Missoula, MT: We need a good paddlin'! Thursday, June 20th

June 20, 2024

Hello, friends and fam, took me a while to get this next episode out covering Thursday, June 20th.  Cindy and I arose early to leave Havre by 7am and make sure we were at the river rafting trailhead by 12:30pm.   The outfitter told us multiple times to not be late or they would leave without us.  We hit some crazy construction on the way, with traffic stopped for long periods, but we persevered and made it to the outfitter on time (at one point when Cindy was driving I saw she was going 95 mph! - I suggested we switch drivers...). 

We had no idea what to expect of this river rafting trip - we booked this online, had no recommendations and were hoping for the best.  We pulled into the outfitter lot and met Owen, the guide for our trip, and learned that by circumstance we would be the only ones on this trip.  So a couple of the other raft guides joined us to help paddle.   We didn't know this at the time, but this would be a lifetime highlight experience.

With Owen, our guide

                                    

In the pre-rafting instruction they told us that our ability to row in unison and on command would be key to successfully navigating these class 3 rapids.   I've rafted before and never heard that the riders paddling efforts would be essential for the trip, we were excited that this sounded like more of an adventure.

This is really a picture of us on the Clark Fork River!

We set out on the Clark Fork river.  It was beautiful, we are now in a completely different ecosystem, as pines and firs cover the mountains.   We really enjoyed talking with Owen and learning more about his life, and Owen and the other guides gave us great information on how this area was formed over time.

There were 15 rapids we went through on the trip, of varying difficulty, with Cindy and I in the front of the boat.  I was really proud of how well we did together, we were perfectly in sync and the guide told us were some of his best paddlers (I'm sure he tells that to everyone!).   Of course, my GoPro was off when we went into the biggest rapids, but the video below gives you an idea of what it was like in the raft in the class 1/2 rapids:

The beauty of this area was amazing and so different to where we had been.   Here's some additional pictures from our trip:

What an amazing trip!  It was exhilarating, educational,  and just plain fun.   Cindy really pushed through some of the scary parts, I was super proud of her, and it was also super cool that we worked so well as paddling partners.

After rafting, we headed to our hotel in Missoula and were pleasantly surprised that our La Quinta had a creek running right behind it.   Cindy was thrilled! 

Cindy celebrating the adventure
with edamame and wine...

Missoula is a bustling and growing town.   We finished off the day with some of the best Thai food we've ever had at Koh Chang Thai restaurant in Missoula.   How does Missoula Montana get such great Thai food?   Turns out the owners had a renowned Thai restaurant in California and decided to move to a more peaceful area, Missoula, MT!   The locals here are somewhat resentful of all the migration as housing prices have skyrocketed because of all the Californians resettling here in Missoula. 

 

Marion Ibbotson, 1948

Thanks so much for following our adventure, we appreciate being able to share these experiences. Tomorrow is the Route of the Hiawatha bike ride, on to the next adventure.  

Let me close with a picture of my Mom since June 20th is her birthday, miss her every day....