Port Aransas South Jetty (Port Aransas, Tex.), Vol. 9, No. 18, Ed. 1 Thursday, October 18, 1979 Page: 3 of 8
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OCTOBER 18, 1979
SOUTH JETTY
PACE 3
“We had weathered a
number of near catastro-
phes in ten short days and
would carry indelible
markings from the river
and the canyons back into
civilization. But even in
victory we are strangely
relieved, knowing the can-
yon and her river temp-
tress will remain forever
wild and unturned, able to
humble all who invade her
privacy. ”
ESCAPE by James L.
Moore in Young Life,
Winter, 1979
On the east bank of the
Colorado, not far below The
Confluence (where the Green and
Colorado rivers merge), stands a
modest-sized billboard. But any
kind of sign in that kind of
isolation has to grab your atten-
tion. Like a scorpion crawling on
your sleeping bag.
This one does. With gusto.
WARNING! DANGEROUS RA-
PIDS DOWNRIVER! HAZARD-
OUS WATER! CATARACT CAN-
YON AHEAD! TRAVEL PERMIT
REQUIRED BY LAW!
Getting ready for our fnal run
through some of the most
treacherous whitewater rapids in
the country, friends Don Edwards
and Bill Prvor weren't talking
much. From Victoria, both are
neophytes and not too sure of
what the day will bring. Except
that it’ll be exciting. And they
remembered the sign!
The day before, after a late
afternoon start due to an unex-
plained hole in one raft, we had
come but four miles. Even then,
the river had taken its toll.
Therese had literally bounced out
of the large oar raft when it
slammed against a huge wave in
Rapid No. 5. Fortunately she
managed to grab the survival rope
at the stern and hung on
desperately until the raft cleared
the rapids. A strained arm
seemed the most serious of her
injuries.
Now all eleven members of our
party are psyched up for the
testing awaiting us. In the next
few hours, we’ll face twenty
rapids in eleven miles, not much
breathing room in between.
Each rapid offers its own
peculiar challenge. Some will
require absolute technical perfec-
tion in maneuvering the raft,
others permit head-on confronta-
tion with 5 and 6 foot high rooster
waves. All of them put a premium
on leadership skill, teamwork . . .
and luck!
Edwards and I are paddling
bow in one Miwok with Deb as
captain and Roni in the stern.
Both of them are experienced
guides but have never rafted
through Cataract. The other
Miwok also has four paddlers,
including Pryor. Then James, our
leader, is rowing the large supply
raft with Therese as passenger.
Finally, an almost nerveless
young woman, Linda, is paddling
a tiny kayak - and doing it with
great skill against heavy odds.
Words can’t adequately des-
cribe all our thrills over the next
few hours. There’s something
elemental, primeval, in being
pitted against the tremendous
might of tons of water forced into
narrow confines, obstructed by
house-sized boulders, and drop-
ping rapidly toward sea level.
Some highlights will have to do.
On a midriver rock about
halfway through the Mile long
Rapids, the Best party in July,
1891, pecked out a message:
“Camp til, Hell To Pay, No. 1
Sunk & Down”. Just after passing
that landmark, Roni was swept off
the raft. When we picked her up,
unhurt, a half-mile downstream
she still had on her sun glasses.
Unbelievable.
Then, while our raft was being
battered by a fierce wave in
Capsize Rapid, Deb was thrown
out. She came up under the raft
and swallowed part of the river
before clawing out to one side and
hanging on to the rope while we
fought desperately to keep the
bow of the raft heading into the
waves. Broadside and unbalanced,
we would have flipped. Somehow
we kept it straight.
And all that was before we
reached The Big Drop, three
rapids with a fall of more than 30
feet in less than a mile - one of
the Colorado’s steepest stretches.
You guessed it. With adrenalin
pumping and fear riding on our
shoulders, each raft made the
proper technical approach, slipped
into the chute and past the
dangers lurking inches away on
either side, drove into and
breached the frightening wave
over the long, diagonal hole that
dominates Big Drop.
Other than the tons of water
that slammed against us, we went
through untouched. Then pulled
in at the first chance to rest and
celebrate our victory. This time
around.
Sir Edmund Hilary in FROM
THE SEA TO THE SKY describes
the Ganges River as the Mother
of Life for Hindus and tells about
their religious pilgrimages to the
headwaters of this great river. My
own feelings for the muddy,
turbulent Colorado, shared by
others who have experienced
Cataract Canyon, are less pristine.
Rather than a gentle, loving
mother, the Colorado is a lusty,
bawdy siren, luring the wary and
unwary alike.
But I keep going back.
Donation Goes
To Students
Last week Turtle Cove Restau-
rant, owned bv Lawton Haygood,
celebrated a grand re-opening
lollowing a short closing at the
end of the summer season. As
part of the opening, a share of the
proceeds from the dinners served
was donated to the Port Aransas
High School Social Activity Fund.
The share from the successful
party that was passed to the
school group amounted to $411.52.
which will be used by the
students to broaden the range of
their after school trips and
activities.
Island Bank
Funds New
Scholarship
The directors of Island State
Bank, in Port Aransas, have
established a scholarship fund to
aid a Port Aransas senior graduat-
ing from the new Port Aransas
High school in 1980.
The $500 scholarship will be
given to an outstanding member
of this, the school’s first graduat-
ing class, to be used in furthering
the student’s education in college,
according to bank president
George Gibson. School and bank
officials will join in selecting the
scholarship recipient from the
1980 graduating class.
Gibson added that Port Aransas
should be proud of its local
graduating students, and that he
hopes others in the community
will follow suit in establishing
scholarships to honor our stu-
dents. Other scholarships already
announced are from the Port
Aransas Boatman’s Association
and the Gulf Coast Arts and
Crafts Association.
Notice
The 3% discount is available for
the 1979 Ad Valorem taxes during
October only. Customers are
encouraged to take advantage of
the discount.
TOP OF THE MAST
LOUNGE Wide Screen TV
— FOOTBALL SPECIALS —
Sunday - lMoon to b
Monday Night Football
Beer .75 Highballs 1.25
Monday Night
FREE
Bar B Que Spare Ribs
In The Lounge
DINNER SPECIALS
Specials Include
Baked Potato And Salad Bar
Monday & Thursday
Rib Eye 6.95
Sunday
*
Prime Rib 6.95
yr-\
V.
I
OPEN
Thursday - Monday
Closed
Tuesday - Wednesday
749-6201
m
'’•I1'-; 'UN-'
RESTAURANT
Clines
Condominiums & Club
For Further Information:
Islander Real Estate
P. O. BOX 1529 ( '
Port Aransas, Texas 78373
Telephone: 512/749-6996
ELEGANCE AT THE WATER'S EDGE . . .
YEAR 'ROUND
IN PORT ARANSAS
Now Being Offered At
Pre-Construction Prices
Upcoming Pages
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Frishman, Steve. Port Aransas South Jetty (Port Aransas, Tex.), Vol. 9, No. 18, Ed. 1 Thursday, October 18, 1979, newspaper, October 18, 1979; Port Aransas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth601419/m1/3/?q=music: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Ellis Memorial Library.