Running the Ouachita River

Joe has set me on the task of writing about our adventure this past Saturday on the Ouachita River. Joe had been invited as part of the Arkansas Canoe Club's annual Government Day festivities to join other government types on a guided float trip on the Ouachita River about 1 hour Southwest of LR. I guess their typical G-day guests don't bring their own boats, the government folk were loaded into HUGE rafts much like the ones we were in on the Ocoee so we were the outlyers.

Speaking of Ocoee, I kid you not, I think our guide from that trip was guiding on this one. He was with a group of 'river rats' traveling in an old converted van. I can't see too many people having that wild curly carrot topish hair and also being river guides. I never got the nerve to ask him though. Back to the story at hand, we get Mc settled into her boat with lots of instruction (mom's a little nervous, this is a big river) and Joe and I are in our canoe so off we go.

Even though we put in at the back of the group that has gathered, we manage to pass the rafts quickly (mc is hauling and doesn't know the phrase "paddle easy" yet and end up behind a big group of kayakers that we had seen get in just before the rafts so we figure as long as we stay behind the big group, we'll know where to go. Long story short, after a few incidents of Lisa losing her cool, mostly nerves because the 'baby' was alone, too far away and headed into all of class I or II water, (sheesh like I had reason to worry right?) we end up at the Rockport ledge where the Canoe Club is holding their annual Turf and Surf dinner. We're WAY ahead of what we thought the schedule was. And the rafts are not to be seen. So we get out, we wait, we try to figure out how to get the keys to the car they shuttled down for us and we decided to go ahead and eat instead of waiting on the rafts. We ate, we looked around, found the keys, etc. No rafts.

Come to find out-we had CRASHED the party. The government day crew were all in the rafts which had stopped farther upriver for a catered lunch. We were at the Club's annual party for members. Good thing Joe's a member???!!!! Man. We never found out what we missed out on because even after all that wandering, more playing in the water for a while and loading all our gear back up, the rafts were still MIA.

I wouldn't mind doing that area again though-it wasn't a bad float and had some fun parts. Maybe if we manage to get out there alone, Mc won't be so shy about getting out there and trying things-she didn't want to play in her boat with all those "pros" out there. That being said. She stayed in her boat going over the ledge. One other grown person didn't.

There was a photog on the trip, we didn't know until yesterday that we have PHOTOS! Joe put them in a picasa show, I hope I can do this right