10 Aug - White Water Rafting

10 Aug
This morning about 0800 hrs we drove 30 minutes south to Gardiner MT just north of Yellowstone's north entrance and the Paradise Adventure Company.  The mountains continue to be obscured by smoke from forest fires:

A few days ago we signed up for an eight mile white water rafting adventure down the Yellowstone River.

We arrived and got our paperwork taken care of and then they issued our helmets and jackets.  Soon the rest of our group arrived and many others as well.  They had two 8-mile rafts leaving at 0930 hrs and also one of the 18 mile raft rides that included lunch.  They projected about two hours for our 8-mile ride, based on the water currents this time of the year.

We walked down to the launch point where they issued our personal flotation devices and paddles.  We gathered for a group picture and then made our way down a steep incline and boarded the raft.

Missing from this picture is Peter Axelson, a disabled Veteran who had already made his way down to the raft and Peter's sister.

The raft trip started right in Gardiner, passed under the Highway 89 bridge and headed downstream towards our campground.

A view just downstream from the launch point with the highway bridge above

Our eight mile rafting trip down the Yellowstone River.  Take out point at the top of the picture in red. 

Our primary function on this trip was to paddle and enjoy our selves. What appeared to be just a bit of white water really created a fun ride!

The International Scale of River Difficulty categorizes six grades of difficulty in white water rafting. Class 1 to Class 6, with Class 1 being very basic and Class 6 being the most difficult.  Carl, our guide said our trip today will be Class 1 to Class 2, so a little excitement but otherwise fairly calm.  The company had a photographer taking pictures from the shore along the way and here are some, both what they took and zoomed in.  All the way in the back is our guide, Carl.  Doreen is on the starboard (right) side in the back with a powder blue shirt on and a white helmet.  I am on the port (left) side in the back with a blue coat on and a dark blue helmet:

Zoomed in.  This picture is awesome!  All you can see is Doreen and I plus Carl!!

Yeah, we got wet!!

In between the rapids we had a nice, peaceful raft ride and had the opportunity to talk with the other rafters.  I mentioned Peter was absent from the group picture.  Doreen had heard him mention his Air Force service and so I asked him about that.  He was an Air Force Academy cadet back in 1975 and was severely injured during a training exercise, paralyzing his lower extremities.  Since then he has not allowed his disability to be a hindrance and is an amazing person dedicated to helping others.   

We had a blast!!  After the ride we exited the river and they had a bus there to return us to the office in town.  We turned in our gear and then the entire group including our guide Carl headed over to a local restaurant for lunch.  

Doreen had an elk burger and I had a bison burger.  We shared and both were great!!  We then headed back to the RV.  Later Peter and his daughter stopped over as their house is just down the road from the campground.  We were talking about they house he had built and offered to show it to us.  It uses an eco-friendly construction practice called "earth-rammed tire walls", where soil/clay/sand is packed tightly into tires. The foundation and supporting walls of his home are made of tires!  Pretty amazing:

The plans

Exterior walls

Wall inside garage

The base of an interior wall.

An interior wall - tires inside these walls with a stucco material covering the wall

Support beams (logs) in the ceiling

Passive solar heating

The roof coated with a white latex material

Beautiful living room!

Wow, what an exciting day!  We had a great time on the raft trip and met some great people.  Tomorrow we plan to see some more of the area, maybe some sites in town to include some museums.  Before we leave we want to go back down to Mammoth Hot Springs, also.