WEIRD RIVER ADVENTURES: Easy Floats, Wild Rapids, Strange River Towns & America’s Weirdest River Adventures (SparkTrail Weird America Series)

America has thousands of rivers, which means there are thousands of opportunities to relax peacefully beside the water, admire the scenery, and make a series of decisions that seemed much smarter back in the parking lot.

Weird River Adventures is a funny, practical, story-packed journey down some of America's most memorable waterways, from easygoing floats where the biggest challenge is remembering where you parked to legendary whitewater where the river has considerably stronger opinions about your vacation plans.

Along the way, you'll float through clear Florida springs, plunge into famous Western rapids, explore spectacular canyons, discover waterfalls hiding in Nebraska, travel through historic river country, and visit the strange towns and communities that grew up beside America's moving water. The journey reaches rivers including the Buffalo, Rio Grande, Chattooga, Salmon, Gauley, Green, Niobrara, and the mighty Colorado through the Grand Canyon, with plenty of unexpected history along the way.

But this isn't a dry river encyclopedia written by someone who thinks “watershed characteristics” sounds like a thrilling Saturday night.

It's a travel book for people who want to actually go somewhere.

You'll discover gentle floats for beginners, famous whitewater adventures, strange river history, forgotten stories, unusual landscapes, practical trip-planning advice, and the small disasters that make river travel memorable long after your shoes have finally dried. There are outfitters, shuttles, paddles, dry bags, questionable parking strategies, wildly optimistic tourists, and enough moving water to demonstrate that rivers are considerably better at navigation than humans.

Whether you're looking for a peaceful afternoon float, your first rafting trip, a multi-day wilderness adventure, or simply a great American road trip with water running through the middle of it, Weird River Adventures will help you find a river worth following.

Pack the sunscreen. Secure the car keys. Wear the life jacket.

And remember one important rule of river travel:

The river knows exactly where it's going. You are the one who should probably check the map.