Jerkwater Canoe & Kayak

VERY SPECIAL EVENTS

Jerkwater Canoe & Kayak Company offers a variety of theme events each year. They are all fun for us, too. Our 2007-2008 schedule:

GATHERING OF FRIENDS
November 22-24, 2007

Thanksgiving 2007 is the EIGHTEENTH ANNUAL Gathering of Friends. Headquarters for the Gathering is Moabi Regional Park. Folks arrive Wednesday evening and Thursday morning and set up a comfortable camp. Canoes and kayaks are available Thursday for paddling in the Park Lagoon, safely away from the river current.

Everyone heads for the Park Pavilion later in the afternoon and gathers for a traditional Thanksgiving Feast with all the trimmings - a great dinner in a delightful, waterside setting. It has all the right "stuff" and it's delicious. Prize drawings start after everyone is served. After dessert, we gather for a safety orientation and instructions for the next day's paddle in Topock Gorge.

This event is perfect for extended families, and it is also popular among groups of friends and singles - an opportunity to relax and have a good time. It's our favorite event - we have a good time too. The Gathering of Friends is unstructured except for the theme events: Thanksgiving Dinner and the Friday Topock Gorge Paddle. Two other events are optional - a Western BBQ Dinner Friday evening and a second paddling itinerary for Saturday morning. We don't want to keep you running every minute: you need some time to relax with your friends and family, too.

THANKSGIVING PACKAGE INCLUDES: Traditional Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner with all the trimmings; canoes and kayaks (paddles and life jackets too, of course) in the Park Lagoon Thursday morning and afternoon; prize drawings at dinner; Topock Gorge paddle Friday with shuttle transportation back from Castle Rock; Gathering of Friends Paddling Shirt.

EXTRA TOUCHES: Paddler's Picnic Lunches are available for Friday and Saturday paddles and a Western Mesquite Barbecue is offered for Friday evening at Park Moabi after the Topock Gorge paddle.

RESERVATIONS & FORMS

50 Mile River Run and Steak Dinner
Martin Luther King, Jr. Weekend
January 18-21, 2008

Bullhead City to Castle Rock

This is a special event on a special weekend. Arrive at Park Moabi on Friday evening and choose your campsite in the general camping area. Saturday morning at 8 am you will board Jerkwater buses with all your personal gear and provisions. Jerkwater will shuttle your group up river to Bullhead City where you will embark on a canoe trip to remember. The first day is 17 miles down river to your primitive campsite along the river's edge. On Sunday morning you will break camp, load your canoes, and start your 17 mile journey down river to Park Moabi. (By this time you will be ready for a campground with a hot shower). Sunday evening you will enjoy Jerkwater’s Famous Western Barbecue Dinner, your choice of a generous top sirloin steak or chicken breast, baked potato with all the trimmings, ranch BBQ beans, hot garlic/cheese bread and a REAL salad, plus iced tea and cold lemonade. Dinner is served at Park Moabi's waterfront pavilion. This is a scrumptious and plentiful meal. Monday morning you will launch from your camp at Park Moabi and paddle 17 miles down river through beautiful Topock Gorge. This is the grand finale of a grand trip. Jerkwater buses will meet you at Castle Rock at 3:30 for your return trip to Park Moabi.

Important Note: This trip is rated moderate to strenuous physical activity, prior river canoeing experience recommended.

RESERVATIONS & FORMS

PRESIDENTS' WEEKEND

12th Annual Youth Jamboree

February 15-18, 2008

Our Presidents' Weekend Camp, Canoe & Kayak Celebration is jointly sponsored by Moabi Regional Park and Jerkwater. This event has proven to be very popular with youth groups - it is an uncommon value for Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Campfire, Cub Scouts, Brownies, church and school groups, YMCA groups and other youth organizations. Packages are available in three options.

For all Package Options, plan to arrive at Park Moabi Friday afternoon or evening to set up camp (camp fees are included in the price), if possible. Saturday is devoted to paddling skills development, as well as fun and games with canoes and kayaks, races and contests. The schedule includes required safety briefings and unstructured free time with and/or without canoes and kayaks. In this relaxed environment, a lot of the learning happens without the kids being aware of it. Prizes are awarded to winners of the Saturday afternoon competitive events. There is plenty of time for completing merit badge exercises if that is on your agenda.

Jerkwater hosts a burger barbecue in the Park's lagoon-front pavilion Saturday evening - a great chance to meet other groups and relax with your own. The menu includes dinner beverages and dessert. For this celebration, we will be treated to an amazing performance of the Order of the Arrow Indian Dance Team, Boulder Dam Area Council Nebagabon Lodge #312.

Option #2 and #3 paddlers spend Sunday on the River, paddling through Topock Gorge after a thorough briefing and review of the map and itinerary. Jerkwater buses meet us at the end of the trip and bring us back to Park Moabi. Everyone should be back at the Park about 4 p.m. or so. Most groups camp at the Park Sunday night and head back home Monday morning.

