Boats, Buddha & the Blues is a five-day river journey that blends wilderness, meditation, and music into an experience designed for restoration, reconnection, and deep presence. It’s not a retreat. It’s not a workshop. There’s no rigid schedule. What we’re offering is something simpler and more vital: time.
Bad Brad Wheeler is a legend of the Utah music scene. Longtime Salt Lake City radio DJ, ordained Zen Buddhist Monk, wickedly talented harmonica player, and community organizer. He is a one of a kind human who will help cultivate a special energy on this trip that will carry over after you return to the “real world”.
Time to slow down. Time to listen—to water, to wind, to yourself. Time to remember what it feels like to be human without a schedule.
Holiday will handle all the logistics—gear, food, safety, camp setup—so you can fully unplug.
Our days will follow the rhythm of the river. We’ll begin the morning with an optional meditation or a quiet float. We’ll share meals mindfully and sometimes pause for short readings—Zen poems, Taoist verses, or ancient Buddhist texts.
Some days we’ll tie the boats together and drift as a small flotilla. Other days we’ll pull ashore for a short hike or a nap in the sun. Mostly, we’ll let the land guide us.
Evenings unfold gently. After dinner, if the weather allows, we may circle up around the fire. I’ll bring harmonicas for those who feel drawn to them, and offer a soft, breath-based introduction. We’ll learn a few simple songs, play together if we feel like it, and explore how music can be a quiet way to regulate the nervous system and express emotion—without saying a word.
Not a performance. Not a lesson. Just breath becoming sound.
We fall asleep to the sound of the river, the hush of canyon air, and the feeling that we’re exactly where we’re supposed to be. Wake up. Repeat.
If your nervous system needs a reset and your soul could use some quiet, consider this a gift to yourself.
