Pat and I took a day trip today rafting on the American River with son, Matt, who's on his third season as a white water rafting guide. I have to admit, I was nervous. After all, our lives were in the hands of our dopey 22 year old son. I have to give Matt great kudos. He was very professional, gave good coaching tips and we came out unscathed. We had a blast!This is a class 4 trip, which means the worst rapids are class 4, which I THINK are the highest rapids that novices are allowed to go through. This pic of Pat is right before we set into the river.
We had a talk about safety - like what to do if/when you get ejected from the boat, then set in the river. Matt gave us some great coaching, we practiced rowing and then, heads up! There's a class 3 rapid about 30 seconds around the bend.
We rafted 17 miles down the river, had a great lunch about 2/3 the way down and a cold beer at the end. Pat did catch some air at one point and I thought he was going in, but he stayed in the boat. The water was warmer than we anticipated. So early in the season, we figured it'd be frigid. The weather was great - high 70s and the sunblock did the trick.
All in all, a great day. We want to go back and take some of the other kids with us. It's nice to be able to recreate with your children at this kind of a level and not only survive, but have fun!
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