THINGS YOU DON'T NEED ON AN ARIZONA RIVER RUNNERS GRAND CANYON WHITEWATER RAFTING TRIP

cell phone.....flat screen TV......rolling luggage......wristwatch.......computer.......car......stiletto heels.....make-up.....car keys......calendar.....day timer.....stock broker........grocery list.......coffee press.....magazines.....movie schedule.....to go menus......realtor......mirror......running water...... electricity......the newspaper......mail (snail mail and email)......to do list......push-up bra...... jewelry......hairspray.......necktie.......dress shoes......gasoline......alarm clock...... stemware......napkins......a sink......a bathtub......hairdryer......map quest......curling iron......straightener......radio.......

On your river trip with Arizona River Runners pack for fun and adventure! We are more than happy to give you packing tips and advice! Give us a call at 1-800-477-4738 for your adventure of a lifetime!

Starry Starry Nights (On an Arizona River Runners Rafting Trip)

When was the last time you slept under the stars? Were you a kid? Have you ever slept under the night sky? Camping along the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon gives you the IMAX of star gazing.

On the river the Milky Way commonly appears as a flurry of so many stars that it is a magnificent, starry presence in the night sky. There are so many stars that they blur together. On a cloudless night it stretches lazily across your entire view.

You can track a satellite as it hurtles through outer space. Watch as it moves through the darkness, made visible to you only by it's reflection of the sun's light. Not all that moves are satellites. Don't be fooled by airplanes, maybe a red-eye heading for Los Angeles. Satellites are plentiful. They have jobs to do.

Constellations are everywhere. The Big Dipper, The Little Dipper, Orion's Belt, North Star, the Scorpion. Your view of this starry display will vary. As you slumber through the night, the stars will march across your view in the sky. The moon may rise and diminish their brightness but they are still there. No doubt you will witness some shooting stars.....these sprinters slash across the darkness. They flare brightly as they burn and die away.

As morning light creeps into the sky, the stars begin their retreat. The light of the sun overpowers their brilliance. But they are always there and they will show themselves again tomorrow night when the sunshine passes and the clouds vanish and darkness settles in.

Arizona River Runners would love to take you out camping under the night sky on a river trip. We offer 3-day trips to 13-day whitewater rafting adventures. Call 1-800-477-7238 for your Starry Starry Night experience.

Arizona River Runners: Those Brazen Ravens (say that 10 times real fast!)

Ravens are a medium-sized, common black bird. They are plentiful in the Grand Canyon on a Colorado River rafting trip, especially the spots where people visit. They are scavengers of the most skilled kind. Used to be, they waited on the rocks, sort of across the way until we campers left the beach. Then, they would swoop in and devour whatever little tidbits might be left from lunch or dinner or whatever else we rafters were obliged to have left behind for their delight.

Not so anymore. These skilled thieves can open zippers and sleuth out buried treasure in your bag. They don't even wait for everybody to leave. I've known them to swoop down and snatch a baggy, no doubt filled with important items for some unsuspecting camper. On my last trip, at camp, they opened my big bag, removed my wallet (it was shiny), and proceeded to spew my credit cards, driver’s license, and all across the sand. They even pecked at the dollar bills! We noticed the commotion from about 50 feet away, and had to sprint over to shoo them away.

They are no longer satisfied with crumbs and leftovers. They have honed their skills so that they can get into your things and do some damage. I was lucky; the aggressive thieves didn't carry away my stuff. You can learn from this and remember to keep your things under wraps until you need them.

Don’t leave your important belongings and gear near harms reach, those birds are sneaky and cunning! They want what you have, food, trinkets, toilettries… Don't encourage these brazen ravens.

For tips on ravens, raccoons and more, visit Arizona River Runners, your place for an adventure of a lifetime!

Arizona River Runners: Pictures Rarely Capture it All

Let's assume you have just completed a multi-day Grand Canyon rafting trip with Arizona River Runners. Let's say, also, that you had a fabulous time and returned home with lots of great photos and lots of memories. You've done your laundry, perused the stack of mail and newspapers, and today is your first day back at your j-o-b.

Everybody wants to know what it was like white water rafting through the Grand Canyon. What did you do? Where did you sleep? What did you eat? Was it cold? Was it hot? Were you scared? Do you have photos?

Ah, photos. Here's your chance to show them the magnificence, the grandeur, the awesome beauty of the Grand Canyon and the things that you experienced. But your Grand Canyon rafting photos just don't capture the emotions. The photos are lacking the exhilaration of riding the troughs and crests of the white water and the feeling of your very being at the bottom of those humongous layers of rock...layer on top of layer on top of layer, as far as you could see. The sky that stretched overhead from one horizon to the other and the stars that stole into that space.

Photographs can only begin to show your friends where you have been. Your pictures are an index for the 3-D memories that you will have for the rest of your life.

Pictures rarely capture it all.

For your white water rafting trip call Arizona River Runners - where memories are made! 1-800-477-7238

New Friends on the River with Arizona River Runners

One of my favorite things to behold on a Grand Canyon Rafting trip is to see a 10 year old chatting away with a 75 year old. Or maybe a granny sharing thoughts with a 20 year old hip dude. Things like this happen a lot in the heart of the Grand Canyon.

