Safari So Good

“Oh, Eeyore, you are wet!” said Piglet, feeling him.  Eeyore shook himself, and asked somebody to explain to Piglet what happened when you had been inside a river for quite a long time.

A. A. Milne

There were options each day.  We could ride in one of the 6 rafts that were paddled by a Guide (4 large and 1 smaller called Oar Boats and 1 fishing raft) OR you could take one of the single inflatable kayaks and do your own paddling.

The kayaks were called “Duckies” because they were like little duckies following their Mama Duck (Oar Boat).  There were 4 available and anyone taking a ducky was required to wear a helmet.  Two duckies were assigned to one Mama Boat.  The duckies were to closely follow its Mama Boat in order to ensure safe passage through the rapids and around the rocks.  They never had all 4 duckies follow one Mama Boat.  This avoids the problem of each ducky getting a little off course as they follow the ducky in front of them; because, like a line of school children, the first one is a little off course, the second one a little more off the path, the third a little more than that, and the fourth ducky is going down the totally wrong way!  Plus, the Mama Boat carefully watched his or her duckies to ensure they made it through each rapid; often pulling into an eddy (an area to the side of the river with no current) to monitor the duckies’ progress.  So, it went like this – 2 Oar Boats, 2 duckies, 1 Oar Boat, 2 more duckies, and the last 2 Oar Boats to pick up any floundering baby duckies!

The Duckies ready to go!

Michael opted to paddle a ducky on day 1.  I was very interested in paddling, but wanted to see what the river looked like before taking the plunge (so to speak).

Michael during a quiet spell.

This is Michael going over a rapid – you have to enlarge the photo to see the edge of the ducky.

Hillary waving.

The fishing boat with Scott and Nicki aboard.

On Day 2 of rafting (Wednesday), it rained in the morning.  Only 3 duckies went out due to the rain.  In the afternoon, the sun came out and I got brave enough to try my hand on a ducky.  Because there were only four and most of the rafters wanted to try paddling, we had to take turns.  Consequently, Michael and I never paddled the same day.  The upside of which is, it allowed us to take pictures of each other.  My paddling partner was Berger.  He was such a good partner; after every rapid, he would turn to make sure I made it okay.  What a great guy!  As I was paddling, we went through a particularly difficult rapid and I slammed up against a big rock.  I was pushed up onto the side of the rock and felt my kayak leaning heavily to the right.  I really thought I was going over, but I remember what Joseph taught us — lean hard against the up side of the kayak to counter the flip and you should go over the edge of the rock upright.  It worked!!!  I was so happy and grateful for good instructions.  Turns out that GQ was not just another pretty face – thanks, Joseph!

Duckies hanging out around the Mama Boats. That’s me in the middle.

This is me going over a rapid. It was hard work, but I really loved it.

This is Berger going through some tricky rapids. He was my ducky partner (and kept a constant eye out for me)!

Me, going over the rapids, with my Mama Duck watching over me.

Duckies and Mama Boats going over rapids.

NIcki on the fishing boat. She and Scott caught quite a few fish. It was catch and release, so we didn’t eat any of them.

The views along the river were incredibly breath taking.  We saw otters, a bear, an eagle’s nest, interesting rock formations, beautiful canyon walls — from one moment to the next, the river was wild and serene.

The water was so clear.

Clear blue sky – great day for rafting.

You can see some pretty fall colors on the mountainside.

Kristy

Look – it’s an Obi Wan Kenobi rock!

One of many fresh water streams we passed. This one was quite large. The Guides refilled the water jugs at these streams.

OMG – Otters! This little guy was hiding in this crevice eating a fish he caught.

So pretty!

Tom, our guide, spotted this bear foraging on the hillside as we passed by. He watched the fishing boat quite closely – waiting to snag a catch??

Heading into the canyon.

A huge eagle’s nest.

We stopped so we could hike to this waterfall, but it was uphill, so some of us (me) waited at the river.

A log jam caused from last winter’s high water levels.

Hooded Merganser ducks.

The days started out warm and got colder as we moved north.  I am a fair weather kayaker, so once it got cold, I did not paddle.  Others were much more rugged and were willing to brave the elements. The coldest day was Friday – day 4 of the rafting trip.  We were not only soaked from rain and rapids, there was a bitter cold wind blowing on us.  By the time we got to camp in the evening, my feet were numb and my clothing soaked down to my underwear.   It was the first of the only two nights we got a campfire.  Since it had rained, the fire danger was much lower, so Dustin allowed a fire to be built.

