Rollin' Down The River

There was no post yesterday because I spent the whole day whitewater rafting at the Lower Gauley. I went with a friend who is experienced. She has been on several rafting trips, so she knew the ropes.

Our trip started at 9:15 in the morning. It was pretty chilly that early and the water is cold!

The first time I really got splashed, it all went right in my shoes! Yuck. I had purchased some really groovy synthetic socks and a pair of $12 tennis shoes. <--- read this part sarcastically. I loathe tennis shoes. I don't mind if any one else wears them, it's just that I find them heinous on my own feet. I must say that they were comfy and didn't look too jakey for being only $12.

After I clean them up, I suppose I'll keep them in case I become an extreme adventure junkie (not likely).

Anyhoodle, there were 6 of us in our raft, plus the guide in the back. He was excellent. I think he was the best guide there. We managed to do the entire river with not even a single one of us falling out! Other rafts had a few overboarders, but don't worry - no one got hurt and they were pulled back into their boats.

About mid-day, we stopped for lunch. They did burgers, veggie burgers and chicken on the grill with a good variety of sides. Everything I had was very tasty!

After lunch, we got back on the river. We hit a few fast moving rapids and I began to think having lunch midway through might not have been the best idea, but I didn't lose my lunch! Yay!

(photo taken by my friend, who had an awesome waterproof digital camera. I had a crappy waterproof film camera and who knows when I'll get around to developing that or even find out if I got any decent shots).

Here is me, after a particularly thorough soaking. Did I mention that water was cold?? LOL.

Luckily, the afternoon really warmed up and just when we'd get semi dry from the sun, we'd hit another class 5 rapid and the soaking would start all over again.

It was even more fun and challenging than I had anticipated. I am tired and sore today, but not too bad. I'm sure a nice hot shower will soothe my sore muscles.

If you live in West Virginia or visit WV, I highly recommend checking out one of the whitewater rafting trips.

And, I can't sign off without mentioning that there were far more cars with out of state plates there than WV plates. After listening to our other 4 raft companions (from other states) praise the beauty and peacefulness of our state, those same people proceeded to laugh at the sight of outhouses and trailers on the bus ride back.

One of our raft mates even told me his cousin told him that WV was the only state where it is legal for first cousins to marry. I promptly told him that it was not legal here and he questioned that. I turned to my (lawyer)friend and said, "Let's ask the Lawyer." Whereupon she verified that it is NOT legal here.

I made sure he walked away with some of my hometown knowledge and I'm not even originally from here. Rubes!

Come to WV and have a great time, but leave your stereotypes at home. :-) Besides, we have far more assholes here than rednecks or hillbillies. LOL. And, there are assholes EVERYWHERE.