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DESCHUTES
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WHITE
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WATER
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RAFTING
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Date: July 28.
We all piled into our two vehicles and headed over to the East side of the Cascade Mountains, 102 miles to Maupin, Oregon. Along the way we went up and over the shoulder of Mt. Hood, past the side road up to Timberline ("The Shining") Lodge, and on into the hot brown desert of central Oregon. On the way back the van's air conditioner stopped working—it needed a recharge, which we got later, but it didn't help those in the van on this day. Fortunately, that was only on the way home, and once we were up into the mountains, the temperature was okay the rest of the way home.
We brought food and other items that we hoped would come in handy on the river, based upon Rip's advice. Dotti's brother has run a lot of rafts down this river and we really appreciated his volunteering to take us on a whitewater adventure!
Looking off into the distance you can see the difference that a lack of rain can mean to an area. The land surface is identical to that on the other side of the Cascade Mountains, including the strips of basalt protruding out from underneath in spots. But lying in the rain shadow of the mountains, this side is barren of much life, except down by the river, while on the west side of the Cascades, the ground is covered with lush growth and thick forrests.
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The Coon rafting party numbered only 6, and that didn't warrant a bus. So, we didn't ride in this vehicle, but we did go in the office, and we used their facilities when we were done to change into some dry clothes. What we got to ride in was a van, which we filled up pretty well, with our bodies and our rafting cooler, etc.
At this point, I was feeling a little uneasy. I wasn't sure what was ahead. I had several people with me whom I feel extremely protective of, and we were doing something that was going to be at least mildly risky. I knew the odds were very small of anything disastrous happening, but the husband and father, and now grandfather in me won't let me just assume all is well. I wanted to make sure I did everything I could to make things safe for my family. I know Rip and he wouldn't lead us into danger, and he has a lot of runs under his belt on this river and that really helped push my fears down to a dull roar. Also, I have two very strong and healthy sons who are more likely to be saving me than the other way around these days, and there was no one in the boat who would let anything happen to Dotti, or our precious Kai. I knew it was going to be okay. But…
The bridge you see off in the background is one we would see again about halfway through the rafting trip. It runs right over Maupin City Park where we were going to have our lunch. I didn't know that when I took this picture, because I had no idea what the course of the run was going to be at all.
Everyone was so excited and running around checking things out, and the porch area is cleared out. Mostly they went inside, where Rip was making arrangements for the raft and driver to take us to our drop point.
Things were about to get underway. What would it be like?
Soon, we piled in the van and were driven about 5 miles or so south (upriver naturally  ) to Sandy Beach where we picked up our boat and loaded up for our run.
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We ended up with the nice blue boat you see on the left. We set Kai up in the middle, away from the edges of the raft, with his dad and uncle on either side of him, and Rip behind, and Grandpa and Grandma in front. Dotti and I had the front of the boat, and the bulk of the water that was to come onboard would have to get by us first. As we were going down the river, Rip, who was at the helm, did his best to hit the rapids for maximum splash effect and of course for maximum fun!
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The Deschutes River had a lot of quiet runs broken up with some rapids that woke us up whenever we got complacent. When we made it back to Maupin, and stopped at the Maupin City Park, we were ready for lunch. There are boats tied up along the mini-dock and the Deschutes River is continuing off down stream towards the Columbia River just north of here. Just before we headed back down the river, Dotti decided to take a swim. She literally thought her heart was going to stop when she felt how cold the water was that she was swimming in. I was a little concerned that I would would have to dive in after her, but she came around quickly and swam over to the raft. Dotti never likes the safe and easy path, and I love that about her!
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Here's Kai, enjoying the sun, and kneeling beside the cooler. We had a nice lunch and it was a good break in the day. The sun dried us out a bit and warmed the chill in our bones that the water had put there, and readied us for another go at it.
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Rip is knee-deep in the Deschutes River—the captain is the last one to leave his boat. LeRoy is carrying up the watertight bag we had along to hold things, just in case the boat should capsize. (Fortunately, we never had to put it to the test.)
When I look at the hills moving up from the river, it seems amazing that so close to so much water, plants can't find enough water to grow with. Just a few feet from the water's edge, the ground turns brown and plant life nearly disappears.
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Glenn is taking Kai up to see what is up in the park. There was a place to get some food, and a volleyball sand pit, and other things to see.
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The Coon brothers coming back to the raft. I think they both had a really good time on this outing. I know I did!
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Captain Rip. He did a great job getting safely down the river, while giving us a fun ride as well. Even though he has navigated this stretch of river many times, at one point he beached the raft, and went up on the bank and around a bend on foot, to make sure that the course we took was the right one.
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My beautiful little mermaid, enjoying the sun and taking movies. She managed to take some pretty good shots on the river, while keeping our camera dry!
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LeRoy with soda and food in hand, is studying the nutritional label. Kai is having a good laugh at something Glenn just said, while Dotti hides behind them. Rip is also intently listening to what Glenn is saying. Our little picnic lunch turned out to be very nice bit of fun in the middle of an outing that went even better than we had hoped for. Thank you Rip!
