Fishing Frenzy

Vacation - a space between occupations, a period of time apart, a time of separation from the problems of everyday life and work. In our hyper-linked world of cell phones, the world wide web, and television, we are never truly disconnected from our web of daily existence. Perhaps it is time to think about a true disengagement from everyday drama with an eco-friendly vacation. Why not consider getting outdoors into the fresh air where you will meet a great group of people and enjoy an adventure of a lifetime? Are you up for a Grand Canyon rafting expedition?

Now, there are lots of rafting excursions available, but when you think white water rafting, have you ever considered the top daddy of them all - the Grand Canyon? About a mile below the rim of the Grand Canyon roars the Colorado River. Its course was carved deeply into the terrain over millennia while the Grand Canyon was forming. While the remoteness is a huge part of what makes such a vacation special, it also makes cell phone and wi-fi Internet reception pretty much impossible.

While you are taking a holiday from the chatter of everyday life, if there is a true emergency, your Colorado River guides have satellite phones. Truly, you won't miss being able to text message friends and family a blow-by-blow account of all the natural wonders you'll be experiencing. You'll be too busy holding on for dear life as your guides navigate you safely through the rapids and around the rocks, dining on scrumptious meals by the river; or taking side hikes to view side canyons few others have ever seen, or ancient traces of early human habitation in the canyon. As your work buddies and neighbors fall asleep to the sound of automobiles and motorcycles, you'll be out under the stars lulled by the sound of a crackling campfire and the river rushing by.

On a Colorado River raft trip you'll get wet - really wet, which is why your guides advise you to dress in layers (natural fibers during summer months and suitable synthetics during the winter). Wool trousers are perfect around the campfire during cooler weather, but definitely not recommended while on the river. Throughout the cooler months, having a wet suit along can be a great thing, and will provide extra comfort when blazing summer days suddenly switch to soggy gray clouds leaking some liquid sunshine on your parade.

A hat will help shield your head from the mid-summer sun and a dry bag is designed to carry immediate essentials such as a change of clothing, camera gear and other valuables that you don't want wet. Yes, it is possible to carry your cell phone, but there is no guarantee it will stay dry, and besides, the mile high canyon walls prohibit reception from the outside world.

One camper enthused, "Without cell phones, television and the Internet, and instead stars and moonlight, gentle winds and soothing rivers, all our needs can be met."

So, relax, leave your electronics at home, and get ready to experience the seventh natural wonder of the world in all its glory. When you leave the grid behind and reconnect to nature and to yourself, you'll be aware that you are experiencing something that few before you have. Now that's an eco-vacation!

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