OCR Text |
Show v ZJ N 1 4 V Alpha Action Tours really are the beginning of action-packed upstream tours. This "first" was originated by ovne,r Fred Hadcliffe. These jet boat trips meet the rapids head-on, overcome them, and once crossed, the rough waters are challenged chal-lenged again on the return trip. Fred Radcliffe of Alpha Action Tours Just Couldn't Stay Avay from Moab After 17 years In the hardware hard-ware business In Indiana, Fred and Jean Radcliffe, operators op-erators of Alpha Action Tours, sold their store and began working the summer months for Tex's Tours driving dri-ving jet boats on the Colorado Colo-rado Fiver. They first visited Moab in 1956, and even though Fred readily admits he doesn't really enjoy boating that much, he learned to love seeing people drink In the same beauty that caused him to move here. Some 100,000 mllesof river riv-er running later he elected to start his own business. Armed with a great respect for the Colorado and its' hazardous nature, Fred and Jean set out to locate a suitable boat to help thwart some of the known dangers of the river. A jet boat built up In Idaho Ida-ho called the "Pony" seemed seem-ed to come close to meeting meet-ing what they wanted as It was extremely fast, highly maneuverable, light weight and yet strong. It also had a vee bottom, which is quite an asset, says Fred, In that when a "bar" Is struck, tt does not cause a sudden stop, therefore no Injuries to occupants. To further j guarantee return of the passengers pas-sengers to the deck, Fred carries a portable battery powered winch and sufficient line to extricate a boat in trouble. Observing visitors taking all day river trips, Fred soon became aware that any trip beyond four hours seemed to wear them down. With this in mind, he Instituted short, exciting tours ranging from 30 minutes up to 4 hour tours of 75 miles. He also encourages patrons to take one of his custom tours of early morning or late afternoon after-noon to avoid the hot noonday noon-day sun, which is also the prime time for taking pictures. pic-tures. Alpha is noted for its "first," Fred notes, and is listed among "first" as the only up-river jet boat tour through rapids. This also provides a two-way experience, exper-ience, exposing visitors to the thrilling experience of being carried swiftly over the rapids when returning down the river. Fred originally began running run-ning rivers in 1929 by himself him-self (age 8), but quit In 1939 aite r upsetting In a rapid and losing his outboard. out-board. He then began rao-lng rao-lng motorcycles crosscountry cross-country and retired from that activity in 19C9.Hesays he lias won a few races, but was a conservative racer, rac-er, and these don't often win. In the off-season, Fred offers "Follow the Leader" guided tours by motorcycle through the back country. Fred refers to his wife, Jean, as truly the leveling agent In his life. He speaks fondly of her as being a wonderful mother and partner. part-ner. A former home economics econ-omics teacher, Jean now assists as-sists with the office work and other details of their business In their home In Kayenta Heights where their office Is located. The Radcllffe's have reared rear-ed two children, both of whom are presently living In Moab. Their son Bernie works at TGI and runs rivers on his days off, and their daughter, daugh-ter, Elaine Dressback, Is a PE teacher at the junior high school. |