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Show Wed/Thurs/Fri, August 8-10, 2012 Red Card Roberts B-3 The Park Record By Amy Roberts Floating through spectacular desert landscapes Best-selling author and acclaimed businessman Tom Peters once wrote: "The formula for success: Under promise and over deliver." I can't be positive, but I'm pretty sure he came up with that philosophy after a rafting trip with Holiday River Expeditions. Because that's exactly what they do. To say they do it right is the biggest understatement since the captain of the Titanic said, "Hey look! Floating ice!" When I was first presented with the opportunity to do a four-day rafting trip down the Green River, through Lodore Canyon and Dinosaur National Monument, I'll be the first to admit, I wasn't particularly jumping up and down squeezing myself with joy. "We have to go to Vernal?" I recall thinking. And further, "Something in Utah is called Dinosaur National Monument? How can that be? Most of the state believes the earth is only 6,000 years old. It must be where ‘The Flinstones' was filmed or something." But my inner monologue very quickly got a wet sock stuffed in her mouth. Because this area is nothing short of Jurassic jawdropping. And so few Utahns seem to even know about it. When I explained to friends where I was going last week, the unified response was something like, "If you need some desert time, why don't you go to Zion, or Bryce, or Moab, or Escalante?" My answer to them a week later is this: "I went to all of them." Because that's what this area is - the beauty of all of our favorite desert spots combined. Made even more spectacular because you're enjoying it from a fish-eye view. "It's amazing to me how many people from Utah don't know about this place," said Jordan Pavoni, a veteran guide and our trip leader. "About 70% of our clients are from out of state." That percentage was pretty true for our group of 22 as well. We had a delightful family of four from Massachusetts, a honeymooning couple from Virginia, a load from Southern California, and even a couple of guys from Japan. All of whom seemed taken aback by the beauty of Lodore Canyon. "I felt like we were floating into a painting," said honeymooner Chad Majewski, who chose this trip because his new bride Sara had always wanted to go whitewater rafting. "We love camping and being outdoors. But I had no idea, when we settled on this trip, it could be this good." And though the area is quite simply some of Mother Nature's finest work, the guides from Holiday River Expeditions gave the wow factor a few exclamation points. Kailei, Molly, Jordan, Doug, Mike and Brian were all skilled, professional, knowledgeable, capable, friendly and downright fun. They lived the company's motto, "Go with the flow," and improvised when necessary to make the experience enjoyable and memorable. Even with the state's ban on open flames, they still gave us the campfire experience by put- I felt like we were floating into a painting," said honeymooner Chad Majewski ... "We love camping and being outdoors. But I had no idea, when we settled on this trip, it could be this good." ting headlamps and glow sticks in the would-be fire pit. "We do whatever we can to make sure our guests are happy," noted Icy Mike, who earned the nickname from a recent trip when a few clients asked for cocktails at the campsite. He chiseled and chopped the cinder-block-sized chunk of ice in the cooler to meet their expectations. Though that request sounds a bit prima-donna to me, apparently it's all in a days work for these guides. "The guides really do everything for you," noted guest Lisa Pearson. "This really is the easi- est way to enjoy a river trip. It's all the fun of camping with none of the work. The only thing we have to do is put on our life jackets. That's a big plus. And the food is unbelievable. I'm pretty sure all the guides went to culinary school." Just a few months before this trip, Lisa and her husband John took their two kids, Allie and Jack, to Disney World. Everyone agreed that rafting the Green River blew Mickey and company out of the water. "This really is the anti-Disney," Lisa said. "My kids are out here in nature, learning about history and the environment and the importance of protecting places like this. They're learning a certain independence. And