We were advised to bring rain gear and in fact, I did.  However (true confessions) I purchased good rain gear at REI and it was really expensive.  When I bought it, I was hoping I wouldn’t need it and I knew I would NEVER use it again; so I asked if I could bring it back if I didn’t use it and was told that I could.  Therefore, I did not choose to take the rain gear out of the water proof baggie I jammed it into (with tags still attached).  Yes, I froze — but I also took my rain gear back when we got home and got a full refund.  My frugal Mom would be so proud!

Mama Boats and duckies heading out after a lunch break.

Trevor, from Santa Barbara, standing in the ducky. He paddle boards so this worked for him (he did sit down over the rapids).

Emily – such a big smile!

Bruce, Kristy, and Bob with Dustin paddling. It was a cold day.

Doug, Trevor, and Berger with Joseph on paddles. Very Cold!!!

Our New York ladies (Hillary, Crystal and Stephanie), all bundled up, with Tim paddling.

This is Karlene on our coldest day. She’s going incognito.

The rapids got more technical (the term for more complicated to maneuver and scarier) as the days passed.  By the last day, we were in many Class 3 and a couple of Class 4 rapids.  It was really fun, but really wet.

This is one of the two Class 4 rapids we traversed. The drop is bigger than it looks from this angle. Just sayin…

This is Michael’s shot as we hit water and it hits us. He had a water-proof camera. Mine was safely covered at this point.

These long rapids were the most fun, as we went through them the Boat rolled up and down just like a Disney ride!

Here’s a shot of one of the other Boats going through some rapids.

This is gonna be wet!!!

More rapids and rocks.

P.S. Here is why I called Joseph GQ:

See what I mean?

Don’t judge me – my sister took 7 pictures and a video.

“Let the Beauty of What You Love be What You do”

Rumi

Dustin Aherin, owner of Idaho River Adventures has a large crew of guides that work with him on various trips down the river.  We were lucky to have Tom, Lara, Tim, Joseph, Greg, and Drew along with us on our trip.  I was a manager for 35 years and never have I seen a group of people work harder than the guides that work for Idaho River Adventures.

The evening before our trip on the river, we stayed in the small town of Stanley, Idaho.  We met before dinner for orientation.  We introduced ourselves and Dustin delivered the orientation, showed us the large Red Bags (that would hold our sleeping bags, pillows, and any clothes or supplies we would need at the end of each day), the smaller clear dry bags (for all our gear that we wanted to have access to during the day), and gave us a coffee cup compliments of Idaho River Adventures to use each morning for our coffee.  He also went over what to expect on a typical day — 7:30 to 8 a.m. breakfast; on the river around 10 or so each day; stop for lunch; back on the river; stop in the late afternoon at camp.  We would be traveling approximately 70 miles on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River, a part of which is known as the River of No Return.  He said we may encounter bears, rattlesnakes, and bull snakes (which eat the rattlers).  He said no snacks in the tents due to the fact that the rodents will come in to get them and eat through whatever bags they are in (but no worries, they won’t bite you).  With regard to going to the bathroom – liquids go in the river and solids go in the outhouse that they would assemble each afternoon at camp.  He suggested we put things like rain jackets, extra socks, sunscreen, water bottle and other things we might need during the day in the small dry bags, which we would keep with us.  The large Red Bags would be packed onto the Granny Boat, which would leave each morning to go ahead to that day’s camp where one or two guides would set up tents, tables and chairs, and the Groover (outhouse).

The Hotel in Stanley where we spent the first night and had orientation.

Michael, Chuck and Karlene at the restaurant  (next door to the Hotel) where we ate dinner and breakfast the next morning.

A view of the Sawtooth Mountain Range from Stanley.

An evening view of Stanley from our Hotel, with the mountain range in the background.

The ladies from New York (Crystal, Hillary, and Stephanie) wait to board the vans to the airport.

Michael, Me, Karlene and Chuck – ready to go!

