River Music with Butch Hancock and Jimmie Dale Gilmore

Butch and Jimmie Dale have been making music together for all of their so-called adult lives. In addition to their solo careers and occasional rare and special duo collaborations, they have received considerable critical acclaim for their music with the legendary super group, The Flatlanders, which they formed with their lifelong friend Joe Ely in 1972. Jimmie Dale and Butch recorded a live album in Australia in 1990 called Two Roads.

Jimmie Dale Gilmore has been writing and playing songs for more than 50 years. His music eludes categorization, blending elements of folk, rock, country, blues and bluegrass. His recordings have earned three Grammy nominations in both Contemporary Folk and Traditional Folk categories and he was named Country Artist of the Year three years running by Rolling Stone Magazine. His high and lonesome vocal style, coupled with sometimes mystical and poetic lyrics, has led to musical brandings such as Sagebrush Soul, Zen Country and Western Beat. Along with Joe Ely and Butch Hancock, Gilmore’s legendary band The Flatlanders has been credited as fathers of the Alt-country movement.

Jimmie Dale continues to record music and tour, most recently in support of his new album, TexiCali, a collaboration with Dave Alvin.

Butch Hancock is a world traveling troubadour with a long string of recorded songs and albums, Butch Hancock has been called “one of the finest songwriters of our time” and is acknowledged by his peers and critics alike as one of the premiere singer-songwriters Texas has ever produced. His tunes evoke mystical visions of wind-swept dry-plains and his lyrics are profoundly imaginative, often displaying for his listeners the miracles that occur in the ordinary through creative irony and metaphors. His lyrical style has often been compared to that of Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie and his songs have been covered by the likes of Emmylou Harris.

You can learn more and see upcoming tour dates for Butch Hancock on his facebook page and Jimmie Dale Gilmore at jimmiedalegilmore.com

Day 1: An 1-1/2 hr. shuttle to the put-in features vistas of the craggy peaks of the San Juan Mountains, the massive Brazos Cliffs-over 3000 vertical feet high, and the village of Tierra Amarilla, the center of Reies Tijerina’s land grant revolt of the l960’s. Our launch point is at El Vado Ranch, a rustic, riverside fishing resort. The Chama River immediately whisks us away through a series of swift riffles and into the evergreen-lined canyon. We enter Chama Canyon Wilderness and negotiate Aragon Rapids (Class II). Our camp is on an old high-water bench, under shelter of ponderosa pines and douglas firs. After a delicious supper everyone will settle in around the campfire for laughter, music and good times with the band.

Day 2: Enjoy a very leisurely morning beginning with a hearty, hot breakfast. A song or two to get us going and we are of down the River. Hike up any of the numerous side canyons or to the top of Navaho Peak for a spectacular vista. We will arrive at camp early for more relaxing camp time, riverside music and great food.

Day 3: We will encounter some longer, steeper rapids and multi-hued sandstone cliffs up to 1000′ high. Emerging from the canyon wilderness area, we observe a quiet zone as we pass the Christ in the Desert Monastery. Now begins the lively whitewater run (Class II-III) into the headwaters of Abiquiu upper Reservoir. Our take out at mid-afternoon, enables us to return you to your vehicles in Abiquiu before 5:00pm.

Get ready to pitch a tent, sling a hammock, throw down a pad, and relax! Every day we will prepare and serve you a delicious riverside lunch, not limited to, but often including an array of home-roasted sandwich meats and homemade dips and salsas (see some of our recipes here). In addition, our camp dinners and breakfasts are a classic staple of the Far Flung experience, as 40 years in business has not only taught us the principles of reading white-water…but also of cooking and camp ambiance!

***Please let us know ahead of time about any allergies or special food requirements***

Camp Gear:
Following is a list of required and recommend items for this three-day camping excursion. You will also receive this list as part of your confirmation email. As part of the trip we will provide waterproof drybags for all of your personal items and camp chairs for fireside relaxation and enjoyment. Tents, pads and sleeping bags are not included though if needed we provide a sleep kit (1 two man tent, 1 sleeping bag and sleeping pad) for an additional $12/night.

Please click here to look at a more in-depth list of required and recommended camp gear:

Going Camping? Here’s what you’ll need.

A deposit of $150/person is required at booking. A cancellation more than two-months in advance will forfeit deposit. Cancellation within two months will forfeit 25% of regular trip cost. Cancellation within one month forfeits 50% of regular trip cost. Cancellation within two weeks forfeits entire trip cost. Balance is due two weeks prior to trip.