A while back, my friend and sponsor, Tom Karnuta, introduced me to Edward Abbey.  Although I was familiar with Kirk Douglas’ movie “Lonely are the Brave”, I didn’t realize it was based on Abbey’s story “The Brave Cowboy”.  So I have slowly been exploring the works of Edward Abbey.

Last summer I picked up some books at a garage sale in Minnesota.  Included in the lot was “A Canyon Voyage: The Narrative Of The Second Powell Expedition” by Frederick S. Dellenbaugh.  This is a book I had been looking for as a companion to Powell’s book on his first trip down the Green and Colorado rivers through the Grand Canyon.

As I pursued my new acquisitions, I was surprised to see this book had a nice dedication written inside the cover.  Apparently a woman had purchased the book for her “beloved husband” and had it inscribed “To Benedicto” by Edward Abbey.  The picture below is the inscribed page:

This prose sends a shiver down my spine as I recall my voyages down the mighty Green river through Labyrinth canyon in Utah.  For those of you who know Abbey’s works, I hope you enjoy this little piece of history.  For those of you who don’t know Edward Abbey, I encourage you to join me in exploring his works!