So I was pretty much deathly ill for the most of last week and just prayed to get better by Friday, which I did. I felt good enough to make it to work on Thursday and I am glad I did. It got me active and I felt much better. Friday, Jamie and I dropped the kids at Grandmas and headed up to Maupin, OR to meet the rest of the NWDSA Board and their spouses. This trip served as their yearly, much deserved, retreat. They are all volunteers and put in many hours each week to keep the NWDSA running smoothly. Being that this trip was planned with only two weeks notice, we had slim pickins' of the lodging. Jamie and I and another couple each got a very small, but cozy cabin. The other members stayed in a motel that hasn't had any decoration change since 1950. So we all had good laughs about our accomadations. We ate dinner and had a few beers then headed to our quarters to get a good nights rest. Saturday morning we all met for breakfast, then headed up to the River Guide's @ 9:30am sharp. We all rode in a bus with boats in tow, up the Deschutes. We had paid for and agreed to a half-day trip. Luckily the guides were very excited about the bright blue skies and decided to take us the entire length (13 miles) just like the full day trip. Our guides were two 21 year old, petite girls. They surprised me with how well they navigated the river. We went over a number of Class II rapids, a Class III and a Class IV. Only two people fell out of our boat, they were  both husband and wife too... and the oldest couple. LOL. It was hilarious. I would have jumped in for a swim because it was so hot, but that water was like 1 degree above freezing. Getting splashed constantly, was enough to keep us cool. Rafting is a BLAST. Jamie and I may go again this summer. After rafting, we all ate outside for lunch at a nice place and did a quick board meeting. Jamie and I then headed back down the Deschutes to White River Falls. Very beautiful. We had planned on doing the 1/2 mile hike down to the old water turbines but decided we were pooped from the raft trip. When we got back to the car, after taking some pics, I noticed I left the keys in the doors. We were not meant to hike down there. Lord knows we would have come back to no car. So we made it back Saturday night and barely got any sleep as we both have BRIGHT red sunburns. I will add some pics that we took with the waterproof camer as soon as we get them. We did take some pics with the digital. You can check the pics here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/burchs/sets/72157594163085831/ and here a a few:

The Class IV rapids:

White River Canyon:

White River Falls:

Deschutes River Canyon: