It had been a perfect day. The late afternoon sun glimmered in the waves of the river. My wife, Susie, and I had just spent a long day on the Deshuttes River; putting in at eight o’clock that morning. We were both tired, but it was a good relaxing tired. I pushed on the oars of the raft to steer clear of some river debris while at the same time admiring the sexy view of my wife. Susie had spent most of the day in a bikini sun bathing on the bow of the raft, much to the pleasure of our fellow rafters and campers along the shoreline. Even now, with a white tank top pulled on to ward of the inevitable sunburn, Susie still garnered more than her share of attention.
It was getting late. This late into summer, the sun disappeared quickly over the edge of the canyon rim. I was just beginning to worry that most of the prime camp sites would already be occupied when Susie stood up in the bow of the raft, “That looks like a good spot, “ She pointed in the direction of a well shaded cleared space.
“This section of land is private,” I told her. “Its owned by a high-priced fishing club. It could cost almost ten thousand a year to be a member. At that expense, they become pretty particular about who stays on their land. I’ve been told that many of their members are pretty substantial marijuana growers. Usually they enforce their privacy with shot guns rather than words.” As if to illustrate, a few minutes later, we approached a small group of four men spaced strategically near the shoreline in hip boots and tackle vests.
I maneuvered the raft away from the anglers so as to not disturb their lines. With the sun reflecting off of the water it was hard to read the river. “Look out!” Susie shouted. “You’ve got a crag coming up.” I had been so concerned about the avoiding the fishing lines, that I completely missed the partially submerged limb that appeared in front of us. I pulled hard on both oars, hopping to dodge the trouble, but it was too late. The branch disappeared underneath our raft accompanied with a sickening ripping sound of sharp points scrapping the bottom of our raft. “That didn’t sound good,” Susie said. I pulled toward shore, hopping for the best but suspecting the worse. It was real easy to rip up the bottom of your boat on those stubborn, sharp branches. When I had nosed the raft near a clearing, Susie grabbed the bow line and jumped into the chest high water to help guide our landing.
“What do we do now?” She asked as I climbed out and together we pulled the raft onto the sandy shore.
“I’ve got a patch kit. Hopefully, the rip isn’t too bad and I can get the thing fixed,” I said while unloading our gear from the raft. Everything would have to be off the raft, so that I could flip it and begin patching the damage.
“It’s close to six now.” Susie said. “The sun is almost gone. Why don’t we camp here tonight?”
“I don’t want to risk any trouble with those guys up the river. I’ve heard that it can get pretty ugly.”
“Well, it can’t hurt to talk to them.” Susie smiled while slipping her bikini top out from underneath her white tank. The wet cloth clung transparently to her round breasts, bringing her nipples to sharp points. Susie definitely understood the art of persuasion. So, while I attended to the condition of our raft, Susie trudged back up stream to the fishermen.
In a short time, Susie reappered smiling. “It’s all set,” she said. “I made a deal with them. They will allow us to camp her tonight in exchange for me cooking and serving them dinner.”
I don’t know,” I said. “What do we know about these guys?”
“Oh, it will be ok. Besides what choice do we have?” Susie reasoned. I had to admit that she was right. With the raft turned over, a long gash was revealed on the right side of the hull. “How bad is it?” Susie asked.
“Not great,” I grunted.
“Can it be fixed?”
“Yeah, I think so.” I said, not wanting to admit to Susie or myself how bad the jagged incision truly was.
Susie stood over my shoulder staring at the raft for a few minutes. I knew her mind was working. “How about we try plan B,” she said finally. “They have an aluminum drift boat tied up at their camp. What if I provide a distraction while you get the boat. We can meet back here and be long gone before they even miss it.”
“That’s risky,” I said. “We couldn’t get too far in the dark. ‘Bout a mile and a half before we’d have to pull off the river to avoid running some serious water in the dark. And it won’t be fun and games if they do catch us.”
“Well, if you think you can repair our raft, we don’t have to worry about it.” Susie said matter of factly.