As with all new sports I try, I spend a great deal of the time scared of it. My 1st raft trip was no different. Incredibly, after growing up in Northern New Mexico and having returned here as an adult, I never went white water rafting. I never saw the point. I can enjoy the beauty of the river from the bank without freezing cold water being splashed in my face or the white knuckle zeal of ramming into rocks totally out of control!
But alas, I married an out door, sports enthusiast. I decided to suck it up and see what all the fuss was about and joined New Mexico River Adventures for my 1st ride down the rapids. The company (who is guest blogging below), was professional, friendly and focused on a fun safe ride. Immediately I felt I was in capable hands and my neck slowly grew out of a lump of stress...which some people call shoulders. The guides moved the raft with skill and ease and were a wealth of information on the flora, fauna and history of the area. Even with a dip in the cool water, I found the thrill much more manageable, dare I say even intoxicating, than the horror I had pictured and found myself excitedly planning the next trip before I was even out of the boat! If you haven't been rafting before, it is a must.
Come Memorial Day weekend, we will have a 3 day float trip down the Chama. What makes this more amazing than any other kind of trip is that we will be accompanied by Chef Ky of "Lambert's Taos" fame. These extravagant wine dinners (uh did you think I would go somewhere without wine?!) are laid out on white linens and are complete with china and beautiful glassware. This is not the camping or rafting I grew up with!
Read on for a little write up from New Mexico River Adventures...the only raft company that wines and dines you.
-Cheers from the Vivác Winery Family!
www.vivacwinery.com
Rivers and Wine
Yes, it might seem like an unlikely pair until you've traveled to the beautiful Lower Rio Grande Gorge and enjoyed both. We are lucky enough to live in a part of the country that offers world class options for both. The wine making industry in this area, 1 hour north of Santa Fe and 20 min. south of Taos, is flourishing and the canyons containing the Rio Grande and Rio Chama are some of the most beautiful and exciting in the country. There are a large variety of things to do during your trip to Northern New Mexico, but the combination of a whitewater river rafting trip rewarded with an afternoon of wine tasting at Vivac Winery should be at the top of the list.
Just a short drive from Santa Fe or Taos takes you to the New Mexico River Adventures Headquarters where your river adventure begins. The Rio Grande offers trips for all ages and levels of excitement. The most popular trips on the Rio Grande are the Racecourse and the Taos Box. The Racecourse section is the perfect trip for first timers or those whitewater enthusiasts who only have a limited amount of time available. It is class II-III(IV at high water) and a great choice for everyone. The Racecourse trip is also run as a full day trip by adding a placid morning float through one of the most scenic parts of the canyon with great opportunities to see a variety of wildlife including mule deer, river otter, beaver and many different birds of prey.
The famous Taos Box river trip is truly one of the greatest single day rafting trips in the country. Nowhere else can you find the same quality whitewater in such a remote and pristine canyon with incredible wildlife viewing opportunities. The "Box" flows through the heart of the Rio Grande Gorge some 800 feet deep. After a superb riverside lunch prepared by the guides, the rafts continue into one of the most remote portions of the canyon. In the final five miles of this Taos box rafting trip, the gradient increases and the rapids become more intense and come in much quicker succession. Brace yourself in and paddle hard through these steep and visually stunning rapids! You are almost guaranteed to spot Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep leaping across boulders below the cliffs or enjoying a drink from the river as well as river otter and a large variety of birds of prey as you float through this spectacular canyon. Whichever trip you choose, you're sure to be rewarded with a highlight of your trip to Northern New Mexico.
www.NewMexicoRiverAdventures.com
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