The best 10 things about rafting the Grand Canyon

The best 10 things about rafting the Grand Canyon

Pam LeBlanc enjoys the view from above Bass Camp in the Grand Canyon. Photo by Mollie Binion

Rafting the Grand Canyon means big water, scenery that scrolls past like the backdrop of an exotic movie, never-ending geology lessons, and, if you do it right, plenty of fun.

I just returned from Arizona, where I backpacked from the South Rim to the Colorado River to meet a passing group of friends who were doing what’s called a “painless private” trip. They hired outfitter PRO (Professional River Outfitters) to provide 18-foot rubber rafts, a kitchen set-up, a groover (essentially an ammo can with a toilet seat attached for human waste), dry bags and food for the three-week trip.

Mollie Binion watches as her son Peyton mans the oars during a rafting trip through the Grand Canyon. Pam LeBlanc photo

I jumped on for the final two weeks of the adventure. We supplied our manpower and camping gear, and did our own rigging, rowing, loading and unloading, and cooking.

Here are my favorite things about the trip. Look for a complete story soon in Austin Travels Magazine at www.austintravels.com.

Jimmy Harvey rows through Crystal Rapid. Pam LeBlanc photo

Top 10 things about rafting the Grand Canyon

  1. Unplugging from technology.

Jimmy Harvey jumps into a pool in a side canyon of the Grand Canyon. Pam LeBlanc photo

2. Hiking up slot canyons, through streams and into magical pools of water. We even made a “butt dam” in one narrow rivulet – lining up bottom to bottom to back up the water for a few minutes, then standing up to watch the mini flash flood we’d created.

Peyton Manning, Steffen Saustrup and Jimmy Harvey play dominoes. Pam LeBlanc photo

3. Playing dominoes on a sandy beach at the end of a fine day of rafting.

4. Reading “Robinson Crusoe.”

5. Taking the oars for short stretches and trying to figure out how to make the raft go where I wanted.

Charlie Riou blasts through Lava Rapid. Pam LeBlanc photo

6. Sipping bourbon and watching shooting stars with some of my favorite people every night.

7. Sleeping in a tent, in one of the prettiest places on the planet.

rafting the grand canyon

Mollie Binion mans the oars during a rafting trip through the Grand Canyon. Pam LeBlanc photo

8. Eating amazing meals – burgers, curry, pasta, quesadillas – cooked in our portable kitchen.

9. Blasting through some of the biggest rapids I’ve ever seen, and only getting tossed out of the boat once.

Mark Poindexter and Leslie Reuter mud wrestling on the banks of the Colorado River in the Rio Grande. Pam LeBlanc photo

10. Impromptu mud wrestling matches.

 

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National Parks Bucket Journal lets you log your adventures

National Parks Bucket Journal lets you log your adventures

The National Parks Bucket Journal features space for sketches, notes and details about your park visit. Pam LeBlanc photo

I’m heading to Colorado later this month to pick up a new toy: A 2021 Ford Transit kitted out by Wayfarer Vans with a bed, kitchen area and cabinets.

It’s a big step, I know. But last summer, Chris and I spent a week driving around Colorado in a similar campervan, and loved the freedom of being able to pull into a national forest, find a nice spot, and set up camp for the night. Nothing beats waking up early, pushing open the van’s back doors, and watching the world wake up, all from the comfort of your mobile bed.

We’ve spent the last few months ordering accessories for our van, from sheets and pillows to a Luggable Loo Portable Toilet, since our van is not equipped with a bathroom or shower. I’ve even ordered a customized name sticker for our van, which we’ve named Vincent VanGo.

I foresee plenty of road trips in my future, with lots of stops at national parks. I was thrilled when a copy of “National Parks Bucket Journal” arrived in the mail last week, compliments of the publisher, MyBucketJournals.com. The company makes an array of inexpensive journals focused on parks, states and special topics, like ballparks or historic battlefields.

I’m going to keep my journal in the new campervan I’m picking up later this month. Pam LeBlanc photo

My spiral bound book features pages for each of 62 national parks in the United States, from Acadia National Park to Zion National Park.

