First off, they suited us up with helmets and lifepreservers and then gave us a crash course in raft maneuvering and terminology.

Our lead guide Gordon described what to do and what not to do in animated fashion, with plenty of demonstrations and reenactments.

Pastor Balla appears a bit nervous as Gordon expounds on the possible mishaps and requisite counter measures.

After our lesson in fluid dynamics, it was time to set out on our adventure.

Steve looks eager to take on the river.

We picked our spots on the boats and pushed off. Steve and I took the front two positions because the others in our boat wanted to stay dry.

Leo looks comfortable here... warm, dry, relaxed... but that wouldn't last long!

Our first taste of the river's active side came soon after departure.

Shortly after this shot we hit our second stretch of rapids, where my oar caught a rock during a stroke and I was yanked out of the boat. I grabbed the line around the outside of the boat and held on until the gang pulled me back in, no worse for the wear, but a bit soggy. ;-)

After my unplanned excursion, Tony moved to the front and I took the open spot in the center, where I remained until we stopped for lunch. This meant I took more pictures behind us than in front of us, so my subjects were actually facing me.

Steve poses for me during one of the calm stretches of river.

Here is our boat (a.k.a. Joe's boat). This one was taken by the CrabApple photographer.

This was another calm stretch of river. Here is the pastor and his clan, and it looks like someone is about to go for a dip...

And she's out, just chilling along side the boat.

Pastor Balla doesn't look nervous anymore. He and his family are really getting into the relaxing side of the river.

We peer over Tony's shoulder hoping to get a glimpse of the rapids ahead.

And here they are!

This is the "Zoar Gap." Categorized as a Class III, it was the most active part of our 10 mile trip.

Our man Joe guided the boat as we held on tight.

Our boat is there somewhere under all that water.

And we came through all smiles!

After conquering "the Gap" the members of our group gathered off to the side of the river for a group photo. We are all excited because our next order of business was lunch!

After a rest and refuel at lunch, we jumped back in the boats to tackle the remaining 4 miles of our 10 mile journey.

I was back in the front for this trip and Steve and I switched sides to give our bodies an even workout.

Just after we set off from lunch, we posed for a second group shot from the CrabApple photographer. We had 34 people in our party.

Once the photos were over, we engaged in a massive water fight.

Each boat was equipped with two buckets, but as seen here, sometimes the bucket would slip out while throwing the water. Then it became the property of whomever retrieved it.

Quick, get that free bucket!!

Our boat didn't participate in the water fight because of some medical issues, but by then the sun was gone and it was turning cold so Steve and I really didn't mind sitting out.

At the end of the trip, the guides had a "stunt" they would do where everyone moves to the back of the boat and the guide stands on the back edge and pulls back on a line attached to the bow.

The effect was something like popping a wheelie.

We did participate in this event at least. One boat actually flipped (you can see the oars and bucket floating by here), but it wasn't one from our party.

And so ended our white water adventure!