Carpe Diem Grande Ronde-style

People like to say carpe diem, but rarely is there any information beyond ordering you to seize a day. This accounts for a lot of ice cream consumption, re-watching Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and wearing pajamas beyond a respectable hour.

Fret no more. The Gearboat Chronicles’ Guide to Day Seizing removes the confusion with easy to follow steps for squeezing all the juice from a spin around the sun. Let’s begin.

To properly seize a day, you first need to sneak up on one. Accomplish this by walking on your toes, hiding behind flag poles, or calling Winding Waters River Expeditions the day before to lay a trap.

Pick your day out of the herd carefully. This is crucial. Avoid the mistake of targeting the sick or injured days, which are often plagued by rain or clouds. You don’t want these. They taste gamey.

Wait for a splendid, sun-besotted day you’d be proud to mount over the hearth. A good rule of thumb is any day in rafting season.

For carpe diem connoisseurs, there is a rare specimen that offers more than a normal day would seem capable of holding. It’s more than the sum of its parts. It’s the clown car of doing stuff during daylight hours. It is the fabled day trip down the roadless stretch of the Grande Ronde River when you can cover 38 miles and be home for dinner.

It doesn’t happen often, but it’s happening now. River flows are right, allowing us to scoot many miles in few hours. And it’s a comfortable flow. Rapids are soft. Wildlife is out. We’ve got sunny Wallowa County spring days and this 38 miles in one day is one of my favorite ways to seize a day if I’m not watching Ferris Bueller again. Great film.

You won’t find this Minam to Wildcat Bridge Grande Ronde day trip on the normal Winding Waters adventure menu. It’s one of those in-season rarities. Like morel mushrooms, which are also about to pop up.

So there you have it. Whet your rafting whistle with a cruise through some gorgeous territory while the river level cooperates. And so confident am I that you will see wild things, I’ll offer a limited time Bald Eagle Sighting Guarantee, personally paying you a quarter if you don’t see at least one baldy. You’ll see a baldy.

Act fast, though. These river conditions are fleeting.

So carpe your diem, but remember to seize responsibly. Just a firm grasp so it doesn’t get away.

And, hey, to carpe a bunch of diems, come with us for one of our multiday expedtions.