Annual Classical Music Green River Journey
One of the most unique rafting adventures is Bill Dvorak’s Annual Classical Music Green River Journey. Dvorak is one of the river’s most experienced guides. The Kayak and Rafting Expeditions tour invites a handful of members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic to serenade guests with Bach, Beethoven, Ravel and Bill’s fifth cousin, Czech composer Antonin Dvorak. Each morning, the as the culinary team fills the air with the scent of fresh coffee, the musical team sits down to a practice session that prepares the spirit for the day’s adventure.
Along with rafting, guests will hike to Puebloan ruins, take time to view wildlife and splash in the river’s edge. Evening song is accompanied by passed hors d’oeuvres and wine. Dinner may be blackened salmon, tropical salads and Black Forest Cake. The eight-day trip down Desolation and Gray canyons promise at least four concerts, concluding with a formal concert. Dvorak stages the outdoor series in natural caverns and amphitheaters that enhance the sound. That’s what I call getting in harmony with nature.
Colorado River
The Colorado River is the premier river for rafting and kayaking, but it isn’t for the faint of heart. Most people want to catch a wave through the Grand Canyon where canyon walls can rise up to a mile in the air. Rafting through the canyon waters will include whitewater rapids, wildlife, ancient ruins, and isolated beaches available by no other means. These are popular tours with a number of guiding companies, but the National Park Service restricts the number of passes allowed each year and only approves one pass per year per adventurer.
The river can get very wild, and is also affected by flash floods which change the bottom topography of the river, so experienced guides are essential, whether paid or friends. A favorite section of the river is The Confluence, where the Green River dumps into the Colorado at Cataract Canyon, a 100-mile-long chasm that meanders through the heart of Canyonlands National Park.
Westwater Canyon is less well known outside of the Salt Lake City area, and so perfect for those who want a wild experience with eleven impressive rapids, up to Class IV. Known for its bird watching opportunities, this hidden jewel of a canyon gets up close and personal when the Colorado is forced to squeeze through the narrow Black Granite Gorge creating Funnel Falls, Surprise, Bowling Alley, Sock-it-to-Me, the Last Chance and Skull rapids.
The Salmon River in scenic Idaho offers travelers from the north a reason to stop before or after heading to Zion. It offers the adventurous rafter a chance to bathe in hot springs, rest on white sand beaches, soak up Western lore and visit the largest expanse of unbroken wilderness along a river to be found anywhere in the U.S. mainland. Class III and IV whitewater rapids get the blood boiling, but there will be plenty of opportunities to cool it back down.
