No Raft Needed: Google Map's Digital Ride Down the Colorado River Mary Catherine O'Connor - The Current
go to original March 22, 2014

Colorado River Street View (Google Maps)

Here's the good news and the bad news: You won't have to worry about sunscreen or getting pitched into the river.

You can now raft 286 miles through the Grand Canyon, from Lee’s Ferry to Pearce Ferry, without getting wait-listed - or even getting off of your couch. After surveying that iconic stretch of the Colorado River, Google has launched the wet ride on Google Maps.

To make the experience possible, Arizona River Runners, supported by American Rivers staff, joined Google on an eight-day float through the Grand Canyon last August. Rather than taking the more leisurely two-week float through the Canyon, Google's crew used motorized rafts to avoid tipping over through the largest rapids, says Karin Tuxen-Bettman, Google Street View Colorado River lead.

"The main challenge during the trip was the weather," she says. "Since you keep moving downstream, and can’t turn around to re-collect, when it rained, we continued to collect. The end result is some beautiful and amazing weather captured around Mile 65."

Read the rest at The Current

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