Epic Family Vacation
Scenery was absolutely spectacular. Otherworldly.
The food was good...and well-prepared. Big surprises to have frozen popsicles and ice cream (thanks to dry ice). Breakfasts were great ...eggs made to order. Good lunches. Steak. Excellent.
The whitewater was fun for me.
The guides were all truly spectacular. Personable, able to connect with people of any age and gender. Hard working. Knowledgable about the river, rocks, historic and natural artifacts (petrified wood, pictographs and petroglyphs). Led good hikes. Friendly. Fun. Truly all absolutely 1st class. Nimble and agile jumping around the boats. Tireless. Attention to detail. Obviously all loved their jobs ... loved the river and canyons ...and loved working with people. Efficient, and a well-oiled machine and teamwork all the time. Absolutely stellar guides and people. I can not speak highly enough about the excellent river guides. I gave them every penny and dollar I had ...for a tip ...I would have given more if I had it on me.
Special mentions:
Daniel ... for reaching out and connecting with my daughter. He had watercolor paints and paper ...which was fantastic for my daughter who is an artist. My daughter's favorite.
A-Aaron ... for jokes, riddles, and stories. Can entertain multiple boats with hours with humor and conversation. My son's favorite.
Quinn ... for expert boat captaining thru tricky rapids at low water. Impressive. One breakfast was eggs ... and with so many guests if I was in his shoes I would have been tempted to make a big bowl of scrambled for everybody...but custom made eggs for each guest. I had over easy ...which were great. Also very impressed by his 1st hike he lead to some petrified wood ... his knowledge of the geology ...and attention to respecting the environment ...take no wood ...and leave no trash or micro-trash.
John .... he was the raft captain on the boat for me and Ethan. We hit all the rapids perfectly ... safely on the tricky ones ...and hitting the big waves when we could. Both Ethan and I "rode the bull" in 1 rapid ...and swam another. Also fun evening with him playing the guitar. Shared some nice stories on Powell ...and I am motivated to continue learning a bit about history and Powell with some follow-up reading.
Alex ...of course. I don't even know what to say ... people person, guide of guides, and best all around. Total class act. One night we had a big storm ...wind then rain ... he checked up on everybody. At one pre-Pueblo ruins ...knowledge of the granary and artifacts, articulate, entertaining ...and again respect for the artifacts, river, and canyons. No trash, no micro-trash. Explained to everybody how to do everything ...from going to the bathroom ...to how to clean our plates. Best of the best.
My big fear was around the toilets. No problem with going #2 in an outhouse. My specific fear is ...well ...I am old ...and I was afraid of shame and embarassment if I had to go #2 at an inopportune time. I didn't, as it turned out. But 1 other person did ...and I noticed the absolute double-time efficiency and extreme tactfullness in how the situation was handled by the guides. Eased my fears in this regard.
Weather ... we had some extreme weather one night ...with big 40 mph gusts for an hour ...followed by some heavy rain. We lost a little sleep. But we laughed about this the next day. No worries on the big storm.
Western River is truly an excellent top-notch organization ...and that I went with the best...of this I am sure.
Please pass along my thanks and regards to your entire organization from the Foley Family. It was a vacation that we will never forget!
Regards,
Michael
