Salt River

You can swim in it, float on it, and photograph it. Conveniently located to eastern Greater Phoenix, the Salt River provides opportunities for recreation of both the physical and metaphysical kind.

Salt River Weekend

By: Paul S Cilwa	Posted: 6/26/2006		Page Views: 1,071
Hashtags: #Arizona #SaltRiver
Spending a day on the river with some of my very favorite people.
Estimated reading time: 5 minute(s) (956 words)

This past Thursday, our daughter, Dottie (who prefers to be called Elizabeth but so far that hasn't happened at our house) came, with her five-year-old daughter Cailey, for a three-week visit. So, this weekend, we made two trips to the river.

Salt River Float

By: Paul S Cilwa	Occurred: 6/25/2007		Page Views: 1,217
Hashtags: #SaltRiver #Arizona #Photography
All about our 2007 annual river float.
Estimated reading time: 3 minute(s) (594 words)

We made our third, weekly, Salt River float this past Saturday. Attendees were your blogger, your blogger's daughter Jenny, her son Zachary, and Zachary's friend Brittany.

Wild Horses

By: Paul S Cilwa	Occurred: 9/2/2007		Page Views: 1,620
Hashtags: #SaltRiver #Arizona
We go floating on the Salt River and spot a herd of wild horses!
Estimated reading time: 3 minute(s) (562 words)

I don't usually like to do anything far from home on "official" three-day weekends, because the traffic's usually too dense. But the section of the Salt River we like to float is only about twenty minutes from the house. And so we made (what is likely to be) our last float trip of the season on Sunday, and were rewarded by a rare and special visit from a herd of wild horses that lives near the river bank.

First Float of the Season

By: Paul S Cilwa	Occurred: 6/8/2008		Page Views: 1,142
Hashtags: #SaltRiver #Arizona
We return to the Salt River for another leisurely float…with hundreds of others.
Estimated reading time: 2 minute(s) (281 words)

Today we went on our first Salt River float of the 2008 season. Participants were myself, daughter Jenny, and grandson Zachary. Also, half the population of Phoenix, as far as I can tell.

Lower Salt Float

By: Paul S Cilwa	Occurred: 6/14/2008		Page Views: 1,095
Hashtags: #SaltRiver #Zachary #PhonDSutton
When Zach and I took his best friend, Lane, on Lane's first river float.
Estimated reading time: 2 minute(s) (446 words)

It's getting hard to continue being creative with names for Salt River float trip posts, since we do them so often. Yet, every one is unique and so are the photos!

Wild Stallions of the Lower Salt River

By: Paul S Cilwa	Posted: 7/18/2010		Page Views: 1,109
Hashtags: #SaltRiver #Photography
We encounter a herd of wild horses while floating the Lower Salt River.
Estimated reading time: 4 minute(s) (809 words)

Today I went on a Salt River float with my daughter Jenny, and our friends Luca and Theresa. Luca is Michael's classmate at medical school, but Michael was a bit under the weather so did not join us. And too bad: We encountered a whole herd of wild horses, foraging along the river bank, just begging me to take their pictures…so I did.

Dramatic Skies Over Salt River

By: Paul S Cilwa	Occurred: 8/30/2013		Page Views: 1,444
Hashtags: #SaltRiver
My friend Keith and I float down the Salt River during questionable weather.
Estimated reading time: 6 minute(s) (1268 words)

We had planned this trip almost a week in advance; but it's monsoon season here in Central Arizona and it's pretty much impossible to predict the weather. So it was with more than a modicum of trepidation that we parked our cars (the Jesusmobile at take-out, Keith's at put-in). We decided to make the longer trip, putting in at Blue Point and taking out at Phon D. Sutton. But already the sky was becoming dramatic, with massive gray clouds and featureless sections that promised heavy rains. Would we be able to make the trip despite the weather?

