Spring whitewater rafting guide

Whitewater rafting season is just around the corner. Find an adventure...

OUTDOOR ADVENTURES

UP A CREEK

Whitewater rafting season is just around the corner. Find an adventure that matches your interest.

IF YOU'RE A...

Movie fanatic

RIVER

ChattoogaRiver; leavefrom LongCreek, SC (121miles fromAtlanta)

TOUR

The Chattooga RiverSection III trip with WildwaterLtd. Rafting (www.wildwaterrafting.com) rollsthrough the area whereDeliverance was filmed.

DIFFICULTY

Class II-III

INSIDER INFO

Don't let the movieassociation scare you.This moderate trip hasone or two tough rapids(Bull Sluice is the best).

IF YOU'RE A...

Wildlife lover

RIVER

PenobscotRiver; leavefrom Bingham,ME (116 milesfrom Portland)

TOUR

North Country Rivers'(www.ncrivers.com)Penobscot River trip startsout gently and works up toClass V rapids.

DIFFICULTY

Class II-V

INSIDER INFO

Owner Jim Murton saysto keep an eye out formoose, deer, eagles,otters, beavers andmaybe even a falcon.

IF YOU'RE A...

Dinosaurenthusiast

RIVER

Green andYampa rivers;leave fromSteamboatSprings, CO(169 miles fromDenver)

TOUR

Lodore Canyon River Raftingon the Green River, through the DinosaurNational Monument with AdventureBound RiverExpeditions (www.adventureboundusa.com)

DIFFICULTY

Class II-III

INSIDER INFO

General manager TomKleinschnitz says this isthe most beautiful triphe offers, with "geologyfrom a billion years" along the way.

IF YOU'RE A...

Wineaficionado

RIVER

American RiverSouth Fork;leave from Placerville,CA (128miles from SanFrancisco)

TOUR

Two-day wine-tasting andrafting trip with MariahWilderness Expeditions (www.mariahwe.com)

DIFFICULTY

Class II-III

INSIDER INFO

Guides will teach youabout the grapes thatgrow around the riveras you go by. Withluxury campsites, this iscertainly not roughing it.

IF YOU'RE A...

Solitudeseeker

RIVER

Salt River; leavefrom halfwaybetween Globe,AZ and ShowLow (about150 miles fromPhoenix)

TOUR

Try a full-day, multidayor camping trip with SaltRiver Rafting, LLC (www.gobluesky.com)

DIFFICULTY

Class III-IV

INSIDER INFO

Co-owner MikeWhittington says thesecluded location in theSonoran Desert?yes,rafting in the desert?isthe real draw to thisadventure.

BY THE NUMBERS

CITIBOT FOLD-UP KAYAK

Citibot is made by the Charleston, SC-based Folbot (www.folbot.com), the first North American manufacturer of folding kayaks.

1 travel-size bag

10 length ofkayak(in feet)

10 minutes to assemble

24 weight of kayak (in pounds)

1,094 cost (in dollars)

TRAVEL BOOK

Legendary Landscapes

TAKE A VISUAL TOUR OF VIRGINIA'S HISTORIC HOMES AND GARDENS.

Founded in 1607, Virginia has a lot of history, and the survival of homes and plantations from the 17th to the 19th century proves it. Virginia's Historic Homes and Gardens lends a photographic eye to these beautifully restored and well-maintained sites throughout the state, including Lee Hall Mansion-the last remaining large antebellum plantation house in the Lower Peninsula-in Newport News; George Washington's Mount Vernon plantation (outside Washington, DC); and Richmond's John Marshall House, home of the fourth Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court.