I don't have to worry about their safety. It's relaxing for us, too." Her 12-year old daughter, Allie, agreed. "I like this trip much better because I'm learning about cool animals and the rocks. The only thing I learned at Disney was not to ride Space Mountain after lunch." I'm not sure if it was the river, the scenery, the food, the company, the jolliness of the guides, or a combination of everything, but this trip seemed to bring out the best in everyone. (I was even able to tolerate the Republican in my boat!). But the very best part of the trip was this: There was no letdown. Everything about it was a pleasant surprise. And at the end of the day, there are very few things in life that are actually better than you expect them to be. A river trip is one of them. To book a trip with Holiday River Expeditions, visit: www. bikeraft.com If you have a story idea for Red Card Roberts, please e-mail her at sabordog@aol.com. Amy Roberts is a freelance writer, public-relations guru and globe-trotting thrill seeker. In a former life she worked in TV news, both as a reporter and sports anchor. She has bagged peaks on six continents, kayaked the Zambezi and Nile rivers, swam with great white sharks in South Africa and tracked mountain gorillas in Rwanda. She was once very nearly sold for 2,000 camels while traveling through Morocco. PHOTO COURTESY BRIAN PARCELLS Rafting down the Green River, through Lodore Canyon and Dinosaur National Monument, was a delight, thanks to the scenic red rock. PHOTO COURTESY BRIAN PARCELLS Rafting with Holiday River Expeditions, Roberts said, was a pleasant surprise. The rapids along the Green River were pretty impressive, too. Calendar High School Sports Midway Run Like A Girl 5k August 11 7:00 a.m. Park City Marathon Sept. 15 8:00 a.m. Girls Soccer Sailing South Summit vs. Bear River Aug. 8 3:30 p.m. Park City @ Mountain Crest Aug. 10 10:00 a.m. South Summit vs. Union Aug. 10 4:00 p.m. Wasatch @ Morgan Aug. 10 4:00 p.m. Park City vs. Skyline Aug. 16 3:30 p.m. Football 11:30 am to Close Coupon Required Dine in only St 2 for 1 ill en after 5ptrees m Seafood,Steaks & Sushi Now Open for LUNCH Sushi Happy Hour 5:00-6:00 Daily Park City @ Spanish Fork Aug. 17 7:00 p.m. North Summit @ Beaver Aug. 17 7:00 p.m. South Summit vs. Altamont Aug. 17 7:00 p.m. Wasatch @ Grantsville Aug. 17 7:00 p.m. Park City Ice Arena Recreation Sports Ice Hockey Park City Recreation Services (Visit www.pcice.org for complete schedules) (615-5401) Adult Softball Leagues Basin Recreation Running Soccer Road Race Park City Mini Trail Series 15k August 11 8:00 a.m. (615-5700) BC Summer League Sunday 7 - 10 p.m. CD Summer League Thursday 7 - 10 p.m. Tour of Utah August 7-12 Bike Racing (cancellations) 615-5432 Park City Sailing Club Tuesday 6:00 p.m. Monday Coed Blue Monday 6 - 10 p.m. Monday Coed Red Monday 6 - 10 p.m. Tuesday Coed Tuesday 6 - 10 p.m. Tuesday Men Tuesday 6 - 10 p.m. Wednesday Coed Wednesday 6 - 10 p.m. Thursday Men Thursday 6 - 10 p.m. Friday Coed Friday 6 - 9 p.m. Summer Sports Weather Hotline Fieldhouse (655-0999) Open Field Play Sunday 7 - 11:30 a.m. Over 30 Drop-in Soccer Monday 9 - 11p.m. 18 & over Drop-in Soccer Wednesday 9 - 11 p.m. South Summit Aquatics & Fitness Center (783-2423) Rock Wall Monday, Tuesday 5 - 8 p.m. Saturday 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Adult Coed 7v7 Soccer Tues/Thurs 6 - 9 p.m. (1/2 Price on select sushi rolls) Please present coupon to your server before ordering Limit two per table. No split checks. Sushi is not considered an entree. Discounted entree of equal or lesser value 18% Gratuity will be added prior to discount. We reserve the right to cancel this opportunity at any time. 1251 Kearns Blvd (at The Yard) p.(435)655-0800 www.blinddogpc.com WINE WEDNESDAYS FREE CORKAGE LIVE MUSIC THURSDAY-SUNDAY ENJOY OUR $7 TAPAS MENU $24 PLATTER OF 4 IN THE BAR EVERYNIGHT View menus at www.350Main.com Get info, scores, play-by-play updates for Park City, North and South Summit high schools. Follow here for all things sports in Summit County. $25.00 off Purchase of Two Entrées Valid any evening Expires 8/31/2012 Present this coupon to receive your discount *Valid for dine-in with credit card payment only. Not valid with any other discounts or promotions. OPEN NIGHTLY AT 5:30 RESERVATIONS 435-649-3140 WWW.350MAIN.COM |