So far, I’ve already hit 25 national parks. My favorite? Glacier National Park in Montana, where I spent a night at Hole in the Wall backcountry site during a week-long backpacking trip. The Utah Parks, from Canyonlands to Arches, rank near the top, as do the granddaddies like Yosemite, Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon National Parks. I’ve also had a long-term love affair with Big Bend National Park in West Texas.

I’m hoping to make it to a few more in the next few years – especially Isle Royale in Michigan. (No campervans there – I’ll have to take a ferry over.) I’m putting the journal in the van to keep notes. It’s got maps and room for sketches, plus places to note when I was there, where I stayed, what wildlife I saw and who I traveled with.

Now that I’ve got a van, all I need to do is hit the road and start journaling.

 

 

 

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“Vanishing Postcards” podcast tells the stories of Texas

“Vanishing Postcards” podcast tells the stories of Texas

Evan Sterns drove 1,500 miles around Texas recording stories and creating 15 episodes of the “Vanishing Texas” podcast. Photo courtesy Evan Stern

Here in Texas, we love a good story, especially when it’s told in the scratchy voice or thick accent of someone who loves this larger-than-life state as much as we do.

The bartender at Dry Creek Café that overlooks Lake Austin, for example. An old-time conjunto musician in South Texas. Or the clerk behind the counter of one of those old country stores, where you can buy a can of Lone Star or a pickled egg from a glass jar.

“If there’s one thing I know it’s that Texas people love to talk and they’re good storytellers,” says Evan Stern, 39who grew up in Austin, pursued a career in acting and now lives in New York. His new podcast, “Vanishing Postcards,” debuts on April 8.

Evan Stern’s “Vanishing Postcards” podcasts launches on April 8. Photo courtesy Evan Stern

Stern describes the program as a travelogue in which listeners join him on a road trip to explore hidden dives and historic places.

“The idea of the show is I’m going around to places that don’t often make the pages of glossy magazines or brochures but are reflective of broader cultural histories,” Stern says.

He covered 1,500 miles in his car, visiting places like the Texas Conjunto Hall of Fame in San Benito, peach orchards in Fredericksburg, and dance halls, BBQ joints and country stores as he crafted 15 episodes, each about 25 minutes long. Dial one up and you’ll hear old-timers and local characters who describe the kind of Texas places that are slowly disappearing from our landscape.

“As horrible as the pandemic has been, it opened up the door for me to dedicate energy to this endeavor,” Stern says. “New Yorkers are great story tellers and they love to talk, but they’re incredibly pressed for time. It’s much easier to approach and talk to people here than it is there.”

Watch a trailer for the podcast here.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/vanishing-postcards/id1544610020

 

 

 

To subscribe to “Vanishing Postcards,” go to:

Apple https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/vanishing-postcards/id1544610020

Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1Clt64mFbYfmYAauWWTgtm?si=CwovImKQRIKRigPIcgP6aQ

Google https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy80MmZiNDc4NC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw==

 

 

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The 10 (make that 11) best things about my trip to Solitude this week

The 10 (make that 11) best things about my trip to Solitude this week

 

A skier glides past on the Woodlawn Run at the bottom of Honeycomb Canyon at Solitude as snow falls on Thursday, March 25, 2021. Pam LeBlanc photo

I had just about packed up my ski boots for the year when the folks in Utah invited me out for a final hoorah this week.

I grabbed my gear out of the closet, loaded up my rolling duffle bag, and set my sights on Solitude, located in Big Cottonwood Canyon, just 45 minutes from Salt Lake City, Utah.

Luck worked in my favor. A storm dumped a total of 26 inches on the resort two days before my arrival, setting things up nicely. I spent Wednesday exploring the mountain under bluebird skies; today a new storm blew in and it snowed non-stop.

