Have you seen water so white...

I just came back from a trip to West Virginia (not tops on people "To Go To" list I've heard...) where yours truly went white water rafting with the fiance's bro and dad. It was a ball and a half, let me tell you...

So, after a moderately grueling 6-ish hour drive and a night camping, we showed up to the rafting...dispatch...area...thing. They provided a really nice breakfast buffet (to which I may have indulged in a smidge more than I ought...) and the three of us just hung out until it was our turn to ship out. I've never really spent this much time hanging out with Tara's family, so it was nice to finally get to know them better. Once we got on the bus, I found myself surrounded by all sorts of folk; what I would call the cream of the folk of West Virginia (the typical stereotypes are fading away the older I get...). Boisterous and gabby, everyone of them...

On the river, we were put with a guide who really was the physical stereotype of a West Virginia; accent, temperament, everything. As the day progressed, Eric (our guide) proved that a THICK accent and slight mispronunciations hid a quick wit and an intelligence that the partying country boy style contrasts with. He was quite a character, but he did know the river. I couldn't have asked for a better guide. And, as is par for the course on these kinds of trips, he graced me with the nickname 'Redbeard'. I wonder why...

The rapids were very good, though my experience is limited. I got a more than decent workout on the trip, that's for sure. Early on in the trip, a rapid knocked me out of the raft and into the river. Surprising, but I was fine. Thing is, I remember being pushed up and out of raft, but the video (yes, there is video footage of my folly...) shows me being pushed and rolled over the side. Live and learn. I do have to say that hearing my voice outside my body is still a VERY weird experience...

All in all, it was a beautiful day. I give high marks to Class VI River Runners and their program for the New River (which, I found out, is the second oldest river in the world...). The skies were clear, though it did rain after we got off the river, it wasn't too hot, the company was light and fun. It is most definitely a trip I will take again...