Deschutes for Father's Day

I am really looking forward to next weekend. Two years ago over Father's Day weekend, for the first time, we did a multi-day rafting trip with just our family...just the four of us, and it was absolutely magnificent. We did the Deschutes from Warm Springs to Sandy Beach over three days.

The Deschutes is one of the easiest multi-day trips around. Being dam release, having enough water is almost guaranteed. There is enough gradient, so the water is always moving. It is not hard to move downstream. There is just enough whitewater to keep it interesting, but not so big the boys can't paddle most of it in duckies. The camps are really nice. Many of them have composting toilets, so although we carry a groover, we rarely use it.

Every spring, around late spring or early summer, although not an official ritual, getting all the gear ready for summer rafting trips has become a bit of a ritual. This is a good thing. The anticipation, after all, is part of the fun.

This year, when I pulled the boat out, it was splotched all over with black mold. Thankfully, I long ago discovered this can be removed by rubbing hard while giving the boat a healthy dose of 303 Protectant. Now, the boat is shined up, free of black mold, and ready for what is forecasted to be a warm three-day trip on the Deschutes.

I am excited. Rivers are such a wonderful thing.