Photos

The Colorado River drains some 242,000 square miles of the American southwest. It is appropriate that our Southwest Airlines flight followed this river for almost a half an hour as we flew east from Las Vegas.

The river varies in depth from 6 to 90 feet, averaging about 20 feet. The Spanish called it the Rio Colorado because it was tinted red by sediment. Now, the dam at Lake Powell traps those sediments and the river is usually blue-green as it flows through the Grand Canyon. This photo is above the Grand Canyon, but the water has carved some significant canyons through this high desert.

The clear air and setting sun helped highlight the rugged terrain of Arizona.