In the month of June 1965, the Creator decided to recalibrate and enhance the river channel of the regal Green River throughout the wee hours in the morning of the 11th day. The waters of the Yampa River had always drifted lazily into the Green River at the point John Wesly Powell recorded as a "gentle confluence". Once his rivermen had struggled through the Canyon Of Ladore, Disaster Falls, and Hell's Half Mile, they found the Green River fairly subsided near the mouth of the Yampa. Prior to the summer of 1965, children played in the mild rapids enjoying the roller coaster ride of the gentle Yampa. Boy Scouts removed their shirts and local Colorado natives delighted in camping along the river, enjoying picnics and swimming in the cool water, and relaxing in the early summer sunshine.
All hell broke loose as it began to rain again. The watershed at Warm Springs along the Yampa became supersaturated as it had rained seventeen of the preceding twenty-one days. By the end of the day on June 10th, the soil on the steep slopes had become so inundated by rainwater, it couldn't possibly hold any more moisture. Campers didn't think much about the rainy June weather as they continued to enjoy the river wearing raincoats while they pitched tents and cooked supper. Then the earth started to move! Lubricated by heavy runoff, a slurry of soil, stones, uprooted trees and brush, along with drowned animals, turned into a heavy, wandering brown soup. It picked up speed and size as its path slowly straightened and built a wall of debris about fifteen feet high!
Crashing into the Yampa, side streams added to the flash floods and the mass of rock, mud, and gravel, rolled along the river until it became dammed. For a couple of hours on the 10th, the flow of the Yampa river in Colorado was completely stopped. Downstream at Echo Park, campers watched in complete bewildering astonishment. Suddenly without forewarning, the newly formed lake tumultuously gave loose, violently dumping enormous waves and walls of mud, a half-mile in length, into the channel of the Green River. Folks described the noise as being "much like a freight train".
Daylight on the 11th, found river-runners on the upper stream, unaware of the changes that had taken place. As they entered the location, they found newly formed, eroded bordering cliffs with massive overhangs along the river. At today's "Grand Overhang", a single stone has dropped straight down from the top of the thousand-foot cliff and was actually deposited on the opposite side of the river. Without having been warned of the massive alteration, two unassuming boats entered the newly formed treacherous rapids. The pilot of the first boat broke an oar churning water that must have seemed like a nightmare. His body was washed ashore downstream at Island Park seventeen days later.
Today, Warm Springs rapid is one of the longest along the Green River. Technically, it is the most complex to negotiate in the entire Colorado drainage system. Virtual waterfalls and exposed boulders mark the way making it nearly impossible to run the rapids on the left side of the channel. Boaters must hang to the right and drift, as oars or paddles cannot possibly reach the tops of the waves upon the water's surface!
The Green River travels 450 miles of its 730-mile length through eastern Utah. From Flaming Gorge (6,000 feet above sea level) to it's confluence with the Colorado River (3,000 feet above sea level), the river drops three thousand feet and at Split Mountain, downstream from Brown's Park, it drops 21 feet per mile, creating some of the most difficult rapids on the entire river. Fed by the Yampa and White Rivers from the east, and by the Duchesne, Price, and other mountain streams from the west, the Green gathers even more reinforcement along its journey toward it's confluence with the Colorado River just east of Robber's Roost at a place called "The Maze".
The length of the Colorado River and its main tributary, the Green River, is 2/3rds the width of the entire United States. Covering about 2,000 miles in combined total length, the rivers drain 300,000 square miles of the west - an area large as Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri combined! I am willing to bet Sunday's grilled duck, its bottom is lined with metal, rusting Dutch ovens and canoes, several of which are mine! Although I make no claim to be a great river-runner, my biscuits "ain't bad"!
"Red Creek Duck"
(Dutch Oven Roasted Duck)
Red Creek Duck is prepared in three steps. First, the bird is steamed, the skin being punctured in several places, providing an escape for as much hot, rendering fat as possible. Second, it is dried overnight before being roasted. Third, it is smoked and roasted. Is it worth all this effort? Ohhhh yeah!
Never skin a duck! Simply prick the skin in several places without piercing the meat. Don`t get carried away. A few small holes allow drippings to drain adequately and freely. Place the duck upon its back upon an elevated cake rack inside a large camp (black cast-iron) Dutch oven containing a little water for steaming. Over medium-high heat, steam the bird twenty minutes with the lid in place, keeping the bird out of the water. Discard the water and allow the duck to cool and dry, hanging it up overnight.
Next day, rub as much "Red Creek Duck Rub" mixture between the skin and the flesh in as many places as possible, including the cavity, then tie the duck's legs together. Try placing half an onion inside the duck for even more flavor.
"Red Creek Duck" Rub
1/2 stick butter
pinch of white and cayenne peppers
pinch of onion and garlic powders
pinch of dry thyme
a "shake" of paprika
salt and black pepper to taste
3 tblspns. orange juice concentrate
The recipe for the rub is a little different from others, as you tweak it to your own preference. Use half a stick of butter and sprinkle a little white and cayenne pepper on it. Sprinkle on a bit of onion and garlic powder... not much - just to your taste. Add a pinch of dry thyme and a sprinkle of paprika. Salt and pepper the mixture and then mix in a few tablespoons of orange juice concentrate until it become smooth.
If you`re on the trail, place moistened alder sawdust and a little black tea inside a flat packet of loosely wrapped tinfoil inside your camp black-iron Dutch oven. Place the duck on a slightly elevated cake rack and smoke it lightly with the lid slightly ajar for twenty minutes over medium-low heat. Remove the foil with the charred sawdust, and finish roasting the duck. If you`re at home, why not use your barbecue grill to do the smoking twenty minutes as the bird is being roasted? If you would rather use your kitchen oven for roasting, simply smoke the bird outside on the grill twenty minutes first.
Roast the duck 25 minutes per pound at 375 degrees. If the bird browns too quickly during the last thirty minutes, lower the heat to 350 degrees. On the trail, rotate the Dutch oven and add coals to the lid. Roast the duck until its internal meat temperature is 165° F. The carry over effect will finish the bird at about 172°F.
The pros cook the bird's legs and thighs five minutes longer than its other parts. At home, it's convenient to use a black skillet inside your kitchen oven to roast a quacker, uncovered, at 375 degrees F., for 25 minutes per pound. Watch the bird carefully and remember to turn the heat down to 350 degrees F. if it starts to brown too quickly during the last half-hour. The process is simple and produces a glaze and flavor on the bird you must sample to believe! Most folks make an amazing discovery at this point... the flavor of the crispy, browned skin is worth fighting for... with Colt .45's!
Enjoy my quacker recipe... it`s a good-un`. Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon
, and looking at dinosaur bones at the pull-out area. 
______________________ 