Floating down the river

Yesterday, in our trifecta of busy days, we went on a raft trip with Paul. It was a relatively short trip as such trips go. It was about two hours long, maybe a little more. We drove in two vehicles, Paul's truck and our car, to West Table (where we would come off the river later), left our car there and then drove about 10-12 miles further northeast to a put-in spot just a little above the Snake River Sporting Club where Jenny works. Max was with Jenny at a golf camp at the Sporting Club that he's attending this week.

Paul's raft has to be inflated by handpump. So he and Ellen worked on that. I would've helped Paul, but my shoulders just don't allow me to do that sort of thing anymore. I can't even swim anymore because it's too painful. Needless to say, I wore a life jacket on this trip, although the chances of being dunked in the water were very, very small. There was no real white water on this float, though there were some fun, interesting spots.

It was lovely floating down the river. And of course we had some bottled water along and some granola bars and cheese sticks that we could snack on. We got a good view of the Sporting Club from the river as we passed by, but we didn't see Max. We did see a golfer though, just a few feet from the edge of the river. That must be an interesting hole!

We put in at West Table, Paul and Ellen went back in our car to get the truck, and I watched over the raft. While I was there, I must have seen at least a dozen or more large rafts full of young rafters going down into the real white water section of the river. A few years ago, Ellen and I watched rafters and kayakers go through that section of the river, and it is wild. On that occasion, Paul actually flipped over in his kayak, but he knew how to handle it. And Christian Petrach was there to help him. Nothing like that for us today. Just a leisurely peaceful float down the river.

              Pumping up the raft

               View from the bow

                                     Our pilot

                             The Sporting Club

                    Heading down into the rapids 

Later in the evening, Ellen and Max and I walked up to the corner store to get creamies.  Max had his new pocket knife that he had gotten at Cabela's on their raft trip on Sunday. He's very proud of it.

        The corner store - sort of a truck stop

                 Max and pocket knife

I think that today,  I'm just going to enjoy a quiet day at home.