A happenin' town

Yes, Salida, Colorado, is a great little town, as readers of this blog are well aware. No matter what time of year we visit, there always seems to be something interesting going on.

Of course, one of those things is the Arkansas River, which runs right through town and isn't just a stream that we like. People come from all over the country, and likely the world, to experience its whitewater.

During our last visit, it being springtime in the mountains, a good bit of the snow that we ran into on our high country hike had found its way into the Arkansas and it was flowing at a nice clip. Plenty of water for our cataraft, that needed its Chama mud washed away...

doesn't this boat look a little familiar?

So we joined some local paddling friends for a quick jaunt from just upstream of town to just downstream of it.

No Chama winds for Henry this time, which made him quite happy at his oars...

love those mountains in the background!!

Our route took us through a chute that's been made around a little dam. We've gone over it before, in another raft and in kayaks. But this was the maiden chute voyage for the cataraft. Here's a look back upstream at the dam and the chute, on the right:

We were in the Amen Battlestar, but our friends chose considerably smaller and more maneuverable craft. Guiding these tippy little things down the river apparently has great appeal for many paddlers. (Me, I'm happy to be on our solid, stodgy cataraft.) Here's one of our friends demonstrating what the playboats can do, in expert hands:

Even more expert hands guide competitive boats down this course a bit further downstream, right in the middle of bustling downtown Salida:

see the hanging poles marking the gates? just like in the Olympics!

---

But Salida has more to offer than just world-class whitewater. It has its own pro sports team! Pretty impressive for a town of just over 5000 people.

Yes, these are the ArkValley (for the aforementioned river) High Rollers! And what a show they put on! In the photo above they're the gals in white shirts, battling a team from Utah. The sport is flat track roller derby and it is amazingly entertaining and fun to watch. Pretty physical, too, as you might gather from the number of officials required to police the match (guys and girls in the familiar striped shirts).

We were treated to a particularly exciting match. In fact, there had to be an official confab after time ran out to verify the score, it was that close...but the good girls in white shirts were given the victory, to the delight of their many fans in attendance.

Can't wait to go to another game!

Which provides me with a great segue. As you read this I'm back in Colorado. But my next post might surprise you. It won't happen for a week or two, but hopefully will be worth the wait. Stay tuned!