Wednesday, July 21st

We had actually set the alarm this morning so we would have time to score our free breakfast before getting to the Wyoming River Raft company headquarters in time for our nine o'clock float. Good thing! I was checking my mail and Facebook when I got an IM from a good friend - odd, I thought, since we aren't Facebook friends. She said she had been mugged in London...blah, blah, blah....and needed money. At first I was really worried for her because I know this friend has been traveling and I wasn't sure where she would be right now. Could be London! Then I started thinking and I asked her where her husband was....no response, just a statement that she was freaked out. I asked her to tell me something specific so I would know it was really she. Again, more stuff about how if it weren't she then she wouldn't be able to collect the money from Western Union. So I asked her who Harry was. She got that one right (lucky guess, probably based on the law of averages) but failed miserably at the "where does he work" question. I told her "nice try - go prey on someone else" but I kept replaying the whole exchange to be sure that I hadn't left a good friend stranded in London!! What a way to start a day!

That out of the way we went up front for hard-boiled eggs and English muffins and juice - and a banana for later - and came back to collect our gear for our whitewater adventure!

We were scheduled to arrive at 8:45 and made it with a whole minute to spare! We were offered water-proof jackets if we wanted them, with the understanding that as it warmed up they would become our own personal saunas! We declined those but the life jackets are mandatory - like I would go without one anyway!

There were two busses, one for the five-milers and one for us, the twelve-milers. We bumped our way down to the launch site with the rafts on a trailer behind us. It takes four people to carry the rafts down to the Shoshone River and at the end they are pushed down a slide to the water. Then we all climbed down the 23 steps to join them and to climb into our respective water craft.

Daniel is our river guide. He is nineteen and a sophomore at North Dakota State University majoring in mechanical engineering. He'll be going back in a few weeks to get settled in as an RA. He's been in Cody for ten years and had 156 in his high school graduating class. Don't even ask how come I know all this!

The trip was remarkable! The canyon is cut through a red sandstone called the Chugwater Formation and the color is outstanding. Daniel also points out other geologic features like the conglomerate above it and an angular unconformity, as well as the limestone along the top. He tells us stories about the area, pointing out the railroad bridge that was built by Buffalo Bill to bring people to his hotel and points to a cliff, asking if we've seen the movie, "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid". When we say, "Yes", he asks if we remember the cliff they jump off at the end. Again, "Yes". "Well", he says, "that's not it!" But we're approaching Sundance Kid Rapid.

Everyone on the outside paddles, which means all but two of us, and we all follow Daniel's directions perfectly. At one point one side paddles forward and the other paddles backward so that we are in "The Spin Cycle"! We go over not one but two falls! We are told to paddle toward it and then, on command, to grab the safety line and huddle toward the center of the raft. We do as we're told and a huge wave washes over the entire raft!

The second falls is not supposed to be as big - but it is sudden and I slip right off the seat and wind up in the bottom of the raft! It is so much fun! Really!!

There is a decrepit little structure on the bank and Daniel tells us it used to be a hot-chocolate stand. Tom Custer had a whole chain of them, and this is his last stand. And he didn't even blush! Or at least I don't think so; he's in the back of the raft, after all, so he can steer us away from trouble!

There are a couple of black angus on the bank and Daniel tells us they are slow-moving elk and the orange tags are in their ears because they are endangered. He says they taste a lot like beef, although he's never had any, with them being endangered and all!

We feel sorry for the two people in the front of our raft. They are only five-milers and have to be put off along the way. We are so glad that we still have seven miles of heaven to go! When the river is peaceful you can hear the birds singing. Along the way we see three hawks (HEY - I was the first person to spot one of them, without my glasses!) and a lone deer by the water's edge. A little further down there is a family of four deer, with a spotted fawn in the middle of the group. We only have our waterproof disposable cameras and it is so frustrating! Still, trust me, there is one behind the sun flare! We see lots and lots of cliff swallows. They build their nests along the cliffs (go figure) out of mud and river water. We also see an osprey nest and an abandoned eagle eyrie. Apparently they lost their mortgage, with it being river front property and all.

We see a bridge to our right, the Golden Gate of Palatine (?). It is used to carry water - but it IS golden in color!

When we come to Last Chance rapids, no one volunteers to get wet, so Daniel is pretty sure no one will want to go swimming in the swimming hole. We figure the water is just above freezing, though I'm sure that's an exaggeration. Still, there are no takers! We've each had our turn at getting splashed and soaked, although to be honest I think my side of the raft got off a bit easier than Marilyn's! She certainly thinks so!

Too soon it is time to disembark and climb back into our bus for the ride back to our cars. When we arrive we each receive a certificate designating us a survivors of the Shoshone River rapids that we can show to "all our woosie friends"! We also purchase a 5x7 of our raft full of survivors; they will also email us a copy! Here's a picture of Daniel and his cohorts (thanks, Marilyn!) and one of Sarah who talked us into the nine o'clock trip.

We head back to our motel to change into dry clothes and drop off our cameras at Walgreens. They will give us a set of prints and a CD so we can see what we can do to improve them, and so we can swap with each other. While there we reprovision and also stop next door at the Libations store. Then it is on to lunch at the Sunset House again. Why mess with a good thing?!
Marilyn has a huge burger and I have a sandwich called the Sweet Orange Surprise! It is built on a croisant and has cream cheese mixed with orange marmalade and pecans pieces overlain by turkey, cranberry sauce and lettuce. It is to die for!

After filling our tummies, we go off to take pictures of the Irma Hotel, "Buffalo Bill's Original Hotel" and Cassie's. Let me tell you about Cassie's. When we were shopping yesterday at the Buffalo Bill's Village Gift Shop, Judy told us that the place used to be a pharmacy which is where the beautiful old glass-faced cabinets came from. Before that, though, it was a brothel with the rooms upstairs. When the town opened a school nearby they asked the girls to move and the site they chose was Cassie's. Today is appears to be a steak house and bar.

We also want to check out the old frontier town at the edge of Cody, between the rodeo arena and the cowbow dinner theater. It is getting more windy and dusty and cold, so we decide to postpone this outdoor experience until tomorrow morning, on our way out of town. We do grab a couple of shots of some of the beautiful outdoor sculptures that are found all over town.

We're beat. This will be an early night with time to blog and play with our photos and still get an early start in the morning. Sure glad we weren't on the one o'clock raft trip!