One-Mule Pileup on the Hells Canyon Interchange

Rafting people – hello to you. How you been . . . mm-hmmm . . . O, you’re kidding. She said that? No, no . . . that will never do. Listen, you’re just going to have to sit down and . . . exactly. Yeah. Let me know how it goes.

OK. On to new business. I’m down in Arizona. There’s a bright orb that hurts to look at, I’m not certain what strange manner of aberration this is, but it happens each day. I’ve spent the last I don’t know how many winters in Wallowa County and can’t recall anything like this spectacle in November.

Operation Minnie Winnie is going splendidly. In brief: I developed a taste for Metamucil, bought a motorhome and retired to the southwest for the winter. You can read more at our sister site: jonrombach.blogspot.com.

Here’s the Winding Waters Roll Call: Morgan Jenkins. Last we heard from his tracking device, he was in Virginia. Be prepared to look at birds next rafting season, cause Mo Jenkles is on a birding kick. Talked to him several times recently and it’s blah blah blah, sapsucker, blah, pilleated something-something.

Mike Baird and Sam Macke had themselves a time down in Hells Canyon, not rafting but horseback and muleteaming it. Baird packed in a camp to pursue elk and Samuel went along as administrative assistant.

You’ll have to get the full tale from one of them, I don’t want to tread on their copyright, but the preview trailer goes like this –

“…There is a canyon, so deep, so remote…”

[cut to shot of Hells Canyon, eagle screaming in the background]

…that none dare enter…

[bass drums]

…except Winding Waters River Expeditions, based in Joseph, Oregon, featuring world-class adventure and superior gearboat service…

[shot of Morgan looking at birds]

…and maybe some other rafting companies too, but, uh….

[shot of birds pooping on other companies’ rafts, Morgan rushing to help clean it off, because we’re good about stuff like that]

And then the preview runs out of time, so I’ll just fill in the rest here. What you really need to know is that a mule Sam was leading fell through a portion of the trail and things were sticky there, apparently, for a few instants.

But they got the critter back on the trail and got out of there. There was foul weather, as every hunting expedition should have. And a bear got into the wall tent while they were away. It’s got all the elements, folks. A real rip-snorter of a Hells Canyon story, but it’s not my story to tell so I’ll leave it for the next time you’re in a boat with one of those guys.

Frankly, I’m jealous. Except for the bad weather. And the trails falling away underneath them. But other than that, I would like to spend more time up on the rims. Get to know the canyon more from up high.

Meantime, I’m digging on getting to know the desert around here. Took a nice ramble with my pooch today, so I’ll put up some photos.

Be good.