Hamilton Montana

Hamilton Montana
We are at the Angler’s Roost RV Park here just south of Hamilton Montana. It’s a nice spot here on the Bitterroot River and lots of trees surrounding us and we have electric and water. We have been here for two nights and so yesterday I had the RV serviced in town. Nice place and the people seemed to know what they were doing and did not try to get me to upgrade all of the services. I hate that when they say do you want your xxx done?
After that we left the Jeep by the Main St bridge in town and came back with the RV so that we could tube down the Bitterroot River. Now there are several things you should know about this adventure. Number one you should know what the river is like (did not know this only saw others doing it) and number two you should go with the proper equipment (we only had one inner tube and a short inflatable boogie board).
Let me diverse and explain a little river hydrology. One if the flow and volume of water remains the same and the area it occupies lessens the water will flow faster. This is what causes rapids. Secondly the Bitterroot does not flow in a straight line but meanders in s and c curves and splits often around islands that are merely rock sandbars. Water flowing around a curve will flow faster around the long side of the curve  C than on the short side of the curve C  . Third, if you are in a lighter than water craft the water will push you to the fastest flowing part of the river.
Now at campsite the water is waist high and flows with relative little speed (remember the larger the area the slower the current). But just downriver there are some rapids (shallow water therefore faster water). Bev an I started off with both of us sharing the inner tube and the raft just going along for the ride. This did not prove to be a great idea as it was hard to maneuver and we hit bottom on the rapids. Remember that shallow fast running water. When you do this you tend to eject the occupants of the tube. Bev was not happy.
Now to those curves in the river and you are going to be pushed to the long side of the curve because that is where the fastest water is. This also happens to be where the river has deposited the large trees that have come down in the last several years along it’s banks. Trees are not a good thing because you tend to get tangled in all of those nasty branches that want to dislodge the occupants from their tube and puncture the tube itself if not engaging it a battle of trying to steal it from you. All I can say si that many a time I would be saying “S@#@#%#tg t another tree up ahead”. Or Bev would tell me “I hear rapids ahead”
After being upended several times and a tree catching Bev and when would not let go until exhausted I decided that it was best if I straddled the raft and Bev road in the tube. This proved more successful but I did lose the raft at one time on a shallow rapid and Bev went floating off on her own with great wails and cries of I’m not sure what. But we made it safe (I’m not sure sound ) to the bridge and I was glad to be there.
Lorne
1 Campground at Anglers Lodge
2 Bitterroot River
3 First small rapid