You're all wet! So am I.

For the second summer in a row my son and I (along with some friends) decided to do some rafting while on our  motorcycle trip.  Last summer we rafted out of Pagosa Springs, CO.  During our trip to Yellowstone National Park we decided to raft out of Gardiner, MT on the Yellowstone River.

Gardiner is right outside the famed north gateway to the Yellowstone National Park known as the Roosevelt Arch that was dedicated by President Theodore Roosevelt on April 24, 1903.

We stopped for pictures at the famous arch on our way back to camp.

There were four rafting companies each offering full and half day trips.  After doing some research and reading different reviews I chose the Yellowstone Raft Company.  We opted for the 1/2 day trip.  Four of us, including my son and I, got up early and got in a great hike to Osprey Falls prior to our afternoon rafting experience.

We met the rest of our group at the Yellowstone Raft Company store in the afternoon.  We changed into appropriate clothes, picked up our life jackets, and were briefed about the trip.  We loaded up in the vans and rode to the launching locations only about a 1/4 mile from the store.  We carried the rafts to the river and began the wet and wild adventure.  Since there were eight of us in our group and another couple we split up with five in each raft along with our guides.

Raft #1 had five from our group and a guide.

Raft #2 - my son is manning the front right of the raft and getting really wet!

Both of our guides were friendly, funny, and knowledgeable.  They pointed out different mountains, plants, and geological features, including Devil's Slide.  Our guide had a great sense of humor and kept us laughing.  He would skillfully steer the raft toward the biggest waves ensuring maximum splashes.

Preparing for a big wave.

The other group also had some big splashes.

During one stretch of the river the water was pretty calm, but still flowing at a good rate.  Anyone that wanted to was welcome to go swimming or float along side the raft.  That mountain water is a little chilly so I stayed in the raft, but some jumped in.

To the south we could see Joseph Peak and Gray Peak of the Gallatin Range in YNP.  The views were awesome.  We saw birds, but no mammals.  The river was flowing at a good rate so there was plenty of excitement.  Overall it was a much "wetter" adventure than our rafting trip in 2009.

If you are visiting YNP or that area and you want to do some rafting I would check out the Yellowstone Rafting Company.  They did a great job - we had fun, got wet, learned about the area, and we were kept safe.  What more could you want?

Our first rafting trip.

For a few years I had wanted to do some rafting, but I was concerned my son was too young.  However, while planning my summer motorcycle trip (June 2009) to Colorado, with my son (12 at the time) and some other men, I decided we would take a 1/2 day rafting trip.

I found Pagosa Outside Adventures (POA) while searching online for rafting in the Pagosa Springs area.  I was greatly impressed with the friendliness and helpfulness of the personal when I called several months ahead of time to get information. I decided to go with POA and booked our trip.

When we arrived at 12:30 on our scheduled day, we were met with smiles, laughter, and energy.  The entire staff seemed excited about the trip, a trip I am sure by then they had already taken many times.  Since none of us had ever been rafting we had questions and each question was enthusiastically answered.

After everyone had the appropriate gear, we loaded the POA van and head to the launching point which was directly behind the Malt Shoppe (great place - maybe discuss in a later post).  The rules and procedures were given in a humorus yet understandable way (Photos by "Birdcage"). 

Six rafts were launch and the fun began.  The river began smooth and cold.  The trip took us through parts of the town and right by the Springs Resort & Spa, a luxury hotel that features natual hot springs.  We continued down the river and out of the town where we got to experience some level 2-3 rapids. 

We difted beside steep granite walls and mountain forests.  We saw bald eagles looking for food and we rafted by a site used during the filming of the John Wayne classic The Cowboys.  At about the 1/2 way point the rafts pulled over and we had time for a snack and necessary break.

Once back on the river the speed picked up.  We experience some whitewater, but it was never too big or too rough.  The scenery was great and there was some fun-loving splashing wars between the rafts. Our guide was very experienced and knowledgeble.  He added a lot to the experience with his commentary and humor.  (Photo by "Loose Wheel" Grant)

When we landed we all helped load the equipment back on the trailers.  On our ride back into town we saw a black bear, but none of us got a picture.  The bear ran once the vans got close.

This was a great experience and has motivated me to go rafting again.  Next time I am in the Pagosa Springs area I will be planning a full day trip with POA.  Give it a try, you will have a blast.

Ft. Parker - near Mexia, Texas

Getting away from the Dallas/Ft. Worth metromess is always a treat.  It is great to get away from the traffic, the noise, the air pollution, and the light pollution.  Texas has many great places away from the big metropolitan centers to visit.  One such place is a small historic Fort Parker State Park just south of Mexia, Texas.  - Map

Fort Parker State Park is one of two area historic sites connected to the 1836 abduction of Cynthia Ann Parker, mother of the last Commanche Chief Quannah Parker.  The other site is the Old Fort Parker Historic Preservation.

The state park has 750+ acres of land and a 700 acre lake on the Navasota River.  The heavily wooded area is home to a variety of wildlife including raccoon, opossum, deer, coyote, squirrel, and a wide range of birds.  The lake is a popular site for canoeing and fishing.

Most campsites are shaded and many are heavily wooded on at least one side.  The park is away from the state highway so it is a quite campground.  We set up our camp on site 12.  It had a nice flat area for the tent, a fire ring, and a picnic table.  The showers were about 100 yards from the site and the pier was about the same distance.

We enjoyed two nights of fine campfire cooked food, quite evenings around the fire, and unobstructed views of the stars (we had to walk out from under the trees, but there was no noticeable light pollution).  On the second day camping out we visited the Old Fort Parker Historic Preservation in the morning and in the afternoon we went on a short hike in the park.

After breakfast we drove 3.7 miles to the Preservation (map).  The Old Fort Parker Historic Preservation is a 37.5 acre park that was rebuilt in 1967 by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).  This is the actual site of the abduction of Cynthia Parker.  We visited the visitor center and gift shop after touring the fort and viewing the cabins.  When touring the fort we were able to climb the blockhouse and look over the top of the fort walls.  It was quite enlightening to see how the fort was constructed and how the defenses were arranged.  My son and his friend really enjoyed it.

Once back at the park the boys, my friend, and I decided to go on the short hike to the Fort Parker Lake spillway.  The Springfield Trail Loop was about 3miles.  The trial winded through the forest tracing the northeast end of the lake.  There was not much change in elevation.  There were two different piers we walked out on to view the waterfowl and the lake.  Once at the east end of the lake we viewed the spillway and then proceeded to the end of the trail where there is a natural spring.  We backtracked for about 0.2 miles and then the loop took us north and away from the lake.  We crossed fields with wildflowers and Texas shrubs.  We did notice deer tracks, but saw no deer.  The loop took us to the Springfield Cemetery where there are some very old graves, including soldiers from the Civil War.  The trail then continues back to the trailhead.

The park is very simple, but a nice place to get away and get outdoors.  I highly recommend Fort Parker State Park for a good camping experience.