Our first day on the river began with instructions on how to survive the rapids, life vest usage, how to help get someone in the raft after they fell out, and how the individual kayaks were handled (more on that later).  The guides who were not providing instructions were preparing lunch for us which included guacamole tacos, cookies, peanut butter and jelly with bread (in case we wanted to make a sandwich instead or with tacos), cut up fruit, carrots and hummus.  They then packed all our red bags, sleeping pads, food, cooking prep tools, supplies and the tables on which lunch was served into the large barge-like raft, which was called “Granny”.  One or two guides then headed down river to get to our evening camp site before the rest us; so the tents, tables and chairs, and water station could be set up and waiting for us when we arrived.

They started work before we even climbed out of our tents in the morning.  There was coffee and hot water waiting first thing each morning as the guides prepared breakfast for us.  They carried pots and pans and tables and chairs and food in and out of Granny, up and down hills, each afternoon and every morning.  They rowed rafts every day, all day, except when they were carrying gear, preparing food, or cleaning up afterwards.  They worked every evening (usually after sunset, with lights on headbands so they could see what they were doing) — washing dishes, putting away food, and packing stuff into metal bins to protect them from critters during the night.  They even made dessert — EVERY night and it was delicious.

Guide Joke — “Do you know the difference between a Fairy Tale and a Raft Tale?”  “No, What?”  “A Fairy Tale starts, Once Upon A Time…a Raft Tale starts, No shit, there I was…”

A table covered in lunch time snacks.

The guides prepare our fabulous dinner in less-than-ideal conditions.

Dustin in his serious mode.

Lunch is prepared on the hillside. This stuff was all carried up a rocky shoreline.

A trail-mix sandwich. A new invention by one of the rafters.

Greg ‘Montana’ – with Karlene and Chuck – waiting for the “go” signal.

Drew with his girlfriend, Emily, who came along and helped out.

Tim – the funny guy.

Tom – the quiet guy.

Joseph (or GQ as I called him)

The only female guide – Lara! She was adorable, but held her own with all those male guides.

An evening snacks – while we wait for dinner.  No kidding!!!

Salmon for dinner – delicious!

Check it Out! It’s a dutch oven. This is how they cooked biscuits and chocolate cake!

Breakfast burrito with potatoes.

Lasagna, grilled bread, and Caesar salad.

Dustin gives us geology lessons about Idaho – very interesting!

Rafters and guides listening as Tim (far right almost out of picture) and Dustin (out of picture) school us.

Granny Boat – named for Dustin’s Grandmother, filled with Red Bags, food, supplies, etc.

Each afternoon, the guide who went ahead with the tents and supplies, set up the outdoor toilet – or “Groover” about 50 yards from out tents and tables.  About 20 yards from the Groover was a washing station and the “key” which was actually an ammunition box with extra toilet paper.  When you went to the Groover, you would take the box so that everyone would know it was occupied.  You brought it back when you returned, to let others know the Groover was open for business once again.  The Groover was also set up with the door facing the river, so one always had a lovely view while taking care of business.  It was called the Groover because it used to not have a seat on it, so when you sat it would make grooves in your behind – hence, the Groover!

A photo of the Groover from the back.

What a lovely view from inside the Groover.

Another camp site with the Groover surrounded by trees (but still facing the river)!

The wash station with the key to the Groover.

“Don’t Live the Same Year 75 Times and Call it a Life”

Robin S. Sharma

I was quite nervous about the prospect of sleeping and dressing in a tent.  It has been 20+ years since I slept on the ground.  I wasn’t actually sure I would be able to sleep at all.  These old hips get achy just walking around, forget about laying on a hard surface for 8 hours each night.  Dustin assured me that the pad they provide for under the sleeping bag was thick and comfortable.  Just to be sure, I borrowed another blow-up pad to add to the one they provide.  Oh, yeah, and I also obtained a small prescription of Ambien (sleeping pills) from my Doctor to help.  It turned out I had no problem sleeping on the ground.  It was also warm in the tents and the sleeping bags were more than sufficient against the elements.

However, tent living is still a challenge.  The tent was plenty large for two of us along with our clothing and personal items.  And it was tall enough to stand in, just not all the way up.  So, the options were get dressed while laying on the ground or while standing hunched over.  I chose the second option.  It was not bad, but by the end of the trip, I had a catch in my back that hurt every time I tried to bend over.  A handful of Motrin, pain pills, a glass of wine and second hand marijuana smoke cured all that ailed me.

