Vietnam Veteran, Grand Canyon River Guide, and Homing Pigeon Enthusiast As part of our 60th anniversary celebration at Arizona Raft Adventures (AzRA and ARTA Grand Canyon), we’re honoring stories from our early days—tales that shaped the spirit of the company and the community of Grand Canyon river running. Few are as unforgettable as the story of Wesley Smith—Vietnam veteran, river…
Down the Colorado Alone by Patricia “Patch” McCairen Drifting away from Lees Ferry, through the Paria Riffle, in Sunshine Lady, my 15′ Avon Professional Raft, I slid between the Kaibab Limestone that quickly ascended on both sides of the Colorado. I gripped my oars, feeling very small and insignificant. I was alone on a dark…
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…
An Exciting Adventure in Crystal Rapid During the Historic High Water Levels By AzRA Guest Steve Franck When one thinks of 1984, they may think of George Orwell’s “futuristic” book. I think of rafting down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. I’ve done this 14-day trip with AzRA three times in paddle boats. My…
History of Conservation of Grand Canyon Written by Grand Canyon Trust. Photos by Marc Muench Formation of Grand Canyon Trust In the early 1980s, amid lively campfire conversations on the banks of the Colorado River, a group of river runners and environmental activists commiserated about growing threats to the Grand Canyon and the need for…
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…
What do Apollo 11 and Grand Canyon have in Common? Written by Kaelin Zielinski | Featured Photo by Steve Koppel July 20th, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin did a small thing of stepping off a ladder onto a dusty, lonely land, but when they stepped off of Apollo 11 onto the lunar surface, they…
Dory Trips in Grand Canyon By the mid 1950’s, it was readily evident that inflatable rafts were the only sensible future for whitewater recreation. They were easy to transport and store, carried a heavy payload, and all but ignored the buffeting of rocks and jagged walls. And they were, at the time, dirt cheap, as…
The Grand Canyon Childhood of Bill Bass Jr. Bill Bass Jr. is the son of one of the most well-known historical figures of Grand Canyon, William Wallace Bass. Bill Bass Jr was born in 1900 and was raised at Grand Canyon. His family, including his three sisters, is one of the first Anglo settlers to claim…
