Deliverance!

The title is not about the fact that we just finished our whitewater trip, but also about getting back some perspective.

In forensic science, there's a theory that you can't pass through a place and not change it, and be inexorably changed forever. You leave a footprint, and you carry with you the soil on the sole's of your shoes. The same can be said in our contacts with others.

This weekend, we had the chance to meet some amazing folks. Three ladies who were rafting and staying in the campsite next to us shared with us there triumph's and tragedies; their personal aspirations, and their genuine pleasure at experiencing the simple company of others. There was a generation separating them, but they all shared in zest for living that was nearly intoxicating.

Later, on down the road to Sequoia NP, we stumbled into the Springville Inn. While enjoying a fine black ale, we chatted with a gentleman who was bigger than life. A huge man with bulging sunburned forearms that come from hard work, slate blue eyes, and a white goatee to match his silver haired crew cut, he introduced us throughout the evening to his friends as though we were his long lost relatives.

He shared with us the history and local flavor of Springville, talked about fishing, and what it was like to know and rely on your neighbors. After a wonderful evening, he told me to look him up when Kyle and I head back for trout fishing in the fall so he could buy us dinner. Turns out, it was the Mayor of Springville who was our new friend.

Funny thing about this vacation...... Met a whole lot of folks, but never met any strangers.

From top to bottom.... Rooster Tail Rapid, a class IV run on the Kings River; Kyle enjoying some reading time at base camp; evening on the river; the Springville Inn; Kyle with one of many trout caught.