"This is a perfect day. It's not cooking. (It's) a little breezy," David Hubbard said as he surveyed the crowds basking in the sunshine on the serene Shenandoah River.

Temperatures in the mid-80s and a breeze cool enough to keep the humidity at bay were the perfect welcome for about 10 people wedged into inner tubes rented from River and Trail Outfitters, for which Hubbard is operations manager.

His company and a couple others in the vicinity of Harpers Ferry, W.Va., where the Shenandoah meets the Potomac (it's about an hour's drive from here), trade in the experience of a slow, cool ride.

The best part is that driving there is probably the hardest work you will do all day, especially if you decide to enjoy the tranquil Shenandoah trip, which takes anywhere from one to two hours, depending on the pace you set.

"It was a little too relaxing," Rebecca Gillam said of her tube ride down the river.

Gillam and her mother, Pam Wienk, a labor and delivery nurse at Anne Arundel Medical Center, came for a day-jaunt along with a few of Wienk's fellow nurses and their families.

"I think it was very bonding," Wienk said of the tubing experience with her daughter.

The first step in this particular tubing process consists of a visit to River and Trail's headquarters, a cabin-like structure in Knoxville, Md., just across the Potomac from Harpers Ferry.

There, the staff explains the various trips (they also offer hiking, biking, kayaking and canoeing) and you sign a waiver and pay. The Shenandoah tube trip is $24.77 per person.

When you call, the staff will then give you directions to their Millville Campground in Harpers Ferry. It's essentially a parking lot, adjacent to the river, where shuttles wait to take you up the river to your embarkation point. You float downstream, ending your ride back at the Millville location. You make the trip at whatever pace suits you.

"Customers are on their own schedules," Hubbard added.

River and Trail employees see a variety of customers come through their outfit.

"We get everything from the bachelor parties to the church kids," said Rod Newton, manager of the Millville Campground.

Couples Suzanne and Mike Thomas and Linda and Joe Ellison, all of Westminster, come to the Shenandoah to tube the first weekend of every August. This time, they decided to invite a few extra people along.

"Our whole neighborhood is here," Suzanne Thomas said.

One neighbor even brought the dog. Tory even had her own little floating device.

The couple stays at the nearby Harpers Ferry KOA Campground, but they don't necessarily "rough it." They stay in an air-conditioned cabin.

"We're not outdoor people. We just act like it," Joe Ellison said.

For those who are outdoor people and are looking for a more challenging experience, there are several exciting tube trips offered among the various outlets.

At River and Trail, for example, customers have the choice of white-water tubing on a stretch of the Potomac, where the water is choppier and less predictable.

Many River and Trail customers chose to end their trips at the Blue Heron Grill, where you can get grilled food, smoothies, ice cream and more.

"All the sauces are made from scratch," Hubbard said.

"The food is stellar," Netwon added.

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