The flows won't rise to 2005 levels, but they will top those of the early drought years. Which, of course, has those in Utah's river-running business pleased.

Boats won't be beached and rapids won't go dry.

Projected flows in March in the Colorado River through Cataract Canyon were expected to run close to the peaks they hit last year, which was 105 percent of normal, or more than 70,000 cubic feet per second.

But then the storms stopped delivering water, said Tom Ryan of the Bureau of Reclamation, upper Colorado region. "This year we'll see peak flows around 45,000 (cfs)," he said. "This is below average, but this year won't be as bad as the flows between 2000 and 2004."

Midwinter, Colorado ski resorts were reporting record snow depths. But, as Ryan explained, most of the storms that hit Utah in March and April, lifting the total snowfall for 2005-06 to well over 650 inches at the higher-elevation resorts, didn't materialize in the Colorado Basin, the main sources of water for the Colorado River.

Still, pointed out Myke Hughes, owner of Adrift Adventures, one of the long-standing river companies in Moab, with the projected flows, those people looking for a river adventure this summer will get one.

"Those flows are really ideal for good (river) runs," he said. "Sometimes, when they get too high, the rapids fill in. At the projected levels the rapids will be fun and exciting. You simply adapt the size and type of the boats to the flow of the river to give people a quality experience.

"But not everyone these days is looking just for rapids," Hughes continued. "The scenery along the Colorado River is really spectacular. That's what they come to see. And, once they get a taste of the river and the scenery on, say, one of the half-day trips, they come back the next year and want more."

The daily trips out of Moab have, as Hughes explained, been a starter for many river adventurers. Trips begin at Hittle Bottom, northeast of Moab and adjacent to one of the area's most famous landmarks — Fisher Towers.

Shortly after launching, boaters hit the first of a half-dozen rapids — New Rapid.

During the peak of the runoff season, this rapid can be as challenging as any on the upper Colorado.

Two miles down river is Onion Creek Rapid, and a mile and a half ahead is Professor Creek Rapid and two miles later is Ida Gulch Rapid.

All, rated on a scale of five with five being the most extreme rapids, are among the Class 2 variety.

The river is calm for the next three miles, which allows runners the opportunity to see river wildlife, including great blue heron, geese, ducks and white ibis, with an occasional sighting of a mule deer or desert bighorn sheep.