River Float: A Digital Story

I love both words and images, and it's nice to have a low-stakes place like this blog to play around with them. Several years ago, I had fun posting a "short graphic novel" entitled "Dead Rat." I thought I'd do something similar and create a small digital story about a float down the Spokane River that we did yesterday.

River Float

Drifting Leisurely Down the Spokane River

Every summer since we moved to Spokane, Isaac and I tube with groups of friends down a section of the Spokane River that's just a walk away from our neighborhood. After bringing cars to the takeout place, making sure we have enough life jackets to go around, inflating the tubes, and walking down from the park to the river (all of which takes much, much longer than you would expect), we finally ease into the chilly water and start off on our hour-and-a-half float through several sets of rapids, plenty of lazy bends, and lots of nature.

Looking back toward our put-in spot:

I never bring a phone or camera along because it would get soaked, but yesterday, we got to try out my parents' inflatable kayak, which they gifted to us. What a game changer! Our trip was much faster and a bit drier. We towed my dad in a tube--not bad for an old guy. ;)

Part of my paddle fell off, so dangit, I couldn't do any paddling and had to just relax in the front of the kayak with my feet up.

It was late afternoon. The sun was starting to set and the golden-y glow was lovely.

I didn't record any videos of the rapids because I was busy trying to stay inside the kayak and out of the water (and having too much fun), but I did manage to get a few clips from some smoother parts: 

(Song credits: "Nyatiti" by Andrew Bird)

Well, I guess that wasn't so much a story as it was a bunch of pictures with captions. Ah well.

The end.