Yet Another Day On / In The Water With Devon

Wow its July 24 th and i have fallen way behind on writing this Blogspot I have created. My sincerest appologies to any followers i may have picked up. It has been crazy bizy here at Otter Rafting! Since July 10th i have logged 10 more trips guiding people down the Red Deer River. i also did two trips on the Lower Red Deer River in an inflatable Kayiak!
The water at one time rose too 75 mps and has setteled down too a comfortable 35 - 45 mps. ( great for surfing and playing in the waves )

As I am glancing through my Logbook searching for insperation I find myself smiling at some of the memories that come back too me as I read some of the comments I've made.eg:
"pay attention @ Diagnle" - I lost a lady out of my raft as i went over
"pay attention @ Diagnle" - I lost a Grandmother while surfing
"pay attention @ Diagnle" - I lost a teenage girl as i went over

(Yes folks I hate too admit it but I went three for three dumping people at Diagnle ledge! :-^( )

then there was eg:
"great day, sooo good too have higher water but I can't believe I lost the waterproof digital camera!"

"had a blast! those CSS kids were so much fun too float with! I scared the crap outa myself wen one was stuck under the boat for about 15 seconds though!" (but he came up smiling!)

" had 2 RCMP Officers on board today was a great day!" (Brayden and I can both testify that without a doubt pigs truley can swim!!! lmao We have pictures of Brayden dumping two of them into the water over Bigrock. Iv'e never seen such big eyeballs as wen he threw into the dirty hole sideways! I dont know how he kept her on her wheels! He shure had some paranoid cops on board for the rest of that ride! He said " they looked very nervous and kept looking over their sholders for the rest of the ride". I still find myself chuckling about it!

"Awsum day! Bucket Boats are great!"( I finaly got too take one out. A Bucket Boat is a raft that has a solid bottom & you( the costomer) have too bail out water but they are lighter and faster on the water! They make for a more exciting ride. )

"It was cool watching Sam run the oar rig!" (An oar rig is when we strap a metal frame with Oars on it on the raft, One person can run this rig and is a force too be reconed with! Sam kidnaped two young kids out of my boat and they went on a water fighting rampage! After lunch we asked if they wanted too come back with their family and myself on my rig but they wanted nothing too do with that!)


unofficial post "Went down the Lower Red both the 20th and 21st in an inflatable kayiak, 20th was with Paul, 21st was with Paul Sam and Spencer. Learned lots on how to surf & play in the waves. Was in great company" (It was truley an amazing thing watching these guys go. You know smeone is good when you watch them surf in a canoe)

"Had yet another great day! All the Practice surfing in the Kayiaks shure helped my rafting!"

So as you can see i have been extreamly bizy here, some of my more fonder memories were taking a boat with 6 grandparents aboard. They were as great as kids to take down the river ( and often acted like them lol). The ladies all gave me a big hug after we were done and quite a handsome tip I might add!
I also truley enjoyed taking the CSS kids down! They all lived in a group home together, and this was their "outdoor time". A fantastic group of kids. I think I also collected about 3 hugs there.
I have also taken a few groups of familys down one really scared me when on a high water day I went into my usual speal : " is there anyone who is ofended be coarse language" and they all said yes. After we went over Diagnle Ledge( this time without incident lol) and I looked back and exclaimed HOLY... the father interupted me with a very positive "nice save Devon!"
As you can read the fun and adventure just isn't stoping here! We have another group of about 25 too take down the River tomorow with the possibility af a couple of amasing canoeists comming with. Then on Sun. Sam is taking the oar rig down again.
Soooo till next time remember stay fun and keep it wet!!! Devon