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At the time I didn't have my bearings, but if I did, I would have realized that I could have easily walk to where our cars were parked! The place where we left our cars and started our adventure, was just up this hill to the road you can see just above the building and about a city block to the left. If I were standing up on that bridge I could have seen the building which we were parked beside, and perhaps even seen our cars, since this is the same section of bridge that we could see in the second photo from the top of this page.
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Sadly, I didn't get pictures of it, but it was shortly after these boats passed by, and Dotti saw a couple of guys jump in for a short swim, that she decided to give the water a try. She went in and gasped. She had that look on her face like she was in trouble for a moment, and I was looking to see if she needed help, and gearing myself up for an emergency cold dip, when she righted herself and started swimming back towards the boat. She was very cold, but she was okay. She was also all ready for some more of the rapids and rafting fun, and so were we all.
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Here we were getting set to hit a good sized rapids. Rip is guiding us into the choppiest part of the turbulence, but guiding us head-on, so we wouldn't flip over. Glenn and LeRoy have just pulled their oars up. The arrangement was that they pulled on the oars under the command of Rip, whenever he needed their help. They did a great job, and it was really nice that they gave their old Pop a rest on that score! Kai had on a helmet, because the one real danger we faced was falling out of the raft and hitting our head on a rock. This could not only cause severe injury on its own, but it could render one unconscious and allow him to drown. With the helmet and the life jacket (note we are wearing those!) Kai was going to be perfectly safe, even if the raft flipped over.
I had a good hold on the forward rope, and on my lovely wife, to make sure she was safe and sound. At various times, she would have the movie camera out and could only hold on with one hand, so I made sure she wasn't going anywhere. My second function was to try and guess when the next dousing was going to occur. (Rip told me later he was doing his best to douse us as much and as often as possible. )
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(In case you noticed that LeRoy is on my side in this picture, our sons swapped places at Maupin City Park. So, we have pictures that were taken of us in the raft from both before and after our stop at the park.)
I can see that my shirt sleeve is wet and shining, so we were hit not too long before this with a wave, and we were about to get hit with another one, from the look on the faces of the two in front. Dotti had the movie camera high in the air and was hoping that it would stay dry. LeRoy and Glenn are both laughing, and Rip is searching for the line which would hit the most water bearing waves possible.
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Here we go! We are just getting into some whitewater and every one is focused straight ahead, except for Glenn, who is splitting his focus between the waves ahead and Kai. (His knees are up a bit, as if he were riding a bronco.)
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Is Dotti having a good time or what?
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While Dotti and I are buried under the water spray here, we can finally see a bit of Kai's face and it looks like he is having a good time too! Rip is still intently trying to get the most out of the river with his steering. This is really fun!
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"Dive! Dive! Dive!"
"But we can't dive capt'n, this isn't a submarine!"
"Belay that dive order!"
Okay, where did we go? It is like the 6-man raft turned into a 2-man kaiak.
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If I were a dog, I would be shaking my fur at this point. What a dousing Dotti and I took! Fortunately, Dotti did not have her movie camera out for this one.
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Well, our 10.4 mile run on the Deschutes River was over, and we landed at Sandy Beach, the last access point before the river drops over Sherars Falls. (Makes you glad you didn't miss your stop!) We rode the van back to our cars, and changed out of our swimming suits and into some drier clothes. Then we set back onto the road.
A little over an hour later, we were getting hungry! Rip recommended that we stop at:
Calamity Jane's Hamburger Restaurant
42015 SE Highway 26
Sandy, OR 97055
Once again Rip steered us right! We ate right at the foot of Mt. Hood, and we had good food and a fun time (the company at the table was awesome!), and we even had good service. The fact that we were famished after a day on the water had nothing to do with how much we enjoyed it it.
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The Western theme was enjoyable, and the ceiling being covered in dollar bills was pretty cool.
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Poor little Kai was tired after his big day, and just put his head down on his arm while waiting for his food.
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Capt'n Rip getting set to order his meal. Thanks Rip for a great day!
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My we do have handsome sons, don't we? I think Glenn had a good time in the raft today!
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Would I be repeating myself if I said we do have handsome sons? But they aren't just ornaments! Our boys did a great job on the oars, and got us past some tight spots in the river when Rip needed a hand. They kept things light and fun and helped to make it a memory to carry with us for life.
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If you can look at this picture and not feel happier for the experience, you have no heart. Dotti is a jewel and I have to pinch myself every day to remind myself that this is not a dream, and I really am this lucky!
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Ah hah! You thought you were going to get all the way through this and be spared another look at the old man, but I fooled you by sticking one in at the end. Tammy tells me that my hat indicates that I am the Captain of my own destiny. It's either that or delusions of grandeur. I saw it on a rack over on the coast one day and the next thing you know I was paying for it and it was on my head. I thought today would be a good day for it. At least it is nautical.
What a great day I had! Sometimes, when things go hard, I forget how much I have to be thankful for. Then I think of days like this and I know I have nothing to complain about.
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