For the past 8+ days, my family and I have traveled to North Carolina and back. The "adventure" lived up to its billing in every sense of the word.
We drove, camped, whitewater rafted, took lots of photos, drove some more, ate even more, explored, toured, golfed and slept. (Not necessarily in that order)
I learned what the right demographics can do for a local economy. I also learned what it feels like to be a "red" guy in a "blue" state.
In all, the entire family enjoyed the outing and I'm sure my oldest son will be writing all about it in his Minden Press-Herald column.
With all the fun, there was a great sense of excitement when we pass through Junction City, Ark. and back into Louisiana. This state is our home, plain and simple.
It was fun to vacation, but it is even better to be home.
May the Blog Be With You.
1 comment:
Good to be Home. I am not familiar with blogging and this is my first attempt at blogging. So if I look like a newbee, well I am.
I accidentally stumbled upon your blogg and was surprised to find someone local that was into the outdoor thing. Rafting, camping, and hiking that is.
Phyllis and I do a lot of that stuff. We just got back from our big annual adventure in Colorado. We make this trip every year and this year was an exceptional year for outdoor adventure. Eight years ago I set a goal to climb Mt Elbert. I meet my goal to scale Mount Elbert this year. Mount Elbert stands at 14,433 feet above sea level and is the 2nd highest peak in the 48 states. I hit the summit with 4 other hiking buddies. The trail is just over 9 miles one way, which can be done in a day. Eighteen miles in a day in Louisiana is tuff. Eighteen miles in high altitude makes for an extra long day.
Coming from Louisian that has an average altitude of 200 feet above sea level, we decided to make it a 2 day trip. We backpacked the first day to tree line. Tree line varies from Mountain to Mountain, but on Mt. Elbert it is about 13,600 feet above sea level. We made camp in a small grove of aspens and setteled in for the night. Having climbed (3) 14,000 peaks already, i was well aware of the danger of thunder storms that are always sure to develop in the Colorado Rockies in July. Not to mention altitude sickness, which is a nasty situation that comes from a lack of oxygen and physical exertion. To safely reach the summit in July you need to do so before 1:00 and be on your way down before the thunderstorms form. The next morning we were up before sunrise and on the trail as the sun broke over the distant mountains. Our team reached the summit at different points during the morning. I reached the summit first at 11:00. The rest of our group hit the summit within the next hour. Did I mention the view. Wow. There were a couple of other people that reached the summit in another party that were from Fort Worth, Texas. Small world.
Although I have been rafting for over 10 years, I have always wanted to guide one the rafts. We typically run Browns Canyon and the Royal Gorge. Browns canyon is a really fun canyon that has several class 3 and 4 rapids with names such as "The Washing Machine, The Pin Ball and Zoom Flume. The Royal Gorge is a lot more fierce with Class 4 and 5 Rapids. Since our group owns our own rafts and there was enough confidence by our guides in me, and there were enough brave souls to get in the boat with me as guide/captain/extraordinaire, I was able to bring a raft through Browns Canyon on the Arkansas River. With out flipping or loosing a sole. After a hard day on the river, my crew gave me the best compliment I could have ever received. The whole crew said they would go again, with me as guide. Next year, I tackle the Royal Gorge! Wish me luck!
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