Northern New Mexico’s Rio Grande Gorge Posted On: March 22, 2021 By: Britt Runyon Filed Under: River trips Tagged In: New Mexico, New Mexico rafting, raft New Mexico, Rafting new mexico, Rio Grande, Rio Grande del Norte National Monument Northern New Mexico’s Rio Grande Gorge Northern New Mexico’s Rio Grande Gorge. Escape with our unguided float. The above image shows an early season father/son duo taking advantage of our Funyak Rentals. The rental trip goes from Taos Junction Bridge to Quartzite site, on our Monument Float section in the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument. Scheduled departure times are 10 AM and 2 PM at the Quartzite River Access point. Escape to the cooling water’s on our Monument Scenic Float. Read More…
Testimonials for Orlando Pour In! Posted On: August 2, 2019 By: Britt Runyon Filed Under: Testimonials Tagged In: New Mexico, New Wave Rafting Co, Orlando, Rio Grande Testimonials for Orlando Pour In! Take a look at our Trip Advisor testimonials in the link below. Full day Rio Grande rafting (5 stars) “My husband and I plus our two teens (14,16) had a great day on the river with Orlando who was knowledgeable and fun, kind and helpful. He is obviously a skilled guide who knows the river well. He had a huge amount of geographical knowledge too. We were with another family on the boat and Orlando’s easy style had us working together as a team and we steered through all the rapids in style. Everyone enjoyed floating in the river when we weren’t in the rapids. Lunch was great and the morning float beforehand was a gentle float – a couple of tiny rapids. We were glad the rapids in the afternoon more than made up for it. A fantastic day out – thanks so much Orlando! (I should add my 14 year old daughter has special needs (autism and sensory processing disorder, along with slow processing speed)and he was brilliant with her. He built up her confidence and when I said I didn’t want her to paddle the rapids but just to concentrate on keeping herself in the boat he didn’t try to persuade me otherwise. She stayed at the back with him and then he sent her up front for the last few rapids which she loved!) A great day – helped by the unseasonably high river flow! Highly recommend” Orlando A link to our website. Leave you testimonial on our Trip Advisor page.
Taos Box, May 19, 2019 Posted On: May 22, 2019 By: Steve Miller Filed Under: River trips Tagged In: New Mexico, New Wave Rafting Co, Rafting new mexico, Rio Grande new mexico, run-off, Taos, Taos Box Taos Box, May 19, 2019. The snowpack has INCREASED since the Box trip seen here. It is now at 278%!! Are you wanting some real white-knuckle boating? This is going to be the year for that. This full-day river trip traverses 16 miles of wilderness gorge, encountering demanding rapids guaranteed to get you wet. This is our most exciting whitewater river trip and is NOT for the timid. Participants must be mentally and physically prepared to paddle in earnest and assist in their own rescue in the event of a “swim” or flip (Class 4/Difficult, Class 5/Very Difficult, in high water). The Box season begins in April, with the highest flows usually occurring around early June. Minimum age is 12. Take a closer look here. Why We Raft the Taos Box What compares to a river? Hardly anything, and that’s why we raft. The rapids, the calm stretches, the wildlife, the riverside groves and flowers – it’s all there, waiting for you and your family. Exposure to Nature Boosts Immune System “In a series of studies, scientists found that when people spend time in natural surroundings, forests, parks and other places with plenty of trees, they experience increased immune function. One reason for this is phytoncides, the airborne chemicals that plants emit to protect themselves from rotting and from insects, and which also seem to benefit humans. In Japan, for instance, people visit forests for a therapeutic practice which is called “Shinrin-yoku,” or “forest bathing.” A group of these “forest bathers” were divided in two and they were instructed to do the following: Group 1 was instructed to walk through a forest or wooded area for a few hours on day one . Group 2 was instructed to walk through a city area. On the second day the two groups switched places. Above all, the researches found that being among plants produced lower concentrations of cortisol (a stress hormone), lower pulse rate, and in addition lower blood pressure.”
Rinconada Scenery Posted On: May 20, 2019 By: Steve Miller Filed Under: Nature Tagged In: New Mexico, rinconada Rinconada Scenery. Only one mile away from the County Line River Access, where we meet the greater part of our guests, is an easily accessible and very interesting short hike. It goes up a dry wash into an area of vertically-sided formations cut into soft sediments. Here are photos of the hike Kathy and me took yesterday (5-20-19). We were wanting to see the wildflower bloom, and were well-rewarded. The wash is cut into soft sediments A very narrow slot canyon cut into the hillside An ant farms aphids on locoweed Read More…
New Wave Wins Mothers Day Race Posted On: May 14, 2019 By: Steve Miller Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged In: Le Mans start, Mothers Day Race, New Mexico, Racecourse run Mothers Day Race! New Wave Wins Mothers Day Race. The New Wave entry in the 6-person Mothers Day raft race, captained by veteran guide Neil Oberheide, took first place! The race took place on the Racecourse run, named, of course, for this annual event. Starting lineup, Racecourse, Rio Grande Le Mans start The New Wave raft is off! Read More…
High Water Anticipation, 2019 Posted On: May 13, 2019 By: Steve Miller Filed Under: River trips Tagged In: Class IV, Class V, Colorado, cubic feet a second, irrigation, New Mexico, Racecourse, Rio Chama, Rio Grande, river runner, run-off, snow melt, Souse Hole Rapid, Taos Box, water user, watershed High Water Anticipation, 2019 High water! Various government agencies keep a close watch on snowfall, and the depth and density of snow that accumulates on the ground, throughout the winter. With this information, they can predict the amount of run-off (water from snow melt) that will likely occur. The run-off prediction is of paramount concern to farmers and cities, who obtain their supply of irrigation and drinking water from snowmelt. It is of paramount concern, also, to river runners. Here in the arid west, all water users agree that more water is always better than less water. The agencies issue reports that detail the snowpack in the various watersheds of a state. The watersheds that are of interest to us New Mexico river runners are, firstly, the upper Rio Grande, in Colorado, and secondly, the Rio Chama in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico. And the Rio Grande is at 142% of average. Based on past experience, we expect that the run-off from this amount of snow will provide exciting levels of water in our two rivers. Weather, of course, will determine the exact nature of the run-off. Cooler weather slows it down, and hotter weather speeds it up. But we are supposing that the peak of the run-off will exceed 4000 cubic feet a second. What does this mean? A box 12″ on a side is a cubic foot. So imagine that, in a second’s time, 4000 such box fulls of water are passing by as you stand on the bank of the river. How much might it exceed 4000 cfs? It could go to 7000 cfs. Or not. Read More…