The biggest challenge was having to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.  In the dark.  On the ground.  Outside the tent.  The night it rained all day and the cold wind blew on us the entire rafting trip, I was still cold when I went to bed.  After finally getting down on the ground (not easy when your legs and upper body strength is less than ideal) and getting into the sleeping bag, I realized my feet were freezing.  I knew if I put socks on, it would help, but the thought of sitting back up, rifling through my bag for a pair of socks, then crawling back into the sleeping back was just a pain.  Nonetheless, after 15 minutes or so of not being able to fall asleep, I did just that.  It was so nice with my feet finally warm, I snuggled back in the sleeping bag and was soon fast asleep.  Sometime later, I woke with the terrible urge to pee.  Again, I thought NO – I just want to sleep.  But sleep would not come back to me.  So, I got up, crawled out of my tent with my socks and jammies on and went just a few feet away from the tent (I wasn’t going very far in the black of night)!!  We were on a very slight incline, so I tried to face the appropriate flow of direction and began to relieve myself.  About 6 inches of my jammie legs were hanging down around my feet and I suddenly realized my sock was soaking wet.  I was standing in a puddle of urine.  The bottom of my jammie leg was also soaked!!!!  I wanted to just cry, but that would do no good.  So, I went back into the tent, found some dry socks, tried to use a small towel to partially dry my jammie leg (I only had one pair of pajamas and it was too cold to go without).  Then, having no choice, me and my peed on jammie climbed back into the sleeping bag and I went to sleep.

That same morning, having had a night of interrupted sleep, I was moving around a bit sleepy and disoriented.  Everyone else was up and sitting around at the tables enjoying coffee and waiting for breakfast.  As I started out of the tent, my foot caught on the 5″ lip around the floor of the entrance to the tent.  I took a header out the door, landing flat on the ground with my face in the sand.  Thank goodness we were on sand — the day before there was a big rock in the very spot where my face now lay.  Fortunately, I wasn’t hurt and sat up, taking inventory to make sure I didn’t break anything. I sat there for the longest time, hoping no one had seen me.  My back was to the group, so I just waited to see if someone would yell or come running.  They didn’t (again, thank goodness) and I was so grateful.  How freakin’ embarrassing!

When I asked my sister, Karlene if she had any funny tent stories, she did absolutely top mine…

She chose to dress each day laying down.  Here is why that’s not a good idea — one morning she dressed and started out of her tent.  She was halfway to the tables and circle of rafters when she realized something didn’t feel right in her mid-section.  She felt around and realized that one of her boobs was not inside her bra!  Somehow, her boob had slipped below the bra line and never made it into the cup of her bra.  It didn’t make the cut, so to speak.  When she told me this story, I laughed so hard I almost wet myself (again).

Michael by our tent.

This is how you dry your clothes when living in a tent.

Our tents await us on the hillside.

Another view of the tents.

“How can you smoke all day if you don’t start before breakfast?”    

author’s name withheld

Never in my life (and remember, I was a teenager in the 60’s) have I seen so much marijuana in one place. A couple of fellow rafters brought a stash of pot and hash and began using it on day one. Although we were a varied group of individuals, no one seemed to mind. Maybe it was the whole ‘Off the Grid’ situation or the fact that we were in the wilderness with no witnesses. Some did not partake, many did – although the owners of the stash were very willing to share with anyone who was interested.
Just to be crystal clear – Dustin gave the holders of the stash stern warnings about carrying and/or smoking during the trip. He reminded them that it is highly illegal in Idaho, plus we would be on federal land! However, not having authority to stop them and everyone being adults, his attitude was that if they wanted to do it, knowing the risks, it was entirely up to them.
In fact, the group that did partake, were quite funny as they got more and more stoned as the day went on, particularly in the evenings as we sat around after dinner. If you did not want to actually smoke, but wanted some benefit of the other’s activities, all you had to do was sit down wind. It was an easy, light high – not a bad way to relax.
One evening as we were sitting around a fire, I was watching one of the guys with a Tupperware bowl full of huge rolled joints. He was laying them out on a table over my right shoulder, when one of them rolled off the table and onto the ground. Remember, we were in the wilderness. Except for the little light the fire gave off, it was pitch black out there. He was so stoned, but he felt around on the ground for the joint and couldn’t find it. I saw exactly where it fell and wondered if I should help him, but I didn’t (to tell the truth, I didn’t want him to know I had been watching him). He gave up and went back to sit in the circle. A few minutes later, another rafter is behind me with a flashlight looking around on the ground. Someone says, “What are you looking for?” She says, “Nothing!” I then turn and point to the ground just beneath the edge of the table and said, “It’s on the ground, right below the edge of the table – I saw it drop. It should be right there.” She reaches down and finds it and loudly announces, “It’s okay, I found what I wasn’t looking for!”
I laughed so hard – they were really funny and quite silly, and the more they smoked (and drank, by the way) the more they laughed out loud. For some reason, it just all seemed perfectly acceptable and quite hilarious.
When one of them lit up very early one morning, someone asked, “Isn’t it a little early to start that?” The response was, “How can you smoke all day if you don’t start before breakfast?”
There was a core group of participants (but NEVER Dustin or the guides) and Michael dubbed them “The Breakfast Club”.  Sorry, no pictures – I don’t want to out any of my new friends!

