While flipping through her boyfriend Aaron’s new O.A.R.S. catalog one day, Erin landed on the Fiji trip page. “Let’s go here! It looks amazing!” Although Fiji was not in the budget at that time, the two adventurers settled on the Yellowstone & Grand Teton Explorer for their summer vacation. Why not take a trip to Wyoming and visit two national parks? Perfect. Fiji could wait until another time.

During a hike to Bearpaw Bay and Trapper Lake the group crested a rise and was witness to a breathtaking view before them, which nearly brought tears to Erin’s eyes. Someone called, “Hey, look at this dead crow!”  “Stop the celestial harp music,” she thought, “There goes my transcendent moment touched by the hand of God. I guess nature will be nature.”  

Written by Kristi Reif

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SOMETIMES ALL YOU NEED ARE A FEW PIECES OF GEAR AND A RUGGED LANDSCAPE TO ESCAPE and sometimes all you need is a sea kayak on the open water.  Some of the most beautiful places on Earth are best seen from the quiet solitude of a kayak.  

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Written by Cari Morgan

Cari Morgan is a freelance writer and founder of Evoke PR. She currently lives and plays in the Sierra Foothills.

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Wyoming’s Wilderness Never Fails to Surprise

It only took ten minutes. Just out of Jackson, a moose and her calf graze at their breakfast, barely registering our presence as the van sped past toward Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, A.K.A. "American's Serengeti." The game, it seems, is afoot. Let the wild life begin.

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Written by Cynthia Barnes

Cynthia Barnes has trekked to Timbuktu and Tibet, writing for National Geographic, Slate, Endless Vacation and other newspapers and magazines. A graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia and former resident of Bangkok, she now names Wyoming as her new favorite place.

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There is perhaps no better way to experience the breathtaking scenery, abundant wildlife and geothermal wonders of Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks than from the cockpit of a one- or two-person sea kayak. Even with no prior experience, this low-impact, non-technical, self-propelled craft requires only mild exertion and is perfectly suitable for first-time paddlers. The techniques are relatively simple and easy to learn and the sea kayak offers a welcome reprieve for hikers with weary knees. Sea kayaks also allow visitors to reach areas that would be otherwise inaccessible and serves as an excellent and unobtrusive platform for wildlife viewing.

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Written by Lauren de Remer

O.A.R.S.' Sales & Marketing Coordinator

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Ali McNabb is one of our adventurous Wyoming guides, a BBQ-loving gal originally from Austin, Texas. In addition to kayaking, she also enjoys bike riding, hiking and reading in her down time. McNabb worked previously at Trek American and has traveled abroad extensively in between seasons, mainly in Mexico, but also throughout South America, Turkey and Ethiopia. 

1.  How long have you been a guide?

I have been a guide for 5 years and been lucky in my guiding experience to have traveled throughout most of North America, exploring the most amazing National Parks and Provincial Parks imaginable.

Written by Lauren de Remer

O.A.R.S.' Sales & Marketing Coordinator

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How many whitewater rafting companies can claim a motorcycling-riding, world-traveling, gourmet-cooking, derby demolition chica?  O.A.R.S. proudly sponsored Tyra McCart-Swanson in the Calaveras County Fair and Jumping Frog Jubilee Demolition Derby this past Sunday.

Okay… so Twisted Tyra didn’t win this year.  Who cares?!  She was out there representing O.A.R.S. and our good friends of Twisted Oak Winery.

Tyra is currently our Wyoming and Utah Adventure Consultant.  She helps people plan adventurous vacations to such places as the Colorado River through Cataract Canyon and Yellowstone Lake in Yellowstone National Park.  She was previously responsible for organizing California rafting trips.

Written by Tracy

Writer, Photographer, former Waterblogged Editor

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