This trip was the first whitewater rafting trip for Evan and Claire, and I sense they both liked it immensely! Claire and our guide, John, got along famously, but Claire kept asking him questions (which he didn't mind at all) about the water, were we half way there yet? how deep is the water?, how cold is the water?, ..... but the funniest moment was when she asked after going through one of the Class IV rapids ........ "Is that all you got?"
The Cache la Poudre (means "cache of powder" in French) is regulated by the water needs of the ag business in Eastern Colorado. As the water needs go up, the river level rises to meet the needs and the river drops when the ag needs drop (which seems to me counter intuitive). The lower the water level, the more the boulders and large rocks are exposed; as the water level reaches its lowest, the rubber boats not only need to go a large number of boulders, but often get stuck on the river bottom. Today, the water level is up about 6" from yesterday and the river is running pretty full. That makes for a more exciting ride with fewer boulders to dodge. Here's a shot of the final Class IV rapid with most of us underwater! Even Kelli, who managed to stay pretty dry the whole way, got wet!
Fun day and a highly recommended activity if you come to the Fort Collins area in the late Spring and Summer!
Cheers!
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