You've Got to be Effin' Kidding Me!!

Yes! We really did go White Water Rafting on the Gauley!
And Yes!! It really was snowing!
And yes. We had a great time.
I have to admit, what with 40 degree temps, rain mixed with snow and our  "pep talk" on the way down to the river, the SigO and I seriously considered bailing for the weekend. It was more of "well, we're here now" and "we'd just kick ourselves if we bailed out" that kept us from staying on the bus. I'm not sure either one of us was very gung ho about the trip until we saw who our guide was going to be.
Thank all that is holy for John! He's been a guide on the Gauley for 34 years now and I think he knows every single rock in the river. When one of our crew asked about the experience level of another guide, John said "Yeah, he's pretty new. He's only been doing this for 8 years." Ha! That's my kind of river guide. John had been our guide on a previous trip, so as soon as I saw him, all my fears evaporated and I was ready for a fun day.
I've placed YouTube links on each of the biggies. None of them are our video, but they'll give you an idea of what we did. I have to say though, the river was a little bigger than average due to all the rain we've had this year. According to the guides, the average is 2500 cfs (cubic feet per second) and we were at 3200 cfs. So, some of these videos aren't accurate representations of what we rafted.
So, with that intro...
As soon as you put in on the river, you shoot a Class III rapid. Nothing huge, but still, the fact that you haven't been in the boat for a full minute and you're already really paddling should give you an idea of what's in store.
Most of the rapids on the Upper Gauley are Class IV - V. Of course, there's not a rating for anything bigger than a V, but still, what do you do when you say "This is a Class V" and then, a little way down the river, there's something bigger? Well, I'll tell you. You call it a "Class V+"
However, to quote Wikipedia: There are dozens of rapids on the Upper Gauley; the most notable are the "Big Five":
The first Class V rapid encountered is called Insignificant. According to the story John told, the first person to shoot these rapids after the first ever dam release was a kayaker who reported there was nothing significant before Pillow Rock. Apparently, he forgot all about the first Class V that was well worth some notation. But, because he forgot about it, guides today call this set of rapids "Insignificant". It's not. And you hit it really soon after launching your boat.
Mostly what I remember about this, and every other Class V (or V+ rapid) is John screaming "Go Go Go!" Honestly. I don't remember him raising his voice a single time when we rode the New River with him. I don't have any pictures of Insignificant (or really, any other Class V, other than Pillow Rock and Sweet's Falls), but I do have Video. I can't embed it here, so you'll just have to come to my house and watch it.
That said, here's Pillow Rock. This is the first Class V+ rapid encountered on the Upper Gauley.
I love the guy almost falling out. His name is Mike. The guy opposite him is Dan. Note the look of terror on his face.

Check out the look on SigO's face here. "Grrrr!!! Argh! I will not let us flip! I am Man! Hear me Roar!!"

None of us fell out on this, or any other Class IVor higher rapid. That's the irony. The only time anyone fell out at all was on a Class III. We hit a rock, and that tossed the two in front of me. (I'm in the back, right in front of John, our guide. He's the one with the gold helmet and green PFD [Personal Flotation Device]). The girl in front of the SigO (who's across from me) completely freaked out when her brother and friend fell out of the boat and abadoned paddling altogether. No big surprise, she ended up in the drink shortly after them. That was the only time anyone fell out during our trip. And really, if you're gonna fall out, I'd much rather do it during a Class III than a Class V or V+. I'm just sayin'.

There are some III's, and IV's after Pillow Rock, but the next biggie is "Lost Paddle". This class V is 0.25 miles long and has five drops. Just about the time you think you're safe, wham, there's another drop. I rather enjoyed it to be honest with you as most of the other Class V's or higher were over so fast, you didn't even know what happened.

After more III's and IV's, comes Iron Ring. Another Class V+. Scary. To me, more scary than Pillow Rock, although I guess Pillow Rock is more notorious. Iron Ring is so named because it used to be a set of falls. However, when trying to float logs down the river (for coal mining, etc, back in the day), the logs kept breaking up over the falls, so they put iron rings in the rocks on either side of the river, lowered a bosun's chair, and then placed some dynamite in the rock of the river and blew out the falls. The iron rings were there for a long time (hence the name) until some bone head stole them. People. They're the worst!

More III's and IV's ensue, and then, Sweet's Falls.

