The birds chirped us awake for our early departure to go rafting. We had to be at the rafting check-in at 7:45, so we hastily fumbled through the early morning light to locate swimsuits and Chacos. As we approached the pavilion where all the paddlers had gathered for the day, we upset a nest of Murder Hornets (if you hear Thomas tell it), also known as yellow jackets. Thomas got hit first and took off at a right steady clip while screaming bloody murder. While I was tending to Thomas, Charlotte got two stings. We Bullingtons like to make an entrance. I tried to calm Thomas with tales of insect stings from my past (a common occurrence during my childhood Appalachian summers). Unfortunately, I didn’t have a chaw of Red Man betwixt tooth and gum to soothe the pain the way my daddy used to do. I guess we’ll just have to rub some dirt on it and let the cool river water numb the sting. Under the pavilion, we joined a large group of boys from a nearby church camp, a larger group of Mennonite teens, and few families like ours. We met our guide, Stu, who seemed relieved to have been assigned to us and not a boat full of rowdy boys, but slightly disappointed that he didn’t get a boat full of Mennonites because he said they are very strong paddlers. Today we were taking on the lower section of The New River with rapids classified at 4 and 5, so, the biggest white water we’d ever done as a family. The beauty of the New River Gorge can only be fully appreciated from the water. It is completely natural with no homes or buildings marring this section of the mountains. It is also an unforgiving landscape. My thoughts wandered to the coal miners who used to roam these hills while a few hundred miles away, tycoons were building fortunes on the backs of their labors. America is a country of contradictions. My deep thoughts were interrupted by Stu telling us to paddle for our lives. We had a ball working our way through some awesome white water and we didn’t go swimming! Rafting win! Our takeout spot was beneath the extraordinary New River Gorge Bridge, the longest steel span in the western hemisphere and the 3rd tallest in the United States. It is a site to behold! And if you are a special brand of crazy, there is one day a year that you can take your little parachute up there, strap it to your crazy-self, and leap off it all willy nilly. On purpose.
We left Stu and headed up the gorge to see this beauty from another angle. A slightly more terrifying angle. Especially when there are snakes and edges.
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| Look, that snake has a copper colored head.....I sssssssee you. |
Last stop of the day was the Ace Adventure Water Park. The fun-loving folks at Ace Adventures appeared to have purchased every available inflatable known to man and have situated them on a 5-acre lake for the enjoyment of the masses. While the children and Mr. Bullington slid and bounced and coursed obstacles, I perched myself on a beach chair and took a nap, then I had a margarita, rolled over and took another little snooze. Woke up and did some people watching. I wondered as I wandered if that gal over there had any regrets about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Tattoo gracing her derriere. West Virginia Water Park people watching might have just trumped White Water. And THAT is a bold statement.
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| Fun if you like that sort of thing! I think I'll sit and watch. |
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| T Money getting "blobbed" by his sister |
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