From July 14 - 27, 2006 my family (me, my wife Annie, & our sons Drew & Glade) floated 240 miles of the Grand Canyon, from Lee's Ferry to South Cove on Lake Mead. Having given up on getting our own private permit to run the Canyon long ago, we chose Grand Canyon Expeditions (www.gcex.com)out of Kanab, Utah, to take us down the river. I have no financial interest in this company, but I cannot recommend it highly enough if you are looking to do a commercial Grand Canyon float trip yourself. Every dimension of the experience - the crew, our fellow group members, the food, the hikes, the scenery, the rapids, the stories - was as good as it gets. Our group, 22 in all - 16 passengers and 6 crew members, traveled in dories, with 4 passengers and one boatman to a dory. A 37 foot S-rig support raft carried everything but the personal items we needed each day; these we carried in watertight hatches on the dories. These dories have been designed specifically to run the Grand Canyon. Besides being beautiful to look at, they give you the best ride on the river, as you will see. The river flow was between 12,000 - 20,000 cfs during the trip.

Our crew members were real professionals as well. Each has been down the Canyon many, many times. They are encyclopedic in their knowledge of the Canyon's geology, natural history, and human history. Each one had a fascinating personal story as well. We admired what they did for us, and how they helped each person on the trip have a fantastic, personal experience.