Food
All on-river meals are provided, beginning with lunch the first day and ending with lunch the last day. The food is fresh and hearty and the guides will prepare it for you while you enjoy the homey atmosphere generated around each river camp. You can set up your tent or go for an evening walk, relax, read, or join the guides in the kitchen if you so desire.
A typical menu may include as a main course BBQ Steak, Baked Fish, Pork chops and dumplings, chicken enchiladas, seafood spaghetti, cashew chicken Chinese, Teriyaki Chicken, Mexican chili, combination entrees, fresh vegetables and salads, Dutch-oven desserts or breads, hors d'oeuvres, fresh fruits, fruit juices, coffee, tea and a complimentary glass of wine with dinner.
Lunches are buffet style with a wide variety of salads, sandwiches, fruit, cheeses, sliced meats, nuts, juices or sodas.
Breakfast includes fruit juice, eggs in all styles, special pancakes, French toast, melons, fruit, cereals with milk, sausage, bacon, coffee, tea or hot chocolate. We can accommodate special diets with advance notice and almost always the menu suits the vegetarian. Although we carry ample supplies of juices, coffee, tea and hot chocolate we encourage you to bring extra soda, beer, wine or other beverages you may prefer. You can arrange for us to pick up specific beverages for you prior to the trip or you can stock up before we head to the river. Any liquids you bring must be in unbreakable containers, limited to one case per person.
ALCOHOL: Multi-day expeditions only.
All youth groups or organized trips will not have the alcohol option. Please be advised that we will request that you screen your participants for illegal items. Our guides will require ID verification for any personal consumption during our trips. Thank you for your attention to this issue.
Required 21 years ID: You're welcome to bring alcohol as long as it is in unbreakable containers. Discretion in alcohol consumption during whitewater days is strongly advised. If you would like us to pick up a particular beer and bring it to the river, please advise and payment can be made for your purchase at the river put-in with your Trip Leader.
Money
Additional cash requirements:
You will need to arrange all pre and post lodging and meals before and after your trip.
Gratuities are not included in the trip cost. We recommend 10-20% depending on the trip type and the amount of service required for your expedition. Youth groups are requested to be considerate of the service but within reason for the program budgets.
You will not require any monies during your trip. Valuables should be stored in the safe at your lodging or you can keep valuables in the waterproof bag provided by Dvoraks. A small amount of money maybe needed during shuttle for snacks at the end of trip. Any items that you leave in your vehicle(s) should be secured or locked in trunk of cars. We recommend always that you consider travel insurance for any incidents that might occur.
Destination Location
Rio Grande: COLORADO & SANTA ELANA CANYONS
19 & 21 miles Class II - III+ (Texas & Mexico Border)
Warm sun, spectacular canyons, and moderate rapids make these trips perfect for a family Thanksgiving holiday. The Colorado Canyons cut through igneous rock, offering fun rapids of Class II and Class III. In the Santa Elena Canyon you will raft beneath magnificent sheer limestone walls towering up to 1500 feet above. Rockslide rapid is sure to excite the whitewater enthusiast. This is an excellent trip for inflatable kayaks with full raft support from Dvoraks.
Guide(s)
Our guides are experienced men and women skilled at handling their craft. They all have current first aid, CPR and Swiftwater Rescue training and have fulfilled guide qualification requirements in the states of Colorado, Utah, Texas and New Mexico. Trip Leaders have thousands of river miles of experience on all classes of rivers including all those Dvorak Expeditions run
Transportation
PRE-TRIP ARRANGEMENTS
BY PLANE: Arrive in Midland, Texas the day prior to your trip or on the morning your trip begins, provided you can arrive prior to 8:00 a.m. (Central Time Zone) Dvorak Expeditions will pick you up at the Airport Ramada Inn, or meet your plane very early the morning of the first day of your trip (between 7:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. Check your confirmation letter for more precise time.) We will need to know where you are staying for contact purposes. There are numerous airlines with flights into Midland from a variety of connecting cities. United, Continental, American and Delta service the Midland Airport daily.
BY CAR:
Option 1: Arrive Lajitas, TX or Terlingua, TX at 7:30 a.m. for meeting where we will either leave vehicles in safe keeping or arrange for transportation from parking area to our launch site upstream or you will follow us to the same. Shuttle arrangments are required prior to meeting us for your trip. You can have a shuttle of your vehicle to the take out at a cost ($125-$175) per vehicle or Dvorak's will bring you back to your vehicle(s) for a transfer fee of $15-25 per person. Length of shuttle will determine the costs.
Option 2: For special arrangement only. Arrive in Ft. Stockton, Texas at the Econo Lodge which is located at 800 East Dickinson, on the eastern edge of town, at approximately 12:00 noon on the day your trip begins. Dvoraks will rendezvous with you there and then transport you by van to the put-in point at LaLinda, Mexico, approximately 3½ - 4 hours travel time. Your vehicle can be left in the Econo Lodge parking lot and you will be returned there approximately mid-day on the last day of your trip. There is both a lounge and restaurant at the motel.
Directions: Ft. Stockton, Texas can be reached from the north via U.S. Highway 985 from Pecos or Texas Highway 18 from Monahans. From the west and east via Interstate 10 and from the south via Highway 385 from Marathon, Texas. Any extra clothing, suitcases, etc. can either be stored in the Dvorak vehicle/trailer and will be available at trip's end or at your motel in Midland/Odessa.
Accommodations
OPTION 1:
ACCOMMODATIONS
We recommend the following for pre- and post-trip:
If you are flying into Texas our Meeting Locations:
Ramada Inn Airport
3312 South County Rd-1276
Midland, TX 79706
(915) 561-8000
(800) 2 RAMADA
If you are driving into Texas we can pick you up from:
Super 8 Motel
800 East Dickinson
Ft. Stockton, TX 79735
(915) 336-9711
OPTION 2:
If you are driving to the meeting location to do the Big Bend Canyons (Colorado and Santa Elana) we will be meeting you at the Lajitas, TX river access point. It is a small town and easy to find the river parking area. We will either be leaving your vehicle here during your trip or we will have you follow your Dvorak guides to the river put in location upstream. We will have arranged for vehicle shuttles to be done or Dvoraks may return you to your vehicles at the trip end. These arrangments will need to be made prior to the trip launch. 800 824.3795 For arrangments.
TAKE-OUT point is usually Terlingua Creek on 3 or 4 day trips.
TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS AT TRIP'S END
After derigging and loading equipment on the last day of your trip, Dvorak Expeditions will either
• Take you back to your lodging location where we picked you up day 1.
• Shuttle you to your vehicle at the arranged shuttle point.
• Deliver you to the place where you left your car at the start point.
• Arrange to have your car shuttled to the take-out (Cost per vehicle to be arranged depending on trip length and distance to shuttle.)
Although you can usually make a connecting flight home on the evening of the last day of the trip, we recommend you fly out the following morning in case inclement weather or other circumstances delays our arrival in Midland. Remember, "River Time" is unpredictable.
PLEASE CALL AND CONFIRM YOUR SHUTTLE ARRANGEMENTS PRIOR TO TRIP.
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