There are a few funny things about these pictures. First, look at the look on my face here. It's "OH HOLY HELL!" Meanwhile, look at the look on John's face. It's "Yo. Hey. What's up? Oh, me? Not much. Just kinda chillin'. Hangin' Out. Cold out here though, huh?"

Then, check out the SigO in this shot. Other than John, he's the only one with a paddle in the water. Yeah, I'm pretty sure we would've all been screwed without him along. And NO, I am NOT biased. I don't know what you're talking about.  

After Sweet's Falls comes lunch. Which, I swear is just a way to extend the day, because before lunch, I'm pretty sure my heart rate never dropped below 200 bpm, but after lunch, until the very end, I don't think it ever got higher than 60 bpm. After lunch, you're no longer on the Upper Gauley. Now you're on the Middle Gauley, and it's pretty calm until the very end when there is one last rapid right before you pull out for the day.

It's not a Class V, but it does have this big a$$ rock right at the end that will clear your sinuses if you hit it, and I was pretty sure we were going to until the very last second when we got clear of it.

It's called Woods Ferry. Julie's Juicer is what they call the hole behind the rock and I'm glad John kept us out of that as well.

So that was the trip. Check that one off the list. No more big adventures planned for 2011 other than climbing Old Rag in a few weeks. Don't worry though. I'm sure we'll ad lib something.

For anyone who needs some calming after this blog, check out the cool swag I got on the way down to the river:

Yummy squishy Malabrigo.

Some fun sock yarn - you knit the leg and foot in the blue and gold and the heel and toe in the black. Kewl, huh?

Some yarn for my Secret Santa Recipient's present. I'm making her Fairy Castle's to store her Double Pointed Needles (DPN's) and Crochet Hooks.

Here's what the Fairy Castles look like. What you can't see is you can store needles and hooks in them. They're way cool.

and, last, but never least, some loverly stitch markers. I can never have too many. Hint Hint.  

And for those of you who have gone too long without a shot of a hot man...

Until next time.

Steeler Nation

Well, SigO and I went to see the Steelers play at their first home game this year. The Steelers shut out the Seahawks 24-0. Our seats were outstanding. The weather was perfect. The city was lovely. The food was...well, memorable.
We arrived around 3PM Saturday. I got plenty of knitting done on the way as SigO did all the driving - as usual. Ain't he great? The hotel recommended we try out Pirmanti Bros for lunch.

I've had sandwiches served with coleslaw on top, but that's the first time I've ever had one with both cole slaw and french fries. Even though we picked our fries out of the sandwich, the grease was already well entrenched. Definitely a new experience. And the SigO let me fall for the waiter's recommendation for beer: Iron City Light. Blech. Pure Swill. I'm glad we got to try out this Pittsburgh staple, but I think I'll pick somewhere else next time.

After lunch, we walked around the city for a while, heading over to see the stadium from the water's edge.

The stadium may not be good at keeping in noise due to the construction, but it really is a beautiful stadium. I'm doing my part, helping out the Steelers with what I'm sure would have been a stellar pass had I had a football.

After that, we went to Carnegie Science Museum and played on all the exhibits. The second floor is the best as it has this incredible train set as well as a Robot Hall of Fame. We took our own pictures with our favorite robots,

and then had them taken for us as well.

We went over to the sports center section, but it was still pretty crowded, and I wasn't really dressed for climbing the wall. LOML and I did race, but he's a complete cheater and started before the bell. On our walk back to the hotel, we were treated to this spectacular sunset.

The sky got more and more beautiful as we stood and watched.

Dinner was much nicer than lunch - at Lidia's. We split an Insalate Caprese salad that had four different types of tomatoes, all tasting as if they'd been grown in someone's personal garden. Then we had ravioli stuffed with boars meat that had been prepared with oranges. The ravioli had a rosemary butter sauce drizzled on top. Very yummy, especially paired with a Sauvignon Blanc. Our waiter's suggestion. I would have never thought to pair a white wine with boars meat, but it was a really nice pick and overall a great dinner.

And then, the next day, on to the game with our fabulous seats.

I really enjoyed getting to watch the entire game from my own perspective instead of being forced to watch it from the camera-man's perspective. For example, what on earth is Emmanuel Sanders doing here?

Also the game seems to fly by much faster in person. I was somewhat surprised when it was already over before 4PM. I even got a terrible towel while I was there.

SigO had such a fun time, we may make a tradition of this. My only disappointment? We didn't have time to visit a yarn shop.
Oh well, I bet I get it next time.

