November 17th, 2011
Buttoned-up for the Season
Reaching this time of the year brings a big sigh of relief. Another successful river season has come to an end and now it is time to slow down, take and deep breathe and embrace fall and winter.
At the end of each season there is a good amount of work to be done to close up shop and get everything ready for winter. Guides that do not have school to go back to often hang around and help us get everything put up, for which we are very grateful.
We begin by breaking down our lunch camp. Cindy and Rock clean out the bear boxes and bring all of the supplies back to the warehouse kitchen. Then we send in a crew ready for some heavy lifting as all of the picnic tables, benches, serving tables, and the shade tent are brought back to our warehouse for winter storage. Finally, we rake and sweep as we strive to “leave no trace” for those who might use the area in the fall.
Then all of the boats must be patched if necessary, scrubbed clean and treated for winter storage. If you ever drive by our warehouse on boat cleaning day, you will know it. The yard is full of orange and gray boats and all colors of inflatable kayaks. Sometimes we have to wait around for good weather as the boats must be completely dry before being put away for the winter.
Next up is the washing of all life jackets, wet-suits, booties, and fleece jackets. Again, we need sunshine for this activity so nothing gets put away wet.
While all of this is going on, Cindy is cleaning out the kitchen, de-icing the refrigerators and storing everything in its winter home. And Heather is usually cleaning up and putting the office and retail area away.
When we’ve reached this point we usually bring everything from outside in and begin the jigsaw puzzle of how to fit the vehicles inside for the winter. The vehicles get winterized and the warehouse is good to go.
This year included another fall task, that of re-staining all of the buildings on our property. We decided to change things up and chose new stain and trim colors, so don’t be surprised next year when you show up and we have a new face!
Posted in Family Rafting Trips, River Rafting Trips, Stanley Idaho Rafting, Sun Valley Idaho Rafting, The River Company | Comments Off
June 18th, 2011
The media is alive right now with reports of rivers flooding, or about to flood, their banks. Given the ample amount of moisture we received this winter and spring it is not surprising. But what does “high water” mean when it comes to whitewater rafting in Sun Valley?
Despite the grim picture painted in regards to the Wood River in Sun Valley, the Sunbeam section of the Salmon River is at optimal floating levels. The Wood River and the Salmon are two different river systems all together, with the Salmon able to handle flows much higher than current levels. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Family Rafting Trips, Idaho, Stanley Idaho Rafting, Sun Valley Idaho Rafting, The River Company, Wood River Valley | Comments Off
May 7th, 2011
We’ve started our weekend trips to Stanley to dust off the boats, organize the warehouse, clean the kitchen and set up shop. The first time we come to Stanley (from McCall) for the season generates a lot of excitement in our family. The kids get reacquainted with their room and the sandbox and memories of summers gone by come flooding back. Dave and I push up our shirt-sleeves and get to work putting things together, antsy for the season to get underway.
This time around we discovered more snow than usual on the mountain passes going to Stanley as well as in the boat yard. Giddy with excitement for a good water year, we shoveled snow in order to get the bus out of storage. Meanwhile, the kids asked to go to the beach, not realizing that our beach at Redfish is most likely under a blanket of slowly melting snow. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Family Rafting Trips, Guides, Idaho, River Rafting Trips, Salmon River, Stanley Idaho Rafting, Sun Valley Idaho Rafting, Sun Valley River Trips, The River Company | Comments Off
April 21st, 2011
Whew! Home again after an amazingly fun vacation to Southern California. The weather was more than cooperative as we wound our way from San Diego and all the fun it has to offer, up to Legoland in Carlsbad and finally to Anaheim for days of fun at Disneyland and California Adventure. Surprisingly, everything went smoothly, from our plane and hotel experiences to our recreation and theme park adventures. OK…we did have one close call with a plane connection, but we made the flight so that’s all that counts, right? Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Family Rafting Trips, Group Raft Trips, Salmon River, Sun Valley River Trips, The River Company | Comments Off
April 2nd, 2011
Writing about my favorite things to do in Sun Valley last week got me thinking about all the things I love to do in Stanley too. Embedded in the middle of the Sawtooth National Recreation Area, Stanley is a spectacular place. A visit here will leave you wanting to come back again and again. For those of you coming from far away, especially if it is your first time to the area, here is my list of must-do’s in Stanley. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Family Rafting Trips, Idaho, River Rafting Trips, Salmon River, Stanley Idaho Rafting, Sun Valley Idaho Rafting, Sun Valley River Trips, The River Company | Comments Off
March 25th, 2011
Living in Stanley during the summer is very special, but escaping to the Wood River Valley is always a treat. As promised, I’ve compiled a list of our favorite things to do in the Sun Valley area during the summer. Because our kids, Miles and Fin, are five and two, most of the activities listed are kid-friendly. I tried to keep the list to ten things, but I really couldn’t narrow it down below 12. Enjoy! Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Idaho, Salmon River, Stanley Idaho Rafting, Sun Valley Idaho Rafting, Sun Valley River Trips, The River Company, Wood River Valley | Comments Off
March 18th, 2011
Our Upcoming Vacation
When planning a vacation there are so many different things to think about. I mean, you are making a big commitment of time and money and you want to make sure you’ve got your bases covered, right? We are in the middle of planning a SoCal/Disneyland trip and I have to admit that, at times, I’ve been overwhelmed with all the details. We know what dates we want to go so the airline reservations were easy. No problem on choosing a rental car. But where I’m spending hours upon hours is hotel reservations and area attractions. So many choices! If you have small children like we do (Miles-5, Finley-2), you know computer time is precious, so how much research can you really do before buckling down and make some decisions? Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Idaho, River Rafting Trips, Sun Valley Idaho Rafting, Sun Valley River Trips, The River Company | Comments Off
January 3rd, 2011
Reservations for the 2011 season begin today. Go to the Redfish Lake Lodge site to book your lodging. All of their cabins go fast!
Posted in Idaho, Stanley Idaho Rafting, The River Company | Comments Off
May 11th, 2010
There is a great article on hiking with kids in the Sun Valley Idaho area. Read the entire blog post here.
Posted in Sun Valley Idaho Rafting, The River Company | Comments Off
April 21st, 2010
All Salmon on the Upper Main Salmon near Stanley, Idaho are anadromous fish: they are born in the fresh water of the Salmon River, migrate to the ocean, then return to the Salmon some 900 miles to reproduce or “spawn”. The federal government just gave these fish a huge break by allowing dams that impede their progress to spill water aiding these young salmon (smolts) have a more natural trip to the ocean.
Right now, millions of salmon and steelhead smolts from Idaho are on the ride of their lives as they attempt to dodge hungry predators and other serious obstacles on their downstream migration to the ocean. But one thing the smolts won’t have to contend with on their perilous journey is the curtailment of water spills over dams on the lower Snake River.
This is great news for Salmon and means that if you join us in the next few years you will have a better chance of viewing these amazing fish on one of our trips.
Read the entire article at the Idaho Mountain Express
Posted in Idaho, Salmon River, Stanley Idaho Rafting, Sun Valley Idaho Rafting, The River Company | Comments Off