“If you aren’t in over your head, how do you know how tall you are?”

T.S. Eliot

Our travel started very early on Monday, September 11th. Woke at 3 a.m. for a 6:15 a.m. flight from Sacramento to Boise. Everything went smoothly — got to airport early, sailed through TSA pre-check security — so far, so good. We arrived at SF with an hour+ layover. We sat near our gate, reading and waiting for calls to board. When I glanced at one of the electronic signs, I read in horror “Boise Flight 5449 Boarding Gate Closed”. Wait, what??? How could that be? We were sitting right here and NEVER heard one announcement. I jumped up and yelled, “Michael, what’s happening?”. He said, “What?” We then proceeded to run around the boarding area – both going in different directions, trying to find someone to help us. I actually went to the boarding doors and could see our plane sitting at the end of the jetway! I pounded on the doors “Open Up!” to no avail. I then grabbed the microphone hanging near the doors and announced – “We need assistance at Gate 71A immediately” “Hello? Please send someone to Gate 71A immediately, it’s an emergency!” No response from anyone. YES, I really did do that and I could hear my own voice over the loud speaker system. (How the Hell did we not hear the boarding announcements???).
I was in a complete and utter panic, because for the first time EVER, I did not purchase travel insurance and I had a vision the night before about missing our flight and loosing several thousand dollars. All I could think of was “This CANNOT be happening!!!”. I could see Michael out of the corner of my eye, running around like a chicken with it’s head cut off (much like myself), but I was focused on getting help. I ran to a TSA Security Agent nearby and said, “Please, they shut the doors and we HAVE to get on that plane. Can you help me?” He said, “No, I cannot. You need to go to United Customer Service, which is just down the walkway there…” and he pointed. I remember passing the Customer Service area and realized it wasn’t far away, so I took off in a dead run. I looked like a very much older, sickly female version of OJ Simpson in the old orange juice commercials (anyone remember those?). Basically, pushing people out of my way as I flew (well, in my mind anyway) through the airport. I arrived at Customer Service to find about 4 United Agents standing behind a counter in front of computers. No one was busy (thank goodness) and I ran to the nearest Agent. I was in tears at this point and panting (probably red faced as I DO NOT run – ever). I said, “Please, you have to help me. I have to get on that plane and they closed the boarding doors.” He said, “We cannot open the doors once they are closed.” I said, “But I’m going to lose $6,000 if I don’t get to Boise by 2 p.m. My husband and I are going on a rafting trip and the only transportation leaves at 2 p.m. We have to be there!!!” He calmly said that he would help me and that it would be okay and not to worry. His demeanor helped immensely and I calmed down slightly. So, he’s typing on the computer and looking around at the other Agents and says, “Is your computer down?” They say, “Yeah…” and I’m thinking, Are you F’ing kidding me? This is no time for a computer glitch. He finally gets the computer to respond and says, “Well, I have a plane going to Boise that leaves at 10:50 a.m. but there’s only one seat. Did you say there are two of you?” I said, “Yes, my husband and I.” He said, “I can put one of you on and the other we can do standby.” I said, “Put me in the seat!” (so much for loyalty to my sweet husband in a moment of crisis). Then he asks if we checked luggage and I said we had. He said, “I need your luggage receipts, so I can reroute them to this new flight.” I realized Michael had the luggage receipts with him and I hadn’t seen him in about 15 minutes. At this point, I have no idea where Michael is, so I texted for him to come immediately to United Customer Service. In the meantime, the Agent says, “Well, I have an 11 o’clock flight that will get you to Boise at 1:50 p.m. I’ll put you both on that, but I need your luggage receipts right away.” I said, “You have TWO seats on that flight?” He says, “Yes. I told you I would help you and it would be okay.” About this time, Michael rushes up and I ask for the receipts, which he pulls from his backpack. I asked about the luggage and the Agent said they would have already pulled our bags off the flight we missed, so they would definitely come in on our new flight. He said, “But if they don’t, go to the United Customer Service by baggage claim and see if they came in on the earlier flight.” We get our new boarding passes and I thank the United Agent profusely.
At this point, I was only concerned about getting our butts on that flight. I figured worse case scenario was that we would wear the clothes on our backs for a week. (Coincidentally, that’s not much different that what actually happened anyway, as I only packed two outfits for cold weather.)
We went to our gate and I literally sat staring at the boarding gate doors; determined that we would not miss the new (and only) flight that would get us to Boise in time. As time passed, we realized that there was no plane anywhere near our gate. 10:35 (boarding time) came and went. We only had a 40 minute window for any unanticipated delays; and at 11:00, still no plane. I finally realized I had the phone number for Dustin (owner of Idaho River Adventures), so I called him and talked to him about our dilemma. He said not to worry, the bus would wait until at least 3 p.m. and some of the musicians were driving to Boise and they had also had requested the bus wait until 3 for them to offload their instruments. He said even if we didn’t make it, they would figure out a way to get us to the raft take out point and they would NOT leave us! I was so relieved. By this time it was 11:20 and we were working with a 20 minute leeway to get to Boise by 3 p.m. The plan finally arrived and as we were in the last boarding group, I stood near the gate, encouraging everyone to please board quickly and have their boarding passes ready so we could get this plane filled and moving! Some found me funny and laughed while others gave me a stern look of disapproval. But I really didn’t care, I was on a mission and I wanted everyone to assist me in that mission.  We arrived in Boise with enough time to find our luggage just outside the United Customer Service counter — in fact, it did come on the earlier flight and was there waiting for us.  Thank goodness – it turns out I would need those long johns and flannel shirt!