Postscript

Forgot to mention that after our harrowing climb, we went for a swim in this great little swimming hole.

Then we went home and soaked in the jacuzzi while the rain poured down on us. A perfect ending to a great weekend.

Seneca Rocks

Not a place for the faint of heart.
Need I say more?
Yes?
Fine.
Here's where we climbed up.
Here's where our guide thought he was going to take us next.
I don't think so.
Here's where we went right back down.And here's where we went the rest of the way down.Nuff said?
Good.

Acadia 2011

A quick and dirty post about the entire vacation. Lots of pictures.
1. We flew instead of driving! Hooray!!! Boy, what a difference that made. Plus found a new tradition - first morning in Maine - breakfast at Dysarts Truck Stop. REALLY good breakfast!
2. Looking for an easy, but new hike on Saturday, we hiked around Eagle Lake.

Well, not all the way around - that would be a long, long hike. But partway around and then back via the Carriage Trail. It was really less a hike and more an exploration

with stops to play in the water

or stare at things in the water.

3. Sunday, we finally did a trail SigO has wanted to do for a very long time - up to the top of Pemetic

and down around Jordan pond.

Met a really fun family on that hike. Those parents had their hands full with those four kids - three boys and one girl, but only one handful - Matthew with the long curly hair. By the end of the hike, Doug, Matthew's dad, was holding him high above his head in what he termed "the dead man's carry" - Matthew squirming the whole way. No pics of the family - to spare the innocent - and not so innocent.
4. Monday we hiked Jordan cliffs

- a new favorite after last year

with me convinced the heavens were going to open up and we were going to plummet to our deaths on slippery rocks. We never got more than a mild sprinkle. This year, instead of heading back via Jordan Pond, we climbed up higher

and came back over the top of the Penobscot mountain ridge.

Much prettier. Found this secluded little marsh at the top of the mountain.

A marsh at the top of a mountain! Weird, huh - but pretty - and zen.

H-boo picked so many blueberries her lips turned blue. I had planned on sending this to her Mom with a note saying "breathe! breathe!"

But kinder, gentler me prevailed - a rarity, I assure you.
5. Tuesday it rained like we had thought it would on Monday. So, we took on another easy hike

up and over the Gorham Mountain and back along the shoreline. Then we hunkered down in Bar Harbor to stay dry.
6. Wednesday --- duhn duhn duhn!! The Precipice.

All three of us took this on. Me with my messed up hamstring. LOML with his inner-ear problems

and H-Boo with her all too keen awareness of mortality

(I learned to dismiss that silly nagging "you're gonna die, you're gonna die, you're gonna die" voice years ago). Note to self: Never hike the precipice the day after a rain storm - lots of wet, slippery life-threatening sections, way more life-threatening than when it's dry. Still - as always - the sense of accomplishment at the top is worth the climb.

For me, anyway - not sure H-Boo would agree with that statement. But I know she was happy to be at the top - especially with these views.

My favorite line when we came to a particularly difficult and treacherous path: "Oh! Touché mountain!"
7. Thursday we got to hike with our Maine friend - Michelle

up the Beehive

which H-Boo used to think was scarey - until the Precipice. Michelle scampered up and over like a billy goat - you can tell she's hiked that mountain about 1,000 times. Thursday afternoon we tried another new hike - on the Quiet Side of the Island. We walked for a very long time with me mumbling and moaning bout the "boredom" of the hike (boy do you get spoiled in Maine, let me tell you!) when we finally came out on some beautiful views.

Plus, the views lasted for a while longer as we came back around the other side of the mountain.

8. Friday we hiked Great Head (get your mind out of the gutter - it's the name of the mountain), which we've done every year for three years now - easy hike - beautiful views

and you get to play on the rocks next to the surf without all the crowds.

That afternoon, we went to the Northeast side of the island to check out Asticou Gardens. they had a sand garden,

some really crazy plants,

and very pretty views,

but the gardens weren't quite big enough to fill the rest of our day, so Friday was another easy day - spent hanging out on the veranda of our B&B - with its great views.
We met a lot of great people out there - late at night. We also got to spend more time with Michelle and Dan. It's never long enough, because...
9. All good things must come to an end. Saturday: Last Day. We hiked Jordan Stream

a nice little hike where I went ballistic taking pictures of all sorts of mushrooms - I'll spare you the enormity of it, but here's a small sampling.

It was sad when it was over, but, another week of good memories.