I had a good soak before realizing it was littered with tar balls. They looked like black pearls, reflecting the morning light. Remarkably, I didn't get any tar on myself. That would come later in the day. We boated down through some excellent rapids, and several portages, and finally reached the Tar Creek confluence.
Tar Creek is a remarkable sight.
Natural asphalt deposits line the banks, formed by tar that has mixed with sand and baked in the sun. Thick oil and tar balls bob down the creek, and petroleum stains the cliffs where it seeps out of the canyon walls. If this mess was manmade, it would be a superfund site. As its natural, it adds yet another interesting twist to the trip. Keith ascends the stratigraphic column Not far below Tar Creek the beautiful purple rock beds seen earlier in the trip reappear, this time at river level.