Snake River Whitewater Rafting

The big day was yesterday for our annual whitewater rafting trip on the Snake River. We tried to remember the things we did last year as far as preparation, and we came pretty close. We both wore bathing suits under our clothes, put on sunscreen and planned to leave everything except a change of clothes in the truck once we arrived at the location where we were to take the bus.

Dave Hansen is generally recognized as one of, if not the top, whitewater rafting outfitter in Jackson. It was the same company that we used last year and is the one that "comped" our trip, valued at $160 for the two of us to take the 8 mile journey down the river.

We arrived at Hansen's at 10:15 in time to get signed up, get our wetsuits and booties, and have a cup of coffee before departing at 10:45:

We passed by the lodge on the way to the drop-off on the river that was south of town. Here is a shot taken through the dirty window on the bus:

We had to leave our valuables on the bus while doing the trip which meant we had to leave the camera  and weren't aren't able to get any actual shots of the whitewater float. It's too bad, as it was an exciting trip, similar to last year. We saw several bald eagles and osprey on the trip and also spotted an otter along the banks of the river. The weather was absolutely perfect - a high of 87 and cloudless sky - and the rapids did not disappoint. I sat next to an elderly woman that was holding on to me through each of the rapids so that it was difficult for me to paddle along with the other rowers through the rapids. We selected two photos from the bunch that were taken of us this year and when I post those pictures tomorrow, you will see how the woman was holding onto my arm.

The river was probably as fast or faster than last year and we had just as good a time this year. Our crowd was smaller on this year's boat, so we had a more intimate experience as far as learning everybody's background and having conversation on the boat and on the bus.

Josie and I went to the New York Sub Shop that was a couple doors away from Hansen's and splurged on a couple Philly Cheese Steaks - umm, good!:

You may recall that we have eaten here in the past and still enjoy an occasional reminder of how good they are.

What a great day. We came home and washed the truck before sitting out in the beautiful sunshine to enjoy the rest of the day.

The weather is again beautiful today and we were deciding between several activities -  a bike ride, a hike or a drive to a town that we hadn't been to yet, Daniel, that is close to Pinedale south of Jackson Before we do anything, we will pick up our photos from yesterday's whitewater trip...