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| - My wife had heard some good word-of-mouth about the Colorado River rafting tours, so she chose Black Canyon River Adventures to take us and my parents on our first rafting "adventure" (mild though it was). We left the Hacienda casino by bus at around 10 a.m. and returned around 3 p.m., with the actual time on the water lasting about three hours (and that was more than enough).
After a potentially harrowing bus ride (if you're afraid of heights), the tour started at the bottom of the Hoover Dam, which was easily the most visually interesting section. Our captain, Dennis (nice name!) was funny, easy-going, and had a plethora of interesting information about the history of the dam and the people who built it, as well as tidbits on the O'Callaghan-Tillman Bridge and, later, the geology of the canyon. The scenery was pretty, if not spectacular, for the rest of the long sojourn down the Colorado, and though we didn't see any wildlife (save birds and a dead ram being eaten by vultures), there was enough natural beauty to keep my eyes flitting. The raft also stopped twice at tiny beach areas, and some people chose to wade in the water, but I opted not to.
The tour came with a boxed lunch, and I was expecting the worst, but it was actually pretty darn good. Nothing special: a turkey sandwich, chips, an apple, cookies and water. You get to keep the (cheap) lunchbox.
A few negatives: As alluded to before, I thought the tour went on a bit too long, though there's nowhere to dock between the dam and Willow Beach, so I guess there's nothing they can do about that. The seating isn't exactly comfortable; your choices are long benches or blazing-hot rubber pontoons. The people sitting on the front half of the raft got soaking wet, and even in the back we got more than a few splashes, so be prepared.
Overall, it was a memorable experience, and we met some interesting people (not only Dennis and the other employees, but also the people around us on the raft, including folks from China and New Zealand). I would recommend this trip to anyone seeking a scenic, mild "adventure."
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