Another Day On / In The Water With Devon

Well tues July 7 was another georgious day guiding on the Red Deer River. Recent rains had almost trippled the water flow. It is amazing @ how much the color of the water changes. It went from the clear glacier blue we have seen most of the summer so far, to an almost chocolate milk color. As the river rises it picks up sediments which change the color.
I was lucky enough too have another fantastic group to take down the river consisting of 6 adults and two great kids. Its unbelievable how much harder it is to steer and control the raft when ther are 8 customers and myself onboard. ( funny how it always seems to be my end of the raft that gets hung up on the shallow rocks first lol, mabey i gotta slow down the building of my molsen muscle huh! lmao)
I managed to dump 3 people outa the boat ( including myself :-^P) but also managed to keep both of the kids in! Although it was with a leg lock that i kept Oksana in once!
Our adventuris group consisted of two brothers Evan & Jimmy, a couple- Brenda & Steve, and a family Carrie & Gene their son Michel and his bff { watever that is (lol)} Oksana. I always like having kids in my raft. They are always so entertaining and their amasement and wonder @ all the magical things we see on the river keeps me in touch with why i love this job so much. I'm almost sorry to say i taught the kids how too use my old D.J.ing trick of yelling SOMEBODY SCREAM! too liven up a crowd. ( i think most of us adults are suffering from some mild hearing losses today!lol It always seems so cool to me @ how fast the kids learn too read the river. All i ever seem 2 have too do is give a couple of tugs on the back of their pfd's during the bigining of the trip when i see obstacles comming up then the next thing u no they are seeing them themselves and are already leaning in when i go too take care of them.
Gene and i managed too get dumped out as we grazed this big rock then planted too a sudden stop in the hole behind it. Then i managed to dump Brenda in another hole we call eddie turn. It always amazes me @ how the raft can be crusing down the river @ a good clip then wen you hit an eddie its like someone planted on the brakes full boar. I kept trying too dump Carrie but she was way too crafty for me, she spent a lot of time on her knees in the bottom of the boat. The kids wanted to try and throw her in but it never happened. As for Evan and Jimmy well they wer my bowsman and the only thing i cud loose from those two young lads was Evan's shoe's! lol i told him not to wear those "river shoes" lmao. Jimmy seemed to be the more stable one of our bunch i think he pulled everyone of us that got dumped out back in. (thanx bud sorry again for dumping Brenda out @ eddie turn or not lol)
Well that brings me too the end of yet another blog hope u enjoyed it i look forward too your comments. remember if its not wet its not worth it lol ;-)

A Day On / In The Water With Devon

We had an awsum weekend here @ Otter Rafting Adventures!
On fri. i took a group of 5 down the river, consisting of 3 school teachers 1 nurse @ another lady that wrked in a potash mine in sask. I also had the pleasure of having my Dad join us for the day. ( guess who instigated most of the water fights) Like father like son i guess! lol
We found an incredible spot and enjoyed an intimate shore lunch ( a very nice change from our usual great buffet).
We were late off the water which seems to be becoming a habit ( playing too hard i guess). I always try and go by that old saying; work hard / play harder and playing hard seems too be wat we do best!
On sat. i took a rather rowdy family group (of guys) down the river. I'm shure come Sunday there r going too be a few aches and pains amongst those boys! They did a lot of swimming ( mostly from Gunner tackling and pushing them in ). I spent most of the day laughing my butt off! And it was the first time i didn't have too help carry the raft up the hill @ the end of the day!
That was a very nice treat i might add!! Thanx guys you rock!
Jer brought out his better half sat. an incredible lady i might add ( dont know how he lucked out there?! lol Jer just kidden) She brought her friend from Ontario. (a pretty cool chick for being one of them easterner types lmao).
We all enjoyed a couple of sociables @ the end of the day with Kirk ( a former Kicking Horse rafting guide) an awsum and very entertaining guy!
Thats one thing, i am shure meeting some interesting and very cool people this summer.
We didn't have any bookings for Sun. so i spent most of the day putting gear away, drying things out, cleaning up and making shure we are ready too go again on Tues.
With the water conditions being somewat low, some of our more experienced guides have started taking the lighter " bucket boats " out. They are the " sports cars of rafting." It was great watching Jer surf and play with his. Though i almost felt sorry for his group watching them have to bail and bail afterwords. I guess that falls into the working hard part hey?
Like i said it was an incredible weekend and i hope too have and be able too report on many many more before summer is over! I just have too stop cannonbaling onto shallow rocks in order too make it through the summer! (right Ames?) lol gotta have fun.
Ifn u aren't rafting with us this summer then you OTTER be!! lol take er cool folks! Till next time---Devon