Saturday was by far the day we were looking forward to the most. We had a trip to the McKenzie River down in the Eugene area to go rafting on some tier 2 and 3 whitewater rapids. For the record, it wasn't my first time; when I went to Yellowstone we had a lazy river trip, and then I've rafted on the White Salmon River 3 times (which I very much recommend).
Waking up to be at the back of Dixon recreation center by 8 was probably the toughest part of the trip (especially when you're watching movies with everyone else). When we finally arrived after our two hour trip, the sun was beating down at a harsh 90 degrees, and the water was a solid 50. After the general instructions and preparing the rafts, we had the opportunity to divide into different rafting routs depending on difficulty of the river: Mild, Medium, and Spicy. But there was one special boat. It was smaller, brown (different from the traditional blue) and the Elite written on the side of the boat was calling to me. It was called the Ghost Pepper boat, and it was guaranteed to flip you over, and as my guide said "Have a kick-ass time". Irvin, Robert and I took the tiny boat along with our guide Collin and a mentor named Nate. After setting our boat in the water, Collin demonstrated how easy it was to flip the boat by having us all sit in the back row. That was my first time falling in the river.
It wasn't long before we hit our first level 3 rapid. It was a very swift moving part of the river, so of course the Ghost Pepper crew decides we need to flip the boat. As soon as we hit the rapids, our guide used the rope that was tied to the front to pull the boat up to a 90 degree angle, and then we all used our body weight to tip the boat onto us. When you flip a boat, everything goes from calm and collected to instant chaos. Or that's how it felt anyways. My paddle was instantly ripped from my hands, and I was submerged for quite a while. When I surfaced, the boat blindsided me and I had to grab on, just to realize I had been moved about 100 meters. That was the second time.
We ate a brief lunch on shore, and then continued on our way. It didn't feel like a 5 hour rafting trip, but before we knew it we were approaching our final rapid. And that was intense. Just imagine the waves being about 6 feet high after it drops you down into it. It looked pretty badass, and I was ready for it. What I wasn't ready for was the fact that we decided to flip the boat. Again. This time the boat didn't flip over, but just dumped us out after going 90 degrees. We then bobbed up and down with the current pushing us as we tried to locate the boat. And so that was my third and final time.
Now I incorporated "Berliners" into the title of this post because Oktoberfest was that week, and it was dank. Oktoberfest is like the best german food party a small Oregon town could host. Anything from strawberry shortcake to bratwurst, even the smoothest root beer known to man is available on the streets of Mount Angel. I probably gained about five pounds while I was there, but no worries.
To end this post, I just wanted to share a quote that my dad sent me:
"When the air is bitter cold, I run faster, for my muscles need to work harder to stay warm. When rain is pouring down, I run farther, thankful for the drops that keep my body cool and my mouth moist. When the sun scorches, I run harder, burdened by the weight of extra water. When nature sends it's worst, I run my best." - Bluco Knight
***EDIT***
I forgot that I promised Irvin that I would post this short story. We were walking back from getting OSU Football tickets, and Robert was talking smack about how he got to the stadium before us because we took the long way around. Anyways, he was talking, and also texting while walking backwards, and he turned around just in time to collide with a light post head-on. Needless to say, he couldn't talk smack anymore since we had the upper hand!
***EDIT EDIT***
Due to a high amount of request, I am also adding this: Louis also ran in to a pole the other day and he wasn't even on his phone; he was just talking to Abraham about getting rainbow colored hangers.
I miss you guys :)
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