. It took three days to find my dad's body. The impact of a river on his life made a lifelong impact on mine - and on many others. He was so young and gone too soon! This happened 20 years almost to the day before his dad - my grandpa - also drowned. Life - and death - are very strange.
The flow of water is powerful. The Gunnison River flowed through this canyon for two million years shaping and changing the landscape. The strength of the water cut through the rock and formed this deep gorge. All over the world water moves and changes everything it touches. If water disappears so does life. Water can give life and water can take it away.
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