This trip I started at the Topock Marina located in Arizona just off I40 where it crosses the Colorado river. The marina is $15 to launch ($5 for a car topped canoe) and was very quiet on a weekday in August. On the day I did this trip, I started at the Topock marina and made it maybe three or four miles down the Colorado to the location shown in the fist picture. This day had winds of 10 to 20 mph from the South and were forecast for all day so I was going upwind but down river going into the Gorge but the sail back was all down wind. This South wind is best for getting back upstream. This day did have a good forecast but I still had light winds for a short time while heading back upstream and even pedaling rigorously and trying to stay out of the current, you can barely make headway. But with the South wind, it was no problem, even nice sailing getting back.
I pedaled almost the whole time and think this helped with the current and sometimes fairly good wind gusts. .
Note that your more likely to get the South winds during the summer and North winds in the winter. If the winds were from the North, I think it would have made a better trip to head North on the Colorado river. That way if the winds got very strong or stopped, you could still get back to the launch. This trip was made later in the month of August.
