The Story of the Earliest Inner Grand Canyon Painting, Discovered in a Small English Country Auction In 2021, Graham Ratcliffe, discovered a painting that had come up for sale at a small country auction, in England’s Lake District, that took him totally by surprise. It was of the stunning painting of the inner Grand Canyon, where it…
An Interview with Rebecca Lawton on Her New Book of Poetry by Sharon Hester In this post we interview retired AzRA guide Rebecca (Becca) Lawton. Becca began guiding for Arizona Raft Adventures (AzRA) in 1976. She started out her career with American River Touring Association in California in 1973, as well as Utah, Idaho, and…
Tolio, Holio and Foot Rot, Oh My; Why You Need to Care for your Feet on the River How to Prevent Foot Maladies on the Colorado River through Grand Canyon by Sharon Hester Foot Care on the River Taking care of your feet is super important on a Grand Canyon rafting expedition. Most injuries on…
What is a typical Grand Canyon Rafting Itinerary? We get asked this question quite often, and the honest answer is: there is no itinerary on your Grand Canyon Raft Adventure. That’s one of the best parts! Just like the Colorado River, a Grand Canyon rafting adventure is dynamic, fluid, and subject to change. Other than the launch day, take out day, and interchange day (if the trip has one, where some…
The American Dipper Cinclus_mexicanus By Sharon Hester She bobbed up and down, dancing, a small, roundish, grey fluff of a bird. Each movement carefully planned, flying short distances between boulders scattered about the melodious brook. Taking a small calculating step or two with a bob between every step, her perky dance moves were captivating. And then a quick white flash, she winked at me! Was I imagining this? Suddenly it happened again, sparkling like a diamond, a bit of bling contrasting with…
Paddling the John Wesley Powell Route: Exploring the Green and Colorado Rivers is a new guidebook that combines a condensed retelling of the dramatic 1869 Powell expedition with color photos and trip information for the entire 1000-mile river route. In this interview, author and photographer Mike Bezemek tells us about creating the book and rafting…
Finding Dory on a Classic Grand Canyon Rafting Adventure The Classic Adventure is our most popular Grand Canyon rafting adventure, traversing the canyon from Lees Ferry, Mile 0, to Diamond Creek Road (Mile 226) in the space of 14 days (up to 16 days in the spring or fall). On most Classic Adventures, one can…
Book Review by Chris Zielinski When on a Grand Canyon rafting adventure (or visiting Grand Canyon) you may hear the words Zoroaster, Sockdolager, Manakacha, Parisswampitts, and Dox. What are all these strange words, and what do they have to do with Grand Canyon? They are, in fact, all names of points of interest within Grand…
Arizona Raft Adventures’ Images of Grand Canyon Contest Enter our 9th Annual Grand Canyon Images Contest for a chance to win $500 off your next rafting expedition with Arizona Raft Adventures! Entries should showcase the joy, laughter and excitement of the Grand Canyon experience. Submissions are due by 11:59 PM MST Sunday, October 13, 2019. Photo…
Life of the Harvester Ant by Sharon Hester When you are on a Grand Canyon raft adventure with Arizona Raft Adventures, you will meet the Red Harvester Ant within hours of your departure. The Red Harvester Ant, Pogonomyrmex Californicus, is one of the most numerous and common insects you spot at your stops and at…
