danger and white water on the Chama

and more from July 2017

it seemed like a great idea at the time -

take a professional raft trip on the Chama

(our local river)

just to see what the river was like

and then we could bring our kayaks when we wanted

and go down ourselves

we met at Bode's store in Abiquiu at 9 am

we all got in the bus and headed north

above the damn to the wild and scenic designated

part of the river

the road coming in was one lane, cliff hanging

dirt, serpentine curves that crept along the Chama canyon

- we made it to the put in

Saba (whom I have known since she was a kid)

and the girls were visiting and totally up for it

it didn't look too bad

everyone in the raft

the scenery was so strikingly beautiful

my camera does not do it justice

my photo....

this is a photo from the internet....

we stop for lunch

notice the dark clouds

well it rains for about 20 minutes 

and we just have to stand there getting soaked

we did get lunch and dried out a bit

after lunch it rained on us in the rafts 

for about an hour

oh yeah we were wet and cold by then

then this happened

I fell out in a big rapid that looked like this....

(except it was overcast and dark)

first the water is really cold

and muddy - you can't see the rocks

I was about to freak out when Saba handed me the handle

end of a paddle

which I grabbed on the second try

good thing as the river was taking me away from the boat fast

I didn't say help - I said hurry

and they did, she and Willi dragged me back in

THANK-YOU 

it seems too small a word

for saving my life!!

of course we still had a ways to go to the put-out

it had rained so much the day before and that day

that a flash flood and huge storm was following us

and the clay washing off the mountains

gave the river that color, not normally like that

this is Wendy the best guide ever

she was so capable we weren't worried - much

moral of the story -

I am never, ever going on that river without a guide

and Saba.....

-------------------------------

things from July

xxoo 

and so we met the alligator wrestler....

let me back up a little in the story

this is the entrance to the kids new place

5 acres, house and pond

on the other side of this road that runs for about 5 miles is

a big waterway ditch

where alligators are often spotted

when we saw an alligator in their pond

we called the alligator wrestler/trapper folks

they came right out

and gave us some good information about alligators

for one - our pond was too small for one to stay around

so we are standing there next to his truck talking and he is telling me

how he learned from his dad - wrestling gators since he was a kid

a rare skill I agreed

then he says he didn't find one in the pond but

the day was not wasted as he had 2 in the truck

I jumped back 5 feet all at once

and really looked at the truck

who knew that when you did get brave and go closer

they hissed and growled??

he said they catch them live but take them to their factory? 

(is that what you would call it....)

anyway he said then we euthanize (kill) them and

some people don't like that that is why we take them live

they use every part, the skin, the meat....

I saw alligator pasta on the menu the other day...

they get a few permits from the state to take out nuisance gators

(like what isn't a nuisance gator.....) anyway

one or 2 less gators in the neighborhood 

I told him I could live with that.....

AND

other interesting stuff from June 2017

xxoo