Last Day

For any Logan's Run fans out there - "Last Day, Capricorn 29's. Year of the City: 2274. Carousel begins."

And I think the SigO would swear he was on a carousel - a really, really fast one - similar to the spin cycle in a washing machine.

It couldn't have begun any more idyllic. The weather was gorgeous. The river was beautiful,

and once again, we got the guide we both wanted: Bruno.

Bruno promised a great ride, and to make it even better, the only people who would be on the river would be our little excursion company. That probably doesn't resonate that strongly for anyone who has never done the New River, or the American River, at the height of season - basically, pick your favorite traffic jam and apply it to white water rafting and you have these rivers. The Cheat River isn't nearly as commercial. The rapids on the Cheat are II - IV (with the IV being closer to a III), but they come one right after the other, as opposed to long stretches of flat water. Don't get me wrong, I still love the New River, but the Cheat is just as fun, and much closer.

To top things off, the SigO and I had Bruno all to ourselves in a small little raft.

Pro: We got along great and laughed all the way down the river.

Con: We rode very high in the water as we were so few. Result:

That's my head and Bruno's head next to the raft. The SigO was in the spin cycle under the raft, trying desperately to get out. When he finally did, he looks around and can't see me anywhere. Naturally, he assumes I'm going thru the same craziness he just survived and immediately begins to fear for the worst. The river guides are probably still poking fun at the guy who kept screaming out "Jo! Jo!! Jo!!!" Poor guy. Little did he know I was floating along on the other side of the raft, enjoying the cold water (felt great on the knee), waiting for Bruno to flip the raft over. Not a care in the world. I knew the SigO was big and strong and would fare fine. I admit to a moment's worry when Bruno got the raft flipped and I was pulled in and still no sign of my honey. Of course, he was hanging out, waiting his turn to be pulled on. So, see, I was right. Big. Strong. Hunky. But I digress.

The rest of the river was still a fun ride,

but nothing as crazy as "Calamity Rock", where we got to go for our little swim.

Another great part of that excursion was one of the ladies in the other group - who was "Very Scared". So scared, she had a few tears in her eyes prior to taking off. You can barely see her in this picture, she's in the back, on the right side of the boat,but trust me, at the end of the trip, she was smiling big.

You'd think we'd be hard pressed to find entertainment to match that incredible morning, but this is Canaan Valley - there's never a shortage of fun and beauty. So, after luch, we went on an adventure, trying to find a trail Bruno recommended for a nice hike. Otter Creek National Forest. In all honesty, the hike was beautiful, what with the suspension bridge,

and winding river,but really, the drive along River Road was beyond compare. The mountains in the background.

The hilltops that look right out of Scotland,

and the water sparkling off the river.

Not to mention the barns!!!

Can't be beat!

Finally, since this blog is supposed to be at least a little bit about knitting - I finished my MaggiKnits jacket.

Love, Love, Love it!! I need to start knitting with wool a LOT more.

Sharp Rock Spring Fest this Saturday.

Vintage Virginia this Sunday.

Oh, and I plan to squeeze in a trip to Fiber Space on Saturday to check out the new "techno" yarn from Blue Sky Alpaca. Baby Alpaca, Merino, and Silk. It looks way yummy. Plus: "baby alpaca is blown into a mesh tube of silk for really fast knitting with virtually no splitting." Doesn't that sound awesome? And I love the neon colors. No idea whatsoever what I'm going to do with it, but that's beyond the point, right?