AzRA Discovery Banner
The V Wave
A newsletter for river runners
April 2008 - Vol 2, Issue 1
In This Issue
Sign Up
Links
Happy Spring!
Photo by Rob Elliott

Welcome again to the Arizona Raft Adventures and Grand Canyon Discovery e-newsletter. The V Wave, named after a legendary wave in Lava Falls rapid, is packed with fun information such as trip specials, Grand Canyon and company news, guide updates, river stories, recommended readings, specialty trips, photos, river recipes and more. This issue features a new National Park rule, a photo workshop trip, a story by one of our guides about sharing the Navajo culture within Grand Canyon, a summary of our recent opening day for 2009 reservations, a guide update on Lorna Corson and a featured photo submitted by one of our readers. (Above photo: Guide Jan Sullivan teaches rowing techniques to an aspiring guide. By Rob Elliott)

Photo by Rob Elliott
Sorry River Rats! In an effort to spread user access out over a larger population of river runners in the Grand Canyon National Park, National Park Service is now restricting recreational boating opportunities to one trip per year per person. This prevents outfitters from accepting a reservation from any individual who has or will participate in any other full or partial canyon commercial or private river trip within the same calendar year. If you feel the urge to go two times in one year, you will have to fulfill your river and Canyon addiction elsewhere! (Above photo: Guide Jeff Pomeroy leads the paddle raft into a rapid in the inner gorge. By Rob Elliott)
Photo by Rob Elliott
AZRA's subsidiary Grand Canyon Discovery and Arizona Highways are combining resources to present a fabulous photo workshop on the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. This trip is perfect for individuals looking to focus their river adventure around photographing some of the most beautiful scenery in the Southwest. Our skilled river guides know just how to cater to photo trips and will take care of your needs so you can concentrate on your photographic pursuits. Camps, side hikes and daily stops are all picked to best fit their proximity to photo opportunities for you to pursue your love of photography and express your creative side.

We have hired Arizona Highways photographer Ralph Lee Hopkins to provide photo instruction on a 10-day motor trip from May 2-11. In addition to the on-river portion of the workshop, you will also have 2 days of instruction prior to the river trip. Ralph will conduct photo sessions which will cover basic photographic technique, Photoshop for photographers, using histograms, creating good compositions, and more. He'll also conduct a portfolio review of up to 10 of your images. Once the workshop is over, you are encouraged to share your photos with him on our photo sharing site so he can critique them and offer you suggestions on how to make your images even stronger. Not only does he offer expert opinion before and after your trip, he has run the river several times himself and uses this experience to provide you with the utmost professional instruction.

There are still spaces available on this trip. If you are interested in finding out more information on this photo workshop or interested in finding out information about future Colorado River Grand Canyon photo workshops (May 1-10, 2009), please contact Arizona Highways directly. (Above photo: A passenger sets up his tripod for a perfect shot of Vasey's Paradise. By Rob Elliott)

Nikki Cooley by Rob Elliott
Ya'at'eeh! My name is Nikki Cooley, and I am a river guide at Arizona Raft Adventures. I am also of the Towering House Clan, born for the Reed People Clan, paternal grandparents are of the Manygoats Clan, and maternal grandparents are of the Water that Flows Together Clan. I was born and raised on the Diné Nation (also known as the Navajo Nation) where my respect and love for the outdoors came from sheepherding, helping my family grow crops of corn, squash and watermelon, and my elders' teachings and stories of the connections between living beings and the earth.

Growing up, I would often herd the sheep down a nearby canyon where I explored and thought about the environment around me. Sometimes, my paternal grandfather and I would walk among the sage and pinion pine as he talked of the emergence of animals, plants and Diné people. These experiences prepared me with a strong sense of respect and care for the environment. I knew at a young age I would find a career that would involve being outdoors and sharing my culture with others. My life was to be about exploring, experiencing, and learning, and I continue that tradition today. (Photo by Rob Elliott)

Motor Boat by Rob Elliott
On March 4, we began taking reservations for the 2009 river season. It was a successful day as 4 reservation staff answered phone calls all day. At the end of opening day, we were already 61% booked up for the 2009 river season! If you were hoping to get back on the river in 2009, you might want to start planning now! (Photo by Rob Elliott)
Photo by Rob Elliott
Lorna Corson has been running the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon since 1978. She is most well known by her passengers for her amazing finesse on the river, her incredibly strong body and her passion for hiking. In fact, Lorna loves guiding on the new specialty trips that focus on side hiking. Although all of the trips have side hiking opportunities, Lorna loves the passion for hiking that the passengers on the hiking trips have. Some of her favorite hikes include the long version of National Canyon and the North Bass Trail.

Lorna spends the winters living in Wilson, Wyoming, with her partner, Norm Larson (also a GC River Guide). They have a small cabinet business which keeps them busy. Lorna loves the winter because it is her opportunity to participate in some other outdoor passions including rock climbing and backcountry skiing. If you have not had the pleasure of running the river with Lorna yet, perhaps you will on your next trip! (Photo by Rob Elliott)
River Wedding
This photo was taken last July and submitted by a passenger named Fiona. On the spur of the moment, Fiona and Tony (her boyfriend of 10 years), thought it would be unique to exchange nuptials in such a majestic place.

"It certainly was a wedding to remember," Fiona said "and the guides made it fantastic." She said it was amazing what the guides did in a just a few hours. One guide, Jan, had an eclectic wardrobe of clothes to share and had fantastic ideas about how to make the best with the resources they had. The trip leader, Harlan, performed the ceremony beautifully and included a song which he sang. The other guides built an aisle out of the oars and some of the other passengers wrote songs and painted a picture as a wedding present. Fiona also told us what a delight it was that her son was able to be part of the experience. She does not get to see him that much because he lives in the States and Fiona and Tony reside in the UK. (Above photo submitted by Fiona Lewis)

We would like to thank everyone who opened and read our first two e-newsletters. We have almost 1800 river rat readers spanning over 5 river seasons! We hope you will choose to continue receiving this publication so that we may keep in touch throughout the years. In fact, if there is a specific topic or idea you would like to read about, we welcome and appreciate all comments and suggestions for future newsletters. In addition, if you have a story or photo and would like to share it on The V Wave, please drop us an email as we would love to hear from you!

(Arizona Raft Adventures and Grand Canyon Discovery are concessioners under contract with the U.S. Government and administered by the National Park Service.)

See you downstream!

AzRA Disc Logo
Arizona Raft Adventures and Grand Canyon Discovery

phone: 800-786-7238
Email Marketing by