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.

Where the river bends, 9 miles from put-in, is Whites Rapid, which is rated as a Class 3. It is among the wildest rides on this section, especially to those in the smaller boats.

Located on the bend is Whites Ranch, which is now the Red Cliff Lodge, site of many of the great movies filmed in Moab, including John Wayne's "Rio Grande" and Disney's story on John Wesley Powell, "Ten Who Dared."

A sandy beach across from the ranch has become a popular lunch stop for many of the river trips. Seven miles down river, through a couple more small rapids, is takeout and the end of the daily.

Boatmen like Josh Kopinsky and Melissa Young agree that it's easy to see why people like this section of the river. For the most part, it's calm and flat but accented occasionally with a burst of churning white water that has been colored brown with silt.

Passengers pass by on the left side of the river such distinguishing landmarks as Fisher Towers and Castle Rock; on the right, the red-rock cliffs of Dome Plateau and Dry Mesa.

According to Hughes, today's river runners are a mix of Utahns, visitors from outside the United States and U.S. vacationers.

"What I'm seeing is a lot more Utahns, in many cases people who've recently moved into Utah and are trying to discover what it has to offer. A number of these people are families. The daily is perfect for families. It's a great way of giving kids a good first experience," he said.

"I'm also seeing a lot of people from other countries, particularly Europeans from Germany and France."

Becoming more and more popular on the daily trips are the rubber duckies, which are 12-foot rubber kayaks made for one or two people to paddle.

On the commercial trips, the small rubber boats follow the larger inflatable rafts.

Like any of the smaller boats, these rubber kayaks are subject to the whims of the river, which make them more than a simple toy. And, sitting lower in the water, even the smaller waves take on a much larger presence to paddlers.

Even though this is one of the calmer sections of white water on the Colorado, said Hughes, it should not be taken lightly. Anything can happen, and people need to be prepared. It requires that boaters wear the proper life jackets constantly, that they heed the words of their guides, and if there is no guide, that they know something about the river or take a moment to ask a guide.

Daily trips are $49 all-day for adults and $39 for children, lunch included. For information visit Web sites at www.adrift.net and www.discovermoab.com.