Windmills

Greetings All!

I’m happy to be checking in from a cross-continent kayaking road trip.  The first stop of the trip was the Payette River Drainage near Boise, Idaho.

It took my buddy, Bryan Harris, and I three days to drive his sick rig from the Ottawa Valley to the Payette oasis in Idaho.  We took the mid-country route through Chicago, Des Moines, and Cheyenne.  It was BORING.  The only redeeming factor was the fact that Iowa has wireless internet at all rest stops.  Hopefully the other states will follow suite!

Our mobile palace for the next two months.

The plains.  They always remind me of Dumb and Dumber.

Wyoming Windmills.

We rolled into Banks haggard and exhausted at 8 pm on Thursday evening, and were immediately met with two of the most positive people that I know, Cooper Lambla and Kira Tenney.  Seeing them immediately lifted both of our spirits, and within minutes, Cooper had a plan hatched to take me down the Middle and Lower sections of the North Fork of the Payette… 10 miles of class V!

I couldn’t say no to Cooper, so after a jogging scout of Jacob’s Ladder, and some quick car window scouting, we were sitting in our boats, at dusk, in a very powerful river.

Following Coop through one of the monsters of the Payette.

Jacob’s Ladder… one of the best rapids ever.

It’s difficult to put this river into words without experiencing it yourself, but I will say that it demands respect from top to bottom.  We rallied that entire thing in about an hour, and it is definitely one of my all-time favorites.  It is an absolutely incredible place, and following Coop, a guy that I have known since he was 12 years old, down that river was pretty special.  He laid down silky smooth lines the whole evening, and gave me the best first-time North Fork experience imaginable.  Kira jumped in for the lower five, and I ran sweep as Coop and Kira fired into the complicated Jaws rapid and a myriad others.

The next day, after a great meal and night around the campfire, Coop, his parents, Kira, and myself all motivated for a South Fork Payette run.  For any of you class three and four boaters, this run is an absolute must-do if you’re in the area.  Stunning scenery, beautiful rapids, crystal clear water, and a hot springs combine for a pretty quintessential Idaho day trip.

Cascade Outfitters(link http://www.cascaderaft.com/)… definitely check these guys out if you’re in the area.  Very cool people!

Kira relaxing in the hot springs.

Mr. Lambla eyeing his line through the portage.

After finishing up the day, Bryan and I were once again on the road, this time to Egmont, BC in search of the mythical Skookumchuck Wave.  But that’s another story…

Chris Gragtmans- IR Team Member~