People on an Arizona River Runners rafting trip have the time and opportunity to get to know each other. Fellow rafters have converged from all ends of the earth, from diverse ethnicity and cultures. Ages may span many decades and economics no longer has any bearing on interaction. The electronic distractions have been eliminated. Life on the river is simple.....have fun, have as much fun as humanly possible.

Challenges exist. Everyone has apprehensions of some kind. Can't climb onto the boat. Hate cold water. Don't like dirt. Afraid of high places. Bats creep me out. Hiking scares me. I'm no rock climber. Can't pitch a tent. I'm shy. It's hot. It's cold. You and your fellow rafters will tackle everything that comes up. You will be a helper and encourager sometimes, and sometimes others will give you a helping hand. You all keep moving on through, just like the river.

This crosses all boundaries of age, gender, race, religion, class. Together you will face all the fun and fears, and together you will conquer and survive and FLOURISH. A Grand Canyon rafting trip is a bonding time with people you didn't chose. You have come together randomly for a week or so of some really awesome things. Some was fun. Some was difficult. Some just took your breath away. You did it together. You will likely leave the Grand Canyon with unexpected new friendships.

Call Arizona River Runners for a Colorado River rafting trip - and meet people from all walks of life, from all over the globe!

Time is a River - Arizona River Runners

As you embark on your Grand Canyon Rafting Trip, do yourself a favor and take off your watch. Lose the timepiece and lose yourself in the moment. Face it.....you are not in control here.You need not worry about it either. With Arizona River Runners, you are in very capable hands.

The river is ultimately in charge.Your guides will assess all the conditions and will choreograph a trip that is especially suited to you and your time in the Grand Canyon. What hour it might be, is of no importance to you while you are on your raft trip. What is essential, is how you relate to WHAT and WHO is around you.

Is breakfast being served? Has the hike begun yet? Do I need to re-apply sunscreen? Have I met everybody yet? Can we "make a pit stop?” Is the toilet set up? Do I have time to put on my rain gear before that rapid? These are timely questions.

The precise hour of the day is not important for now. Getting in synch with your group is all you need to do. You will travel along, together. You will eat, sleep, play, drink and laugh together. You can do these things most of the time, some of the time or all of the time.

There will be plenty of times when you need that watch but a river trip is not one of them. It is a river. Let it flow. You will return a changed person.

For your life changing experience, call Arizona River Runners at 1-800-477-7238.

Footcare 101 by Arizona River Runners

While you are on your Grand Canyon Rafting Trip, you are going to want to hike, and walk around, and scamper over rocks, and jump off stuff you never really expected.

So it's crucial that you keep your feet in good shape. Do this by (1) wear comfortable sandals/shoes. (2) Be sure that you have broken in your footwear before you get to the river. Wear your footwear around the house some to get them ready, even if they are shoes that you have worn before. (3) Bring socks in case you get a blister or sunburn that you need to protect. (4) If you need more support for hiking, bring shoes to hike in. Keep in mind that almost every hike will be in water at some point. (5) Put sunscreen on your feet. (6) Re-apply sunscreen often. (7) NEVER GO BAREFOOT (in bed maybe, but NEVER while you are upright).

Your feet are an integral part of your Grand Canyon Rafting experience. If they are a hurtin' in any way, it makes it much more difficult to do what you came to the river to do.

Have a blast! Be smart and take good care of your feet. You'll have more fun if you do, and your feet will thank you!

For more insights and river trip tips call us at 1-800-477-7238!

Arizona River Runners Late Season Specials

Looking for a great summer getaway? What about a Colorado River Rafting trip? Late August and September tend to be less busy than mid-Summer as most families are heading back to school schedules and activities by then. If your schedule allows you to travel during this time there is still some trip dates with available space.

At Arizona River Runners, we have some incredible late season specials. Three of our trips in August have savings of up to $400.00 per person! For more information on these and other specials visit our website and click on "Browse Our Specials" tag.

It’s time that you come and experience what our guests continue to rave about, year after year. Many visitors come to do the Canyon…most are amazed by what the Canyon does to them. Come join us for this incredible journey!

Arizona River Runners: Monsoon Season

Yep, it's officially Monsoon Season here in Arizona, and that means thunderstorms are likely to pour somewhere in the southwest that affects the conditions on your Grand Canyon Rafting Trip. But what does that really mean to you and your trip? We'd love to explain.

Rain anywhere in the watershed that feeds into the Grand Canyon can make side streams roar. Some canyons and hikes are to be avoided because of the danger of flash flooding. Your Arizona River Runners guides will choose your activities to fit your particular circumstances. You will explore and hike only when and where it is safe. You will see wondrous things that only happen while it's raining, lucky you!

Side streams engorged by rains often pour muddy water into the main river corridor and turn the clear, green water into chocolate milk. It's still fresh and clean, just not clear. It's still powerful, and the biggest whitewater in North America. No mistake there!

Waterfalls are born of the gift of water from the skies. Cascades of water pour from normally dry crevices. Water dances all around you on cliffs and sheer rock faces. It is truly awesome when the rain pours in the Grand Canyon.

Perhaps you will have the opportunity to sit out in the rain and love every minute of it. To be able to witness this part of nature's cycle of life. The rains quench the earth and new life is born from these times. Lucky are those of us that can be there.

Thinking about a Grand Canyon Rafting trip? Stop thinking and call us at 1-800-477-4238 for your adventure of a lifetime - we have some great late season specials available.