Family Fun

Tristan and Krystina, launching from Riverside Park in Eureka.

14-year old Brent on the pontoon boat next to Tristan on the tube.

Marriah (Krystina's Mom) on the pontoon boat, and Steven near the shore launching his kayak.

Everyone is launched and floating down the river.

On the right, Tristan is hitching a tow from Marriah, and Steven floats on past in his kayak. The others are farther downstream.

The water was deeper and colder than normal for August.

The air was warm, around 87 degrees, so it felt great drifting along on the water. I put my feet on the deck and leaned back to enjoy it!

Krystina (our daughter-in-law) on her tube, and Steven coming along behind in his kayak.

Brent (Krystina's brother) stops now and then to fish. He loves fishing. He's fun to be around because he is so enthusiastic about everything!

Here comes Tristan floating along on his tube. We bought this one at the thrift store just before we got on the river.

Tristan (my son), Krystina, and Steven (my husband)

Steven

This seemed like a good spot to pose for pictures, with the cliffs behind!

Me (Susan)

Steven got my camera away from me!

Krystina and Tristan walk along a gravel bar before jumping back in the water.

Krystina

Tristan took my camera when I set it in my kayak so I could jump in the water.

This is a great picture! So young and carefree!

Me, as I jumped into the water.

Me, floating in my life jacket! The water was COLD!

Steven docking his kayak by the bank.

Me, still playing in the water. This was a fun place to take a break.

Okay, Tristan, stop taking pictures of me! :)

The bank dropped off sharply here. Just a few feet from the bank it was armpit deep.

We were getting ready to get back on the water now.

I missed how this happened, but Randy (Krystina's Dad) was hanging onto the front of Marriah's pontoon and he managed to dump her into the water. That's Brent coming along on the green pontoon.

Now Randy is hanging onto the front of Brent's pontoon and Marriah is back on hers.

Brent's in the water now, Randing is wading ashore, and everyone else is watching!

Brent is part-fish, and had so much fun!

Krystina is hitching a ride holding onto her Mom's pontoon, and Tristan is holding on to Randy's pontoon.

The river splits and goes around little Islands and gravel bars. Here, part of us went one way and the rest are coming back onto the main channel from the route they took.

The water is so clear you can see the rocks on the bottom of the river. It's about 1' to 3' deep most of the way but there are some very deep holes and channels. The water moves switfly.

Steven

Brent stops to fish.

He said he mainly catches Rainbow Trout in here.

One of many beautiful views along the way.

Krystina on the right. Randy and Tristan downstream in distance.

Randy on left, with Tristan still hitching a ride. Brent in middle, Steven on right.

Marriah in middle of river, everyone else in front of her. I like to go last so I can mop up stragglers! (and take more pictures of unsuspecting people! Mwahahaha!)

Steven took the left channel here. Marriah is in the right-side channel. It was amazing to me how well those pontoon boats manuevered tight places and made quick turns to go around obstacles! They're awesome boats!

Coming back together in the main channel.

We stopped to swim again. Marriah had been trying to dunk Krystina! To the left, out of the picture, Brent is playing among the branches of a fallen tree over a deep hole. I took a picture but you can't see him among the branches.

Back on the river again. Randy gains another "passenger", with Krystina now holding onto the back and Tristan on the front.

Steven, about to ride through a low-water section. He made it through. The kayaks are a very shallow-draft vessel.

Tranquility.

Randy and Steven

Steven studying a rough-water section before entering.

I don't bother. I just hold the camera with one hand, the paddle with the other, and follow Steven! I bounced off rocks a couple times and almost dumped my kayak!

Just enough rapids to be interesting but not dangerous.

Woo-hooooooo!

This was GREAT!!!

Back in calmer water. Tristan and Krystina are both floating at the front of Randy's pontoon.

Holes in a dirt wall. Birds, I think?

More of the same.

More breathtaking scenery.

Krystina and Tristan float together on their inner tubes.
The shadows were getting long.

The water sparkles around Steven in the late afternoon sun.

Brent and his Mom floating along behind me.

Entering another area of rapids. See the big rocks down in the water?

In June the water is deep enough to go over most of the rocks without bumping. In August it's usually ankle deep in a lot of these sections and we walk through them, pulling our watercraft. This year the water is low enough for us to bump a lot of the rocks but too deep and fast to walk through it.

Steven bounces through the rapids. The kayaks cut nicely through the waves.

The highway from Eureka to Rexford crosses over the river.

A rails-to-trails bicycle trail goes over the river on the old railroad bridge.

Oh yeah!

Good times!

It gets bittersweet here because I know we're almost to the end of the run. It's like when the roller coaster is almost done and you're half-glad it's over but you still want to get in line and ride it again!

Fun!

Catch your breath between sections of rapids!

I banked my kayak in shallow water and took a picture of Marriah and Brent coming down this section. I just missed a part where the front of Brent's pontoon bucket up in the air!