The River Turns Red

After the lightning, we drove into Moab so we could use the cell phones. On the way back home, about halfway there, we noticed the color of the Colorado River had changed. It was a very red color. Just like the the dirt here at home. In fact, they stopped us as we turned onto the River Road (Hwy 128) to ask how far we were going. When we told them Castle Valley, they let us through. They told us about milepost 19, the bridge had been flooded with mud and debris. We went ahead and drove out to it, it is just before Onion Creek, and they were still working on clearing it. The higher elevations had really gotten hammered with the rain and had sent a torrent down this gully. It had gone over the side of the bridge and flooded it. Then it had proceeded on to the Colorado River.

Even the next morning the river was still a little red just outside of Moab.