PRESIDENTS' WEEKEND PACKAGES:

OPTION #1 - Includes camping in the Park's General Campground Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights; paddling and safety instruction, fun and games with canoes and kayaks Saturday morning and afternoon, as well as contests, races and prize awards; Burger Barbecue Saturday evening.

OPTION #2 - Includes Option #1 PLUS camping at Park Moabi Sunday night; Topock Gorge paddle on Sunday (includes canoes, kayaks, paddles, life jackets, maps, itineraries and transportation back from Castle Rock). This package is the most popular choice.

OPTION #3 - Includes Option #1 PLUS Option #2 PLUS Jerkwater's Paddler's Picnic Lunch for Sunday in Topock Gorge and a Jerkwater Topock Gorge Paddler's T-Shirt.

RESERVATIONS & FORMS

LABYRINTH CANYON - GREEN RIVER

Call For Dates

Green River, Utah to Mineral Bottom
We offer a five-day canoe trip from Green River State Park down to Mineral Bottom. This is a pristine, wilderness experience on smooth, flat water with good current. Jerkwater provides everything: canoes or kayaks, paddles, life jackets, three meals a day, and guides in paddle rafts to carry your personal gear. You bring personal and camp gear (sleeping bag and tent); we provide a list of gear suggestions to each paddler.

Each day is planned to give you time to kick back, explore, enjoy a piece of history and chow down on three great meals.

This paddle through Labyrinth Canyon, named for its intricately convoluted course, covers 70 river miles. The water is glassy smooth (no whitewater) the entire run, with easy access for hiking the many side canyons and seeking out spots with their own bits of history. It's pure Utah high desert and lush river bottom in sharp contrast with barren sandstone cliffs. Shuttle transportation back to Green River from Mineral Bottom is included, and we always try to fit in a trip to the John Wesley Powell Museum in Green River either before or after this trip.

Please Note: Our host outfitter for this event is Holiday Expeditions.

WOMEN ON THE WATER
September 2008

Open to beginners as well as veterans of previous seminars, this class and paddle trip is conducted by women for women - an opportunity to learn paddling skills and trip leadership in a safe, informal and friendly environment. Plan to arrive late afternoon or early evening Friday for a hospitality reception, registration and orientation. Dinner is on your own, but an expedition to a local restaurant will be organized for those who arrive early enough.

After breakfast Saturday, you will learn and review paddling techniques with demonstrations and hands-on skill development opportunities. After a great lunch and a short rest break, it's onto the lagoon for instruction in paddling skills, canoe and kayak capsizing and recovery, rescue methods and other safety considerations, as well as solo and tandem paddling on quiet, contained water. Evaluation and coaching of individual skills and techniques are part of the afternoon activities. Advanced paddlers will play in the eddies and learn specialized techniques on moving water. After a delicious western barbecue in the evening, it's back to school for individualized teaching, problem-solving and trip leadership discussions.

On Sunday, be ready to wet your paddle early in the morning after a world-class breakfast. We'll head into Topock Gorge for a chance to practice what you've learned. The water is Class I, with no rapids or waterfalls or other nasty surprises around the next bend. We'll picnic on a pristine beach, then paddle on to our takeout, where a Jerkwater van will meet us for the trip back and a review/recap session in the jacuzzi before heading home.

WOMEN ON THE WATER INCLUDES: Friday evening hospitality reception, indoor accommodations Friday and Saturday night, five delightful meals Saturday seminars and on-water exercises at Park Moabi and on the River, all paddling equipment and life jackets, Topock Gorge paddle trip and shuttle transportation, and a Jerkwater Topock Gorge Paddling T-shirt.

RESERVATIONS & FORMS

MOONLIGHT PADDLES
Minimum 20 Adult Fares

TOPOCK GORGE by moonlight is an exceptional experience, even for people who have never seen the Gorge in the daytime. We launch just before 10 p.m. at I-40 and the River; takeout is at Castle Rock about 6:30 a.m. The Gorge is completely transformed by the soft moonlight. Wildlife sightings are many - and the animals are as curious about us as we are about them. (They're not use to having people in the Gorge at night - a different kind of wildlife.)

Jerkwater buses meet us at the takeout and shuttle us back upriver. We offer Moonlight Paddles when any portion of the full moon period (one to two nights before through one night after full) falls on a weekends.

DO YOUR OWN MOONLIGHT PADDLE

Experienced trip leaders are invited to organize their own Moonlight Paddles. We provide the map, itinerary, safety briefing, and shuttle transportation. Every moonlight paddler MUST carry a flashlight that can be flashed on and off. Note: Minimum age 18.

RESERVATIONS & FORMS

HOW TO REACH US…

By Telephone: 928/768-7753

Fax: 928/768-8192

Reservations: 800/421-7803

By Mail:    Jerkwater Canoe & Kayak Co., Inc.
                 Post Office Box 800
                 Topock, Arizona 86436-0800

Boulder City, Nevada

Topock, Arizona

Martinez Lake, Arizona

By E-Mail: jerkwater@jerkwater.com

By Internet: www.jerkwater.com