Winding Waters Barnwood Recycling

We pack a lot of stuff on river trips, making sure all the comfort bases are covered. And we pack it all out. Aside from the usual recycling, last year Winding Waters even started putting food leftovers to good use by bringing them back to Arentsen Farm to be enjoyed by the pigs. That little act of recycling is repaid in the form of the finest homegrown bacon ever to grace a breakfast plate. That’s the circle of life right there.  
Refitting the new Winding Waters headquarters building in Joseph kicked in a whole new level of reusing materials, with barnwood and metal salvaged from local buildings set to be torn down. I’ll get some photos up soon of the sweet finish job Paul and Todd did with those boards.

The WWRE crew dismantled another small barn last week, taking that bad boy down in one day. Here’s it is early that day.

And here it isn’t, later that day.

That was the laziest attempt at time lapse photography ever. But, hey, I was busy. Doing things like throwing boards down that almost clubbed Todd. And then the hammer flew out of my hand, ricocheted off another board and was coming right for Paul. I’m a menace, I tell you.

Linden worked harder than any of us, seen here picking up nails with her custom magnet device.

We’ll see where these boards end up in their next life. Probably somewheres around the boathouse, but you never know. Paul has been creating designer ski chairs for years from old boards and skis. Todd makes all manner of cool stuff, furniture, picture frames, you name it, from cool vintage wood.

I got inspired by those guys and made some picnic tables a couple years ago with recycled barnwood. These here are wee versions for little tykes.

Be sure to stop by the new WWRE boathouse in Joseph this season. It’s the quonset hut a couple blocks down from the Chevron. You’ll see it. And take a look at those old boards inside the new digs.

Now’s a great time to reserve your trip for the 2013 whitewater rafting season in Hells Canyon, the Lower Salmon River and Grande Ronde. Looking forward to floating with you.