GetOut Magazine

Take an adventure down the Salt River
By KARYN LEWIS
Get Out
May 22, 2003

DJs and radio personalities will be talking trash this Memorial Day weekend at the Salt River Tubing headquarters in Mesa.

It's all part of the eighth annual Salt River Heroes = Litter Zero, an event that promotes litter awareness and celebrates the opening of Salt River Tubing's season.

The company estimates that tubers have bagged 315 tons of picnic litter during previous holiday weekend events.

To help encourage people to take responsibility for their litter, the tubing company provides waterproof trash bags. The bags are floatable and can be tied to a tube or stowed in coolers.

"Extra folks from the stations will be passing out bags and telling the tubers to stash it and bag it, says Lynda Breault, vice president of Salt River Tubing, a company that rents tubes each summer on the Lower Salt River in Tonto National Forest.

From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday, three Valley radio stations (KOOL FM, Power 92 and KZZP) will host live remote broadcasts from the tubing company's headquarters.

During the broadcasts, each station will air public service announcements about the importance of litter prevention.

Station staffers will also entertain the thousands of tubing enthusiasts who are expected to attend the opening weekend festivities with water balloon, hula hoop and limbo contests.

The tubing company expects 2,000 to 3,000 tubers Saturday, and 3,000 to 4,000 tubers Sunday and Monday.

"We try to blow up 3,000 to 4,000 tubes, have them on hand all the time. Some are in the repair shop, some are being painted," Breault says.

In addition to the renters, Breault expects another 1,000 to 2,000 tubers on the river.

Breault's company, which usually tries to open around May 1, delayed this year's opening because the Salt River Project, which controls the river's flow, announced it wasn't going to release any water until right before Memorial Day. SRP, which also monitors the river's water levels, expects the same amount of flow as last year about 500 to 1,000 cubic feet per second (cfs).

"Before the drought, about 97, we used to get a flow of 1,200 to 1,400 cfs," Breault says. "That's a really fast ride down the river."

But Arizona's five-year drought has turned a once-wild ride into a leisurely cruise.

Despite the lower water levels, tubers haven't been deterred from enjoying the river.

"We've seen that the water flow didn't affect the amount of fun the people are having out there," Breault says.

Salt River Tubing

Where: Salt River Tubing Headquarters, northeast Mesa on Power Road, 15 miles north of U.S. 60, Tonto National Forest
When: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily starting Saturday. Through Oct. 1, water and weather permitting.
How much: $12 per person/tube, includes free parking at the Salt River Tubing Headquarters and shuttle bus service.
Info: or www.saltrivertubing.com.

What to bring with you
Want to go tubing this weekend? Here's a quick checklist of things Salt River Tubing recommends you bring along with you.

" Your children but they must be at least 8 years old and 4 feet tall for tubing.
" A life vest for children and all nonswimmers.
" Sturdy footwear old tennis shoes will protect your feet from the river's rocky bottom.
" Sunscreen Salt River Tubing staff recommends 30 spf or higher.
" A hat or visor to protect your face and head.
" Water you should drink at least one to two bottles of water per hour while floating to help prevent dehydration.
" A picnic try eating on the river while you float, or cooking out in the grills set up along the shore. But remember, glass containers are prohibited by law in the Tonto National Forest.

More tubing tips can be found online at www.saltrivertubing.com.