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Whitewater Rafting
By Lucy Derbyshire
Whitewater is what you see when going down the river in turbulent rapids. It is air trapped in the water that makes the water opaque. The riverbed causes the water to crash on rocks, fluctuations in the soil, or other obstructions, creating the frothy white-appearing waves.
The sport of rafting is popular for all ages of people. The oldest woman is 96, Hazel Amos, who lives in Surrey, England. And the two youngest rafters are Azalea and Wylie Burnham, ages 10 and 8, who raft in the Tahoe-Reno area on a beginner’s river.
If you have never done it, try it. I hope to try it at 78, and a gal in my writing group says she is going to do it. We were discussing it several weeks ago. So I decided to find out more about it.
One beginner says about 80% of the way she never saw any whitewater. She and her husband went to Clear Creek in Colorado after her mother-in-law googled that as being a good ride for beginners. My sister tried it once and her hand hit a rock when she had it outside the raft. A co-worker nurse of mine in Houston loved doing it and that was when I really was thinking of trying it.
The lady who went to Clear Creek said you need to wear quick-drying clothes plus carry clothes for “just-in-case.” She said she needed a hot day and plenty of suntan lotion and water. She made the mistake of wearing tennis shoes and socks on her first trip and they got soaking wet. Wetsuit booties are good. Barefoot works. Water shoes dry fast. Be sure to pack dry shoes and socks for when you are done.
Whitewater rafting is similar to other adventurous sports as far as how many people die. It is about 29 in a million that try it. If you fall out, swim back as quickly as you can. Foot injuries are the most common problem. To buy your own raft, plan to pay $599 to $4,995. One for sale was 12 feet long and 5 feet 3 inches wide.
April to June is the “early season” for experienced rafters. They get the excitement of really good rides. June to August is the “summer season” for beginners and older experienced rafters. “Late summer season” is September to October and really good for beginner rafters in Tahoe-Reno because the scenery between whitewater is terrific.
Three Rivers Whitewater Rafting has been in business for 25+ years with a 4.9-star rating. It is located in West Forks, Maine. And Kennebec Whitewater Rafting has been in business for over 40 years and has 4.7 stars. It is located in Bingham, Maine. It costs anywhere from $212 to $336 for the package of lodging and
The Endeavor
By Laura Lee Perkins
The cold salt spray stung my face, keeping me awake. This 60-degree ocean is no place to be without a wetsuit on. How did this happen?
Heading back home alone after a day on the water, I enjoyed listening to the luffing of the sails. Close to rounding the rocky point, I decided to drop the mainsail and enter the harbor using just the smaller jib.
As I untied the mainsail ropes, a gust of wind came up out of nowhere. Clinging to the loosened ropes, I slid to the deck as the sloop suddenly veered toward the rocky outcrop of granite, towering 50 feet above the ocean. Worried, I struggled to my feet just as the mainsail collapsed onto the deck, burying me.
The Endeavor was usually so easy to handle at the end of the day when calmness settled in over the bay. Yes, I had to round Rocky Point, but using just the jib should glide us in. I was wrong, I surmised, while freeing myself from this heavy cocoon.
Suddenly, the hull of my 28-foot wooden sailboat began scraping the ocean floor. Bad sound. Now what? As the craft ground to a halt, a thundering crack announced the hull was ripping open. Racing down the galley steps, I saw water gushing through a huge tear in front of the rudder. Nothing can plug that hole.
The Endeavor began to list toward the granite cliff as I raced back up the stairs. She rolled about 30 degrees as I slid toward the stern on the mahogany deck. Grabbing for anything to stabilize myself, I saw the life raft rope dangling near my left arm. With every bit of strength in me, I grabbed the rope and untied it. Just as the ship twisted and groaned, the rising tide shoved it deeper onto the rocks as I slipped into the ocean.
Hang on to that rope. Don’t let go. Hand over hand I moved along the rope, making it to the life raft. I climbed inside just as a wave drove the raft toward the wreckage. No time for a wetsuit and I don’t have my phone. Get the raft away from the rocks.
I found the oars strapped inside and gripped them tightly as I lowered them into the water. After the next wave broke, I was able to paddle out beyond the breaking waves. The sun had set. I saw no lights and no other boats.
It’s so cold. Will anyone come looking for me when I don’t return? The harbormaster might notify the U.S. Coast Guard that The Endeavor is missing. It’s almost high tide. When the tide turns, I’ll drift further out to sea.
Tiring, my hope of rescue began to wane. Fog settled in. The Endeavor vanished from sight. Silence ruled. The sea swells subsided. Suddenly, I remembered a compass had come with the raft. I found the pocket; inside was a small brass compass. Opening the cover, the face illuminated! Now I paddled west, toward land, through pea-soup fog. My arms ached. The salt spray was freezing cold. Water began to come into the raft, slapping against my soaking wet shoes. My cold hands throbbed in pain. Just when I didn’t know how much longer I could go on, I saw a light through the fog. Is it a mirage? Then I saw a second light and finally a third, moving up high, above the water. Am I hallucinating?
I heard what sounded like men’s voices, yelling. I tried to answer, but the salt spray made my efforts sound like raspy whispers. I banged the two oars together, loudly, over and over.
The search party, perched on the cliff above the wrecked Endeavor, picked up the sound. “Is that you, Brendan? The Coast Guard is on the way.”
Those search lights on their hats saved my life. Although The Endeavor couldn’t be rescued, I was.
Pondering Thoughts About Improved Technology and the Future
By Alene Staley
As you may have heard, I recently replaced my cell phone, which then necessitated the purchase of a new case for the phone. I remember how flip phones did not need cases or screen protectors. And I’m sure in early cell phone days phones were allowed to be ‘au naturel’ without cases at all. I tried to find a case for my new phone. I bought one that I thought would work, but I was wrong. It seems that the dimensions of each phone are slightly different from all other phones.
I ordered a phone case online and it arrived. Of course, in this modern age it came with no instructions except for a link to a website. My problem was I could not figure out how to open the case to take out the small styrofoam insert. I followed the website link. Nothing on the website gave me a clue. I used the chat feature to ask the question. After about five minutes, I was notified that they would answer my question in 12 hours. I put my thinking cap on, contemplated the case for a while, and finally figured it out for myself. I am happy to say I had no trouble attaching the case to my new phone. The next day I received an answer from the website, which contained only a link to the original website. This experience caused me to wonder how much progress is actually being made as we engage more and more with technology.
Do you remember when phones were wired to the wall and were owned by the telephone company that was a monopoly? The telephone company conveniently located pay phones so that people away from home could make calls. If you wanted to send a message to someone, you sent a letter or a postcard and the recipient would be happy to receive it and would be likely to respond. If you called someone who did not answer, you simply waited to call back at another time. If you called a business or an office, you spoke to a person who would be polite.
Have we really experienced an improvement or not? I think that is worth pondering. And particularly today when artificial intelligence is a reality, it truly is something we must examine. Some of the technology changes have been necessitated by growing populations and have made modern life possible. These changes have brought improvement for humanity but often at a significant cost and with suffering and damage to the environment. I think the development of artificial intelligence is inevitable. I hope good will prevail and that negative consequences will be managed to limit harm and suffering and with kindness and respect.