A snowboarder makes her way down a run in Honeycomb Canyon at Solitude Mountain. Pam LeBlanc photo

Without further ado, here are the highlights of my trip:

 

  1. The direct non-stop flight from Austin on Delta. I left Austin at 12:15 p.m., caught a shuttle and was at my condo in Solitude, in Big Cottonwood Canyon, at 3:15 p.m. Dare I say it? It was easier to get here from Austin than some of the resorts I usually ski in Colorado.
  2. Ski Butlers, a ski delivery service, showed up at my door 15 minutes after I did, with a couple of pairs of skis suited to my ability level. I picked a pair of nimble Rossignol Black Ops Escaper skis, which were great for tight turns in the trees and moguls.
  3. The focus on skiing. There’s a village here in Solitude, true, but there’s not much to it other than a few condo buildings, a hotel, a couple of restaurants, a tiny convenience store and a bar. People come to Solitude for the solitude – and the skiing.
  4. I quickly discovered my favorite part of the mountain, Honeycomb Canyon. It’s expert-only terrain, with lots of hike-to cliffs and chutes off of Fantasy Ridge so gnarly I stood back and watched through my telephoto camera lens. Then I hiked a much shorter distance to some great expert runs without the cliffs. My favorite? Black Forest.
  5. No crowds! They call it Solitude for a reason. Not once did I wait in a lift line, not even at 9 a.m., when the lifts started whirring.
  6. A mid-day ski break for hot waffles at Little Dollie Waffles at Moonbeam basin area. This take-out window serves up small, thick, made-to-order waffles while they’re hot. I got mine churro style (sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar) and with a side of strawberry sauce. Yum.
  7. Skiing with Will Price, a retired teacher and ice dancer who wears a personalized helmet with orange flames on it, who will turn 90 on Sunday. He skis Solitude five days a week, and I got an introduction. We skied for an hour, and let’s just say I had to chase him down the mountain.
  8. I’m normally not into massages that much, but after two hard days of skiing, 60 minutes of pampering at Solitude Mountain Spa brought my leg muscles back to life.
  9. Dinner (red wine, roast chicken, chopped salad and honey lavender panna cotta for dessert) was delivered to my condo room personally by chef Tara Gerome, assistant food and beverage director for Solitude.
  10. My slopeside accommodations at Powderhorn Lodge are terrific. I’ve got a fireplace, a kitchen, a giant king-sized bed (with 11 pillows!) and what I call a “secondary sleeping nook” with two elevated bunks and a sofa underneath. (I love sleeping in cozy spaces, and confess I spent one night up there.) And it’s all within a few hundred yards of the Apex lift.
  11. I’m tossing in a bonus here. My flight leaves Salt Lake City at 1:55 p.m. tomorrow, which means I can get up and ski for two hours before I have to load my stuff into a shuttle and head to the airport. Maximizing my time at the mountain!

Will Price, who turns 90 on March 28, 2021, skis toward Moonbeam base at Solitude ski resort. Pam LeBlanc photo

Dollie’s serves hot waffles at the Moonbeam basin area at Solitude. Pam LeBlanc photo

 

 

 

 

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Wonder what Pam packs in her backpack for a night on the trail?

Wonder what Pam packs in her backpack for a night on the trail?

Pam LeBlanc’s backpack and contents for an overnight trip at Lake Somerville this week. Pam LeBlanc photo

Wonder what I stuff in my backpack before hitting the trail?

I unpacked my gear after a short overnight stay at a primitive site in the Nails Creek Unit at Lake Somerville State Park.

Here’s what I carried, starting at the top left and going by rows:

  1. Baseball cap
  2. Buff (borrowed from Joe)
  3. Sandals to wear in camp
  4. PJ pants and long-sleeved shirt
  5. Tent in orange bag (Big Agnes Copper Spur II)
  6. Gas, tiny campstove and pot for boiling water
  7. Osprey backpack
  8. Sleeping bag in black stuff sack
  9. Foam cushion for sitting
  10. Inflatable sleeping pad (Sea to Summit Etherlight XT)
  11. First aid kit
  12. Water bottle
  13. Platypus bag with water (on longer trips I bring a water filter system)
  14. Cosmetics bag with glasses, sunscreen, toothpaste and toothbrush
  15. Headlamp
  16. Sunglasses
  17. Ditty bag filled with snacks to clip around waist
  18. Freeze-dried meals (Austin-based PackIt Gourmet are my favorite)
  19. Titanium spoon

 

About Pam

I’m Pam LeBlanc. Follow my blog to keep up with the best in outdoor travel and adventure. Thanks for visiting my site.

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