Camping in a Parking Lot. Riggins Raft Trip.

And not because we're city folk and don't know how to pitch a tent in the dirt. But because the parking lot literally was dirt. And it was directly across from the bars, which was quite convenient. And, no one told us we couldn't.

About a month ago a good friend of mine won free rafting tickets with Salmon River Experience, a rafting company that conducts rafting trips on the Salmon River, based out of Riggins, Idaho. When she asked if I wanted to go I of course said yes. But I didn't have a clue what I was in for since I had never gone rafting before.

The weekend of the trip, two of my closest friends and myself loaded up my Ford Escape with our rafting trip essentials: beer, ice, snacks, water shoes, beer, a tent, swim suits, blankets, beer, and an iPod for the long trip. Oh, and did I mention beer?

Never having gone rafting before we weren't quite sure what to expect so we decided we would have some ice cold beer handy in case. Always be prepared.

A few hours of Jamie and I jamming out to her iPod and her boyfriend, Dave, the worn out farmer, snoring in the back, and one adventurous stop to pee in the bushes, we arrived in Riggins.

Riggins, ID is in the bottom of a canyon, which it shares with the Salmon river.  It's not a very big town, but it thrives off of the white water rafting industry. Many call it their home in the summer months when they sign on with a rafting company as a guide. What a dream job, seriously. If I had nothing to do for a summer and wanted to raft all day and party all night during the nicest time of the year...I'd become a river rat and get paid for it!

We rolled in to town just after the sun had gone down. Luckily Riggins is much like my own small hometown in the sense that if you are looking for someone you just drive around until you see their pickup. Since I have years of experience in this area, I quickly found Tia and her friend Amelia, who had gotten there before us. I found the red pickup outside a restaurant and we headed in for some dinner.

Tia is my cousins wife. That makes her not only family, but much like a sister. Her husband, my cousin, Josh, and I are barely six months apart and grew up playing, fighting, and harassing each other just as normal brothers and sisters do to each other. Besides getting into slapping fights in elementary school, wrestling in his parents basement (where I once was able to take him down and sit on him), and playing together or against each other, we really do love each other just like brothers and sisters do as well. So I'm happy that I now have Tia, who is and continues to become much like a sister to me.

I also love that she asks me to go rafting with her when she wins free tickets. What a good friend.

A good friend is also someone you can have a good time with. Which is exactly what the five of us (Tia, Amelia, Jamie, Dave, and myself) did. We hit the Riggins bars that Saturday night, not knowing exactly what we were in for, but ended up closing them down. We met guides, fellow rafters, locals, made new friends, had drinks bought for us, some guy bought me a shirt from one of the bars, we danced and played the jukebox...and then when we decided it was time for bed, just walked across the street to our tent. A perfect way to spend the night before getting up early to go rafting. Trust me.

The next morning, with a rock stabbing me in the side, and Tia telling us it was time to get up, I realized the one downfall to camping in a public parking lot. No restrooms. That may not be the only downfall, but it was sure an obvious one that morning! Needless to say we quickly found a restroom. And some food.

After packing up our tents and belongings we headed out to another parking lot. Everyone meets up where we eventually end up at the end of the rafting trip. We leave our vehicles there and climb aboard a bus with plenty of others that may or may not have partied the night before. On a bus ride that I was sure I was going to die from (apparently I could be a bus driver in Riggins since we have something in common: we drive fast and crazy and sometimes scare people), we traveled up the river to our starting point. Met our guides, packed our coolers of beer into the rafts, strapped on our life jackets, and began our adventure.

Our guide, with his long, red hair, and hippy-ish look, was the best. He had awesome stories to tell us, some which were real and some that were not. Like, who would believe that an old man would climb up a bunch of steep rocks and paint the temperature of the water every morning? The "76" painted on those rocks was obviously painted on those rocks by the graduating class of 1976. So who would EVER believe their river guide when he tells you that it's the old man that repaints it every morning...no idea who would believe such a thing.

 

Besides the true tales and tall tales, Richie, our "trusty" guide was great. If you go rafting with Salmon River Experience you should definitely request him.

Never gone rafting before, after this trip I am truly hooked. And I can't wait for next summer when I can go again. And I can honestly say the rapids were my favorite part. If you're thinking that a white water rafting trip is mostly rapids...then you are, well me, pre-rafting. There was plenty of time to jump in the water and swim along-side the raft. If you don't mind the guide pulling you back into the raft by your lfie-jacket, it's the best way to enjoy the slow parts of the trip.

But, like I said, I enjoyed the rapids the most. In the fact, the more the better. I never felt in danger and always felt very secure in the raft. Not that accidents can't happen, but if you follow the rules and stay in the raft, you should be fine. Especially since the beer is in the raft, and you wouldn't want to leave that!

It was a great way to end the summer. Even though summer wasn't completely over at the time of this trip, it was definitely nearing its end. And after a summer of weekends at the river, a trip to Vegas, watching combines get torn apart at a combine derby, weddings, rodeos, plenty of sunshine, a great tan (that I'm sad to see disappear), a family fourth of July trip, making new friends and enjoying good times with the best friends a girl could ask for...I'm excited for next summer. Between now and then I'll enjoy my favorite time of year, fall, the holidays, my 26th birthday--eek!--, and plenty of more good times. And plenty more to blog about.

Goodbye summer, you were good to me.

Oh wait, before I officially say goodbye to summer 2011...one question:

Want to go rafting next summer?

Think about it. We've got about 8 months.