At San Francisco airport. Once we got a new flight, we needed a little de-stressing. Even though it was only 10 a.m.

“If music be the food of love, play on.”

William Shakespeare

There is nothing quite like a clear sky from an area where there are no artificial lights to avert ones view of the stars.  You can see a bazillion tiny stars, many of the constellations, and even the path of the Milky Way – an incredible sight.  The trick is to stay up late enough for complete darkness, when the brightness of the sky is at its best!  Not an easy thing for this over 60 woman.

Add to that the melodious sounds of three great musicians on the beach every day (Stars in their own right), and you have a setting not to be missed.  Michael and I were familiar with Nicki Bluhm, but had not heard of Scott Law or Ross James.  Well, this trip changed that!  I’m not sure which was more fun — listening to them jam on the beach or having them play their own songs; often with the other two joining in with supporting chords or harmonious back up.  There were guitars, banjos, mandolins, and even other rafters that played or sang along.  We heard music in the mornings and after dinner.  What an incredible treat that added so much to this already great adventure.

By the way, if you haven’t heard the beautiful song, Remember Love Wins by Nicki Bluhm – be sure to google it – it is lovely and timely.

Instruments waiting to be played.

Nicki Bluhm on guitar.

Scott shows Ross his broken mandolin, while Berger (sp?) listens to Ross play.

Doug offers Nicki tequila and orange slices with cinnamon during a break in the action.

Playing on the beach on our last morning – these musicians are die hards to the end!

“Life Begins at the End of Your Comfort Zone” – Neale Donald Walsch

The morning of Tuesday, September 12th, the real journey began.  We boarded two big vans and proceeded up the mountain to the Stanley Danner Field.  The planes were on their way — 3 of them — each smaller than the one before it.  When we got up to the top of the mountain, there was a small terminal and one very small paved runway.  I said, “So, we just fly off the end of the mountain and hope for the best?”  Someone answered “Yep!”  Yikes!!!!

