Today our main goal was to raft down the Deschutes River. In preparation, I picked up the rafts and scouted the route by bike. We’d leave the car at the bridge and my bike somewhere along the river, somewhere that made sense. We could get out at the marina, the footbridge, circle 7, or maybe even above the waterfall. I figured we’d make it to the footbridge, so rode my bike there and had the rest of the family pick me up on the way to the bridge.

Everyone else packed water bottles, sunscreen, pretzels, and watermelon, and made sandwiches to eat somewhere along the way.

Suzi and Jamison were lagging after a short stop, so the rest of us paddled near shore and got caught in an eddy. Imagine our surprise to discover (or be discovered by) friends Darren and Kim also vacationing from the Portland area. We ate our sandwiches while Darren and Jamison played MacGyver on the raft with duct tape.

We made it to the marina. The river flows so gently that a slight breeze made a significant impact on our pace. We were ready to stop.

Ashley, Heather, and I walked back to the bridge, retrieved the car, and picked everyone else up. After dropping off the rafts, the trailer, and changing into something dry, Heather and Ashley delivered me to my bike so I could ride it back. So much for needing a vehicle at both ends of the ride.

After supper, it was time for a trip to Goody’s for ice cream, milkshakes, and sundaes. Mmm… :-)