Montana Whitewater

Just to get started, I have to say I love minions. You can get away with a lot of sayings using them as the spokesminion. Here's one that made me go hmmm...




So, getting down to business, there are many perks for doing the volunteer work out here. We receive up to 30% discounts on merchandise, free food left from lodgers, and this year all volunteers were offered a free raft trip by Montana Whitewater in Gardiner.

Our guide was Sarah. Her mother is a doctor, her father a scientist with a Phd, and her older sister graduated from Oxford University in England and is in Australia working on her Phd. Sarah is a dreadlock toting, hippy speaking, free spirited 20+ year old that travels around the states as the 'spirit' moves her. Last year she saved enough money to fly to Hawaii then hiked around until 'an older guy' offered her pancakes. She accepted and even stayed to help him on his ranch for a few months. She's thinking of going back there next month. All I could think of is I'm glad I'm not her mother!


 Sarah was a very good as a guide and even told lame jokes during the tamer patches of water.





The top picture is at the beginning of the run. This is the Yellowstone River and we put the raft in at the dividing line from the park to the city of Gardiner which is that smooth area about the middle of the top picture on the right.

This picture to the right...we were still dry but approaching the first rapids and after that we would go under the Gardiner Bridge.


Montana Whitewater provided whatever gear we desired plus the stuff you may not want but must have, such as helmets and life vests (but are still glad to have). The water, we were told was around 57 degrees and we could don wet suits and jackets or just jackets. I went with the jacket and no one else took the extras. Our roommate, Emily, warned us it would be cold. Here's the first rapids.




Don't we look happy here? Sarah made us do this. Oddly enough there was a guy on the Gardiner Bridge taking pictures. Quite the coincidence :)

Note my blue jacket. I can't say I was dry after our first little rapids but I was warmer than the others! Especially the guy behind me with the jeans on!

 This was an interesting little spot. The water was nice and calm and Sarah yells out "hey, do you want to run up on a rock and spin around?" and like idiots we yelled back "Sure!" Well, we did. The rock is here and we did run straight up over it, bounced back off and did a 180 degree spin.

This is when I realized this girl could be dangerous, ha!

And here we are us having a blast with the same dude taking pictures strategically along the way.

And yes, we bought the disk of pictures. We still saved much money on the free trip.

Notable sightings of wildlife on the way:
Beaver
2 Osprey flying over head
Osprey Nest
2 Bald Eagles nestled in a tree
River ducks

Another awesome time to remember.