Once the planes arrived, the pilots began shifting passengers, gear, and dry bags around in order to appropriately distribute the weight in each plane.  It was a little like an bartering fair – “you take Karlene and Stephanie in the smallest plane and we’ll take Chuck in the larger plane.”  Then a few minutes later, “I’ll take Karlene AND Chuck in the smaller plane, let’s move Stephanie to the mid-size plane.”  “Can you take these cases of beer?”  “Who has the guitars?”

I noted as the largest (and by largest, I mean the 10 passenger Cessna) plane arrived, one of it’s wheels was a bit wobbly.  I couldn’t decide whether I wanted to be in one of the small planes or the ‘big’ plane with the wobbly wheel.  I figured at 65 I have lived a really good life and if this was my time to go, I would go with dignity.  So, I quietly waited to be assigned to a seat.  Michael and I both ended up in the ‘big’ plane.

The Stanley Airport Terminal

Here comes one of the 3 planes!

Distributing guests & baggage among the planes.

The smallest plane – Karlene and Chuck rode in this one. Only room for them and the pilot.

Inside the ‘big’ plane!

The short flight to the put-in point was fairly smooth.  Our landing was a little bumpy, but being in a small plane really gives you a bird’s eye view of the country side!  Usually, when you see the term “field” in the name of an airport, it just means airport.  Not so, in this case.  We landed in a field.  They called it a runway, but I’m here to tell you, that was NO runway.  I’ve seen runways — they are long and covered in blacktop with giant arrows and numbers marked in bright paint all over the place.  There are little men in orange vests with ear muffs on, carrying big glow sticks — waving them around to show the pilots where to go.

At Thomas Creek, we landed in a field!  It was dirt with weeds growing all over it.  No blacktop, no painted direction arrows, no little men with glow sticks.  There was a stick with an orange sock stuck on it.  Apparently, that’s all it takes to be christened a runway.  It was a big, long, dirt field that was fairly level.  I’ll accept Landing Strip (but that was no runway).

A view of Stanley as we head off.

Valley Creek heading away from Stanley.

Mountains everywhere!

Downed trees look like so many fallen matchsticks.

See — This is a field, with weeds. NOT a runway.

Nicki Bluhm is going rafting on the Salmon River and is inviting others to come along? She, along with two other great musicians (Scott Law and Ross James) will be entertaining the group each evening by the campfire? How could we pass up this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? Well, we can’t and we aren’t! I have always wanted to take one of these trips down the river in Idaho or Colorado; but I didn’t think I could do it. When this trip showed up on Facebook, it seemed like a message meant for me. I invited my husband, Michael and my sister, Karlene and her husband, Chuck to come along.
Who is Nicki Bluhm? She is a fabulous singer who is planning on releasing an album in the Spring 2018! One of my favorite songs is Remember Love Wins. Michael and I became familiar with her when our niece, Emily, was her road manager for a couple of years. We went to her shows when she was in town or nearby. We enjoyed her music and it was always fun to see Emily in action.
When I saw this opportunity to not only go on this incredible adventure, but also enjoy music with Nicki at the same time, I could not pass it up. The trip began at the Boise airport, where we were picked up and shuttled to the small town of Stanley, Idaho. We spent the night in a hotel and flew to the take out point on the Salmon River the following morning. We rafted down the river each day, stopping in a different location each afternoon, where dinner and tents awaited — for five nights and six days (September 12-17). The trip ended near the small town of Salmon, where we spent the sixth night in a hotel, before being bused back to the Boise Airport for the flight home.
It’s been many, many years since I have slept in a tent; so I secured a small prescription of Ambien (sleeping pills) from my doctor to ensure a good night’s sleep. I will upload stories with pictures as quickly as I can get them written.  I hope my stories take you along this crazy ride with me!

Note To the guides and other rafters on the trip — This represents my memories and experiences. If I have mis-stated anything, please contact me and I will delete or correct it. If you have stories or pictures to share, send them to me and I will add them.

The Whole Motley Crew! Owner, guides, musicians, and regular ole’ rafters.