SIPS ‘N’ SUDS

If you thought your river trip happy hour couldn’t get any better, we’ve got a few more ideas to keep it interesting.

Themes are a fun way to bring your crew together during the river trip. Happy hour on a Tuesday? Plan tacos for dinner and kick off the afternoon with margaritas for a Taco Tuesday theme. Got a birthday? Sing happy birthday and bring a mini cake for the occasion. Beach theme? Give everyone flower leis and throw together a fruity mixed drink.

Whether you’re happy hour is on the boats or on the beach, games add an interactive element to social time. Bring a game for the group to play like catch (bring a floating ball or beach ball to throw from boat to boat), bocce ball or frisbee.

Drinks are only one aspect of happy hour. Really want to impress your river trip family? Break out an appetizer to share over cold drinks. We recommend the river map charcuterie: a mix of several different cheeses, dried meats, fruits and crackers laid out on a river map when not in use. Bon appetit!

Let your culinary creativity take over. This raft charcuterie included apple slices, meats, cheeses, crackers and fresh bread.

A good river trip cocktail requires ice, and not just a couple cubes. The amount of ice used per drink has the potential to make or break the cocktail/ mocktail quality, especially on those sweltering afternoons where the temperature hits triple digits. A good cooler will keep ice for the duration of the river trip. Practice keeping the lid closed and latched when not in use, otherwise ice will melt quickly.

While a quality cooler is not cheap, it’s worth the investment. A good cooler preserves ice and food for days or weeks on end, depending on size and durability. Plus, a cooler doubles as a seat or table on your boat, and can be used for other outdoor activities outside of rafting.

This one’s important to keep the happy hour a surprise. Members of your group might not have a spare cup, and the extra cups in the kitchen box might be buried under a heavy pile of river gear, deeming them inaccessible. Rather than make someone use their water bottle (highly discouraged since staying hydrated in the summer heat is top priority), pack a few extra cups for those in need.

A lime wedge goes a long way. The garnish will take each drink to the next level. While members of the group might have known about your surprise happy hour plan all along, they probably weren’t expecting you to throw some mint into the mix, or hand them a margarita with a salted rim. When it comes to river trips, it’s all about the little things — the details that no one will expect in the middle of nowhere. Bring those lemons and limes.

TIONA EVERSOLE has spent the last six years rowing some of the Southwest’s most stunning rivers including the Animas, Colorado, Dolores, Green and Yampa. When she’s not rafting, you’ll find her running, hiking and biking in the San Juan Mountains. Follow her adventures on Instagram at @run.wander.ride.

A view of the San Francisco Peaks from the Brookbank Loop. T HUNGRY, OR IN NEED OF A CAFFEINE FIX? LATE FOR THE TRAIN With three locations NOT YOUR GRANDFATHER’S OLD LOGGING TOWN The pioneers who settled Flagstaff, Arizona, on the southern edge of the Colorado Plateau in north-central Arizona Territory in the 1880s would no longer recognize it. Once a ranching and logging center, Flagstaff is now home to Northern Arizona University. It is also home to the world’s by BRUCE GRUBBS story & photography largest privately-owned astronomical observatory and the U.S. Geological Survey’s Astrogeology Center where the in Flagstaff, this coffee bar is the local’s choice for a quick snack and a specialty coffee or smooth hot chocolate. It also moon was mapped for the Apollo landings. serves breakfast pastries and burritos. BRANDYS For a sit-down breakfast before hitting the trail, Brandys is another local The Santa Fe Railroad arrived in 1882 and still barrels through town. The historic train depot, once the only place locals could connect with the world and take delivery of a grand piano to grace their parlor, is currently the AmTrak station. In addition to its twice-daily stops, the station is the place to catch ground shuttles to the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport. The train aside, modern When the snow has melted, hundreds of miles of trails await to hike and mountain bike in the surrounding Coconino National Forest. It’s the largest and one of the most accessible national forests in the country. The Arizona National Scenic Trail passes right through Flagstaff on its 800-mile route from Utah to Mexico, and the Flagstaff Urban Trail System connects the inner city secret. It has two locations for breakfast and lunch, baked goods and espresso using locally sourced ingredients. BEAVER STREET BREWERY A Flagstaff landmark, Beaver Street was the first microbrewery in Flagstaff. It opened in 1994 on south Beaver Street on the site of the city’s first supermarket. The microbrewery itself is located in a nearby historic property, the Halstead Lumberyard Building. Beaver Flagstaff lies at the junction of five major routes to the forest for walkers, runners Street Brewery is well-known for excellent highways and is a major jumping point for and cyclists. pizza and hamburgers, but there are many the Grand Canyon National Park. HISTORIC HOTELS other lunch and dinner choices. Flagstaff itself is a vibrant outdoor town and there is plenty to do in and around As the largest city along Interstate 40 (formerly the famous Route 66), all IN-TOWN SIGHTS LOWELL OBSERVATORY Located on the this little city. In the winter, you can hit the chain hotels are represented in west side of Flagstaff, the observatory was the Arizona Snowbowl, one of the oldest Flagstaff. However, to be in tune with founded in 1894 by Percival Lowell, an avid ski areas in the country, or check out the the town’s colorful history check out the amateur astronomer from Boston. His wish backcountry skiing and snowshoeing in the historic Weatherford and Monte Vista was to take advantage of the excellent surrounding forest and on the slopes of the hotels, both located in the downtown “seeing” provided by Flagstaff’s 7,000-foot San Francisco Peaks. historic district. elevation and clear, dry air. Well-known