Then off to rafting!

I didn't need to write much of anything about my return from Sweden (which was pretty much uneventful). Of course, homecoming was a bit drawn out, as Dawn was on her way to work as my plane landed in Pellston. So we didn't actually see each other until the next morning.

However, two days after returning, I headed out for a bit of fun with a couple of school buddies (Tom & Jim) for a bit of White Water Rafting in West Virginia. We had signed up for a two day trip with Class VI River Runners (a top-notch outfit!). The big draw there is the Gauley River, where the Army Corps of Engineers maintains the level of a man-made lake behind the Summersville Dam by dropping the lake level over the 6 weeks starting in September. This causes the river to rise during the day, creating awesome White Water as well as lowering the level behind the dam to be prepared for next spring's winter melt.

I've gone two times before with my brother, and was disappointed when Gerald couldn't join us this time out.

Only had a few digital camera pictures from the trip, though a disposable camera was used on the river itself.

Day One:
We figured out the world is pretty small. We drove from Northern Michigan to raft with a group of 42 other people. Two of them were put in the same boat as us (Sarah & Jeff). Turns out Sarah was from da U.P. (Brimley), though they now live in Ann Arbor.

Our guide (Reid) was certainly able to put us where he wanted to during the entire voyage! We were thankful to have such a nice guy at the helm.

Couple shots off the river that day at two of the Class V's:


Thought about purchasing the first picture, as it is a pretty good shot of what looks like a bunch of guys getting dumped out of the boat. Jeff was worried that his slamming into me was a problem, but the best part of the story is that we all stayed in!

After lunch, we found "the jumping rock". The way the raft approaches, you can decide to get out, walk a bit over 100 feet following the river, then you have to jump. It is about 18' from where you stand to the top of the water, and is pretty freaky to stand there, looking down. If anyone knows Tom and his issue with heights, you'll know it was pretty difficult to get him to jump! This picture does not do the height justice, as it simply looks like Jim is stepping into the water.


At camp:


The view on the other side of the river from camp (at the "Canyon Doors"):


Day two:
First thing, Reid took us to a 'surf hole', where the eddies and current cause the upstream water to fold under and actually draws some of the downstream water upstream with it. Reid placed our raft into the center of that, and we rode it longer than any other raft in our group. It had to be over 3 minutes! In fact, I think Reid was getting worried he'd be able to pull us out of there. It was really something to see the water roiling over the front of the raft (as well as Tom & Sarah!). It was awesome!


Once we got off the river after the second day, we visited the famous span over the New River. It was getting late in the day, so the sun was directly behind the subject. I was surprised how some of the images came out on my digital camera, and have to share them:



On our way home Tom was saying how things could be different "next time", which is encouraging to me that the weekend was enjoyed by all, certainly worth repeating!