Rafting - Sep 2005
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Summer, 2005  Ryan, Chris and I drove over to West Virginia to do some whitewater rafting at New River Gorge National River.  Weather was perfect for camping.

Click on any picture to enlarge (best viewed in 1024 x 768):

           

 Ryan volunteered to                 Base camp at                 The night we arrived this       View from the
do most of the driving.        Ace Adventure Center         huge spider had set up his      bottom.  Almost
 I enjoyed being the                                                        web at the front of           looks like a face!
passenger for a change.                                                            our tent.

           

   Ryan checking out the            We decided to check out some of the         WV Miners had to chisel
 spider.  I know Chris was       local sites including a mine ride down into      and blast through solid
 tempted to push him into            an old coal mine in Beckley, WV.                rock just to reach the
          that web!                                                                                             layer of Coal.

       

Miners would fill a one    Our mine guide                             Typical Miner Quarters    Then we drove up to the
  or two ton coal car      had been a miner                              Yes, that's the whole       New River Gorge Bridge
  which was pulled to     for many decades.                                        house.                 to look over the river we
 the surface by mule    Miners live a tough                                                                  we would be rafting down
                                            life
           
   New River Gorge          Ryan and Chris in       This is whitewater?!?  Why         But rafting would wait until
                                          a rare smile                  when I was young ...          tomorrow morning, so it was off
                                                                                                                  to exciting "Mystery Hole" where
                                                                                                                   the Laws of Gravity don't apply!

        

           Spoooooky !                  I should have replaced     Hawks Nest State Park    "Don't let go        Chris starts
                                                 those old brakes!          "Come on up, the view     Ryan! "  I always   down the trail
                                                                                            is great!"              give useful advice
                                                                                                                             like that.

               

 Wild Frontiersman?        Was it a           No idea.  We just          Ed trying to smile      Sure you made
nah ... just a city boy      mistake for     like the spikes on him        and pretend this       it up there, but
       on a rock                Chris to be                                             hike isn't killing       how ya going to
                                  this trusting?!?                                                him                      get down?

               

The next morning we       Don't believe that      Ed in back.  Chris is    And this was a fraction       Ryan looks on as
 started rafting down     look of confidence   looking into the camera   of a second later. Ryan       his brother gets
 the New River. Chris                                      and doesn't see the          is slammed with           hammered by rapids
grabs an oar and leads                                      wave coming over          whitewater and Chris
   us down the river                                          front of the raft           about to get a dose

           

 This is my favorite      This is one second       There is a 20 foot tall      Chris gets ready to     Our raft mates: Laura
pic. Notice how we are          later                 boulder called swimmers       take the leap                 and Sierra
all laughing ... except                                     rock that you can jump
Ryan & Chris who see                                     off into the River. In a
  what is about to                                            moment of temporary
       hit them                                                  insanity, Ryan does a
                                                                       flip from the top

 

     Last Updated: Sunday, February 15, 2009 - 8:30 p.m. EST