Conquering the Rapids!

Well I didn't drown. I didn't even fall in! I was however pushed OFF of our boat by our guide (who somehow got the okay from my sweet husband!). It was great. We swam, had a great lunch, got REALLY wet and laughed a LOT!

The weather was perfect. The trip is along the Payette River (which is what we floated...the North Fork Carbarton Run to be exact). It's amazingly beautiful; stunning trees, blue sky and mountain tops. We saw a Bald Eagle (and it's giant nest) soaring above us during our float. THIS is why we live in Idaho. As Douglas said, "How many places can you live where you can get up in the morning, drive for an hour and go down world-class white water rapids then go home and sleep in your own bed?"

Towards the end of the ride I got a little braver and was coerced into "Riding the Bull" which means you sit on the FRONT of the raft as it heads into the rapids. My friend Mara had done it once. It looked fun. So I got up there with her after some heckling from our boat.

I'm not the best swimmer so this took a little bit of persuasion. I have three children at home to think about. And I'm not really a crazy risk taker anyway when it comes to extreme sports. When we go skiing I'm usually the last one down the hill. And that's just fine with me. I like to have fun but I like to stay safe and be in control.

So "Riding the Bull" was definitely a departure from my usual safe self. I climbed up next to Mara who was going to ride the bull with me. This sounded like a fun bonding thing, right? And besides she's had lifeguard training so I figured she wasn't going to let me drown!

We hit the first wave and it was GREAT!!! A beautiful drop, a great big splash of water and then the next wave. This one knocked me back into the boat. I was still holding onto my rope so I tried to pull myself up but was buried back in the boat by another wave. This one pushed Mara back on top of me and I was able to act as a nice back rest for her the rest of the way through the rapids.

It was hysterical. I felt like a drowned rat but it was so much fun. It's great to step outside of your comfort zone and do something new. I had never been white water rafting, gone swimming in the river or taken a ride on ANY kind of bull! If you get the chance you should definitely try it. I'm pretty sure if I can do it...anyone can!!!

I did take pictures but I have to get the developed. Remember developing film??? It seems like YEARS since I've done that! And we got a couple of the professional pictures of our grand adventure but those will wait 2-3 WEEKS!!! I promise you'll see them as soon as I get them!