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Wednesday was our final day in Montana with the Bowmans and we decided to go rafting. We were going to the "upper river" which isn't normally open but because of all the high water, we were able to go...so off we went...2 mommies and 4 kids....off to an area on the Stillwater which is surely off the grid.
The ride was about 13 miles long, the river was 54 degrees and while the sun was out, it was only in the mid 60's...and it was windy. We probably should have had our wet/dry gear on but Liam was the only one with his sailing shirt. I knew better than to wear cotton but we all wore it anyway and started freezing with the first splash about 100 yards into the ride.
We all forgot about the chill, however, because there was a lot of adrenaline flowing. There were bridges that we had to duck under with nails poking down, there were class 3 rapids that we had to go through, there were stories of some river people that shoot at trespassers and there were plenty of soakings. Graham, Liam and Shaw took a huge hit on the bow in some rapid called Roscoe. We were all about survival so that when it calmed down and we all had to jump in the water to go to the bathroom, no one was bashful.
I said to Rachel that I've never felt so remote in all my life. She offered up the idea of being in the middle of the ocean and I had to agree with her on that but this area of Montana beneath the mountains called the Crazies was eerily like the movie Deliverance...but prettier.
When we finally finished, we were all shaking from the cold and could barely walk but we were in good spirits...and starving... so we went to the local cowboy restaurant and had a feast. I went home and took a two hour nap, Rachel went for a run...omg...she's amazing. We then had a lot of laughs while regaling Roger with the day's events.
Thursday we began our trek home. It's a little sad but as Lily said good naturedly: "I'm tired of being in the middle of nowhere." Have no fear Lily, you are going to Washington DC in 5 days to see your cousins.
We are spending the night in Thermopolis after riding down the Wind River Valley. The topography is very different and in Thermopolis, there are hot springs and the rocks and dirt are red. The pools are turquoise in the middle and burnt sienna from the mineral water around the edges. It's really stunning.
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