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Grandparenting: Geriat-Tricks
By Bob Howells

Call it cross-generational bonding, old-fashioned mentoring, or just doing neat stuff with the grandkids–more and more outfits are bringing disparate generations together on outdoor jaunts. Not surprisingly, Elderhostel lurks behind many of them, such as Let’s Talk Wolf: Intergenerational Wolf Discovery at the International Wolf Center in Ely,
Minnesota. The syllabus of the six-day (August 3-8) immersion into wolfdom includes learning to howl to the center’s resident wolves and talks by the center’s “Alpha” wolf, a human who lives with the pack. Cost is $365 for adults; $310 for kids 9 (minimum age) to 12. Book through Elderhostel, 617-426-8056. Elderhostel (with Canyonlands Field Institute) also runs a six-day raft
trip on the San Juan River in southern Utah for grandparents and kids 8 to 14 that includes time for nature hikes, storytelling, and epic water fights. The river’s mellow enough that kids can run stretches solo in inflatable kayaks. The $415 per-person cost includes one motel night and four under the stars. Trips run from mid-June to mid-August; contact Elderhostel.

Grandtravel does nothing but intergenerational trips, typically by bus with, naturally, lots of stops. On the ten-day American Indian Culture trip through New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and Arizona, the stops include a raft-run of the Animas River, a Navajo-guided jeep tour of Canyon de Chelly, and visits to both the real Grand Canyon and its virtual surrogate, the IMAX Theatre.
The trip runs June 22 to July 1 for ages 12 to 17, and August 10 to 19 for ages 7 to 11. Rates are $3,185 per person, all-inclusive, double-occupancy. Call Grandtravel, 800-247-7651.