A raft powered by 6 of our Guide Trainees, and captained by Britt Huggins, New Wave Operations Mgr., took 2nd place in the Annual Mothers Day raft race. That was after doing two training runs on the Racecourse already that day! Beers were enjoyed at the Blue Heron Brewery in Rinconada during the awards presentation. Today ends the instructional four-day part of the Guide Training Program. Now comes the practice portion, to be followed by the Final Exam on May 24. We think we have some winners in this group. Photos on the above to follow.

As warm temps begin to arrive, so does the river begin to rise! Today the level is 388 cfs (cubic feet per second). We just love more water in the river, along with all the other users, recreational and agricultural. We don’t have quite enough to run the Taos Box yet, but are running the Racecourse and Rio Grande Gorge white water stretches. I took the water temp yesterday evening when I went fishing. It was 59 degrees. Not so chilly, at all, and good for funyaking, as well.

Today also saw the beginning of the first session of New Wave’s 2011 Guide Training Program, with 11 hopefuls paying $150 each for four days of intensive training, followed by two weeks of practice. More about our Guide Training Program can be found in the body of the website, under “What Else>Guide Training Program”. This Program is taught by New Wave guides Britt Huggins and Mike Boren.

On Wednesday, some of those guide trainees to be and returning New Wave guides, attended the River Rendezvous, an annual educational event for river guides. This event was put on by the BLM, our federal regulating body, and the New Mexico River Outfitters Assoc.(NMROA), our local commercial outfitting group. Yours truly, Steve Miller, is the President of that group. Stay tuned for a video of the event, soon to be posted to YouTube and this blog.

And last, but not least, another NMROA sanctioned event is this weekend’s Mothers Day Races, for kayaks, canoes and rafts. This is the official rafting season opener.

A youngster having fun in a funyak

This white water video footage was shot on April 23, 2011. We had families, couples and business partners out for some whitewater adventure. The weather was cloudy and cool but we provide the splash gear for your comfort.

Watch it here, or go to New Wave’s You Tube Channel at  http://www.youtube.com/user/NewWaveRafting#g/a for more of our videos covering all our trips and activities.

We’re sorry that we don’t have a photo for you, but today was our first otter sighting! Britt Huggins and his crew were able to observe an otter for a good 10 minutes, while in the course of their Racecourse white water trip. Otters were re-introduced to the Rio Grande river a few years ago, and appear to be doing very well. One sometimes also sees beavers, muskrats, herons, eagles, ducks, geese, colorful songbirds and more along this highly scenic stretch of river.

Opening day AM Race Course crew were gung-ho and ready. They hailed from Seattle, so a bit of inclement weather was right up their alley.

The Morning Crew

Opening day PM Race Course crew were into it from the get go. They worked really hard and were rewarded with great barbecue from Sugars.

The Afternoon Crew

Just clink the link and enjoy the excitement.

For more of New Wave Rafting videos and slide shows go to our home page and click the You Tube or Face Book link at the bottom of the page.

See Yah this summer,

Britt

Owners of New Wave Rafting Co Kathy and Steve Miller were joined by Operations Manager Britt Huggins and guide CJ Robison for a dive trip to Bonaire, in January. Gotta love corals reefs and all that undersea life!

Here's Kathy Miller, underwater at Bonaire

We’ve been around quite a while, and the guy 2nd. from left – Britt Huggins – is still with us! He’s our Operations Manager, and a critical player in producing that

New Wave magic!

Our Guide Training Program participants, after running the Taos Box at a high-water record level.

Along the Orilla Verde Recreation Section of the Rio Grande River, I have had many opportunities to photograph the wintering Bald Eagles. These images are of two such eagles. One is a mature eagle of at least 4 years of age. The other is a 2 year old, it shows the distinct markings of what is called White Belly II phase.

(click on the image to enlarge)

A popular perch.

The mature seems to want the perch to himself.

Their aerial acrobatics are amazing.

The chase continues.

They went their separate ways soon after this moment.

The fascination of the young at heart and the Rio Grande River go hand in hand.