Beautiful today.  Headed out to the Santiam with my good friend Jim for a nice paddle from Green’s Bridge to Jefferson.  I’ve done this run many times and it’s one of my faves.  Left Jim’s car at the take-out in Jefferson and drove mine to the put-in.  A nice family there was kind enough to say they would keep an eye on my car.

River looked lovely.

So we put in and headed out.

Then something unexpected popped up around a bend and proceeded to detain one of our boats! (Read: A giant strainer suddenly appeared and ate the smaller of our crafts.)

After convincing Jim that he just needed to “leave it,” he and I sat down on the bank and discussed our options, one of which was not to do business with a raging river.  We were definitely up a creek without a paddle.  Actually, we were down a river without one of our boats and a paddle and out in the middle of nowhere with no option of hiking out on foot.

We could see our location on my cell phone and ultimately decided to call 911 and share that information with those good folks.  Soon we we received the confirmation that a crack team was putting in at Jefferson and would be heading up river to execute our rescue. (We were referred to as “the two victims.”  At least they did not say, “elderly victims.”) We had been prepared to abandon the boat to that hungry strainer, but our team got the boat out too!  Loaded up us and  both boats and sped us (We’re not used to speed!) safely home.  Even drove me back to Green’s Bridge to get my car.  Pictures tell the story best.

Here’s your boat, folks!

The take-out at Jefferson was a bit more impressive than we had planned earlier in the day.

Jefferson Fire District:  “Proudly serving and protecting.”  Thanks, guys.