Newbies on the Salt River

By: Paul S Cilwa	Occurred: 9/7/2013		Page Views: 1,005
Hashtags: #SaltRiver #Arizona
I bring friends and family on a short float on the lower Salt River.
Estimated reading time: 6 minute(s) (1210 words)

Well, maybe it's because I went almost three years without making a river float. Or maybe it's because it's been Arizona-hot, and the Salt River is an inexpensive way to cool down. Whichever it is, even though I made a Salt River float with my friend, Keith, just a week ago, I planned another one for today. Invited were: my grandson, Zach; his buddy, Nick, and my old, dear friends Mike and Charles.

Salt River Horses at Summer's End

By: Paul S Cilwa	Occurred: 9/24/2013		Page Views: 1,047
Hashtags: #SaltRiver #Arizona #WildHorses
A couple of friends and I float right among the wild horses on a lower Salt River float.
Estimated reading time: 3 minute(s) (563 words)

My previous lower Salt River float produced no pictures of the wild horses that live along the river. That was okay, they are wild and can't be counted upon to show themselves. But, because of that, I didn't have much hope for today's trip. Was I to be surprised!

The Dogs at Phon D Sutton

By: Paul S Cilwa	Occurred: 6/28/2019		Page Views: 1,213
Hashtags: #Places #Arizona #PhonDSutton #SaltRiver
Keith and I bring dogs to the river for a swim.
Estimated reading time: 1 minute(s) (85 words)

Phon D Sutton Recreation Area is one of my Salt River favorites. I've been taking my eldest grandson there since he was five or so. But this is the first time I've taken the doggies!

The Dogs and In-Laws at Phon D Sutton

By: Paul S Cilwa	Occurred: 7/2/2019		Page Views: 1,117
Hashtags: #Places #Arizona #PhonDSutton #SaltRiver
Keith and I return to the river with dogs, in-laws, and more dogs.
Estimated reading time: 2 minute(s) (469 words)

I promise not to post photos from every Phon D Sutton visit with the dogs. However, this time, in addition to our dogs, we brought Keith's brother, Chris, and Chris' husband, Alex—plus their dogs! Plus, this was a different spot than last week, so the pics are (ever-so-slightly) different.

Wild Horses of the Blue Point

By: Paul S Cilwa	Occurred: 7/9/2019 Posted: 1/15/2020		Page Views: 1,513
Hashtags: #Places #SaltRiver #BluePoint #Ella
The Salt River wild horses make an appearance at the Blue Point Recreation Area.
Estimated reading time: 2 minute(s) (290 words)

Blue Point Recreation Area is one of several along the Bush Highway as it snakes alongside the Salt River. On this day it was not our first choice; however, that choice (Phon D Sutton) had every spot we hoped to visit with our dogs, Ella and Lily, was already occupied. So we headed to Blue Point, not knowing that we'd be sharing that location with several of the wild horses that live along the river.

Cailey and Jade at Phon D Sutton

By: Paul S Cilwa	Occurred: 7/30/2019 Posted: 2/24/2020		Page Views: 1,553
Hashtags: #Places #Arizona #PhonDSutton #SaltRiver
Cailey's best friend from back East, Jade, came for a visit and we took her to Phon D Sutten Recreation Area on the Salt River.
Estimated reading time: 1 minute(s) (98 words)

We all know how hard it is to move a kid during the school year, especially in high school when they've made deep friendships. In my granddaughter, Cailey's, case, her very best friend Jade was left behind when Cailey's parents moved out here to Arizona. So, when Jade came for a visit, we all made a concerted effort to make sure she and Cailey had a terrific visit. For my part, I chose to take them to Phon D Sutton Recreation Area, a place I'd taken Cailey before, on a visit when she was little. She remembered it!

Coon Bluff

By: Paul S Cilwa	Occurred: 8/21/2019		Page Views: 1,053
Hashtags: #Places #Arizona #CoonBluff #SaltRiver
Keith and I try a new spot on the river, only to find it is overrun with wild horses.
Estimated reading time: 2 minute(s) (347 words)

Keith and I had made plans to take the dogs to the river to swim on Thursday. But this morning I got a text from Alex (Keith's brother-in-law) that he and Chris were going to the river today, in case we'd like to join them. When he added they were making hot dogs, Keith started hunting for his bathing suit. I did have a late morning appointment I couldn't miss, but promised we'd head for the river once it was over. And so we did.