Hi Bell Parents,

We just finished a long, but rewarding day.

We left at 7:30 this morning on the bus in Colorado Springs for our whitewater rafting trip on the Arkansas River. We arrived at Arkansas River Tours (ART) in Cotopaxi and were given a life vest and a helmet. Also, rubber booties were given to all who did not have Tevas or sneakers. We boarded the rafting bus and went to the start at the Bighorn Sheep Canyon. We were given detailed instruction in whitewater rafting safety. We were assigned 4 or 5 to a raft in addition to our expert ART guide. Then we hopped into our raft and started our trip. We experienced a few class III rapids. All of the kids did fine.

We stopped about 1:00 at a picnic-type area along the river where we had lunch. Then we continued our trip in the beautiful Royal Gorge portion of the river where we experienced more frequent rapids including a couple of class IV rapids. Our guide spent some time instructing us on how to negotiate these rapids. I am happy to report that all of our kids did an outstanding job and all enjoyed it.

We were finished around 4:30 and boarded our bus for a trip back to Colorado Springs to the First Congregational Church. The kids set up the bells for their 7:30 PM concert. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner provided by church members. Even though the kids were tired from our rafting trip, they did a wonderful job! We had a good appreciative audience. After the concert, all were served ice cream sundaes.

So, that's it for today. Tomorrow, the kids play for the 8:30 and 11:00 services at the Air Force Academy.

George

A couple of additional notes from Day 2:

- Because we were white water rafting, I did not take my digital camera. Consequently, I have no pictures of our rafting adventure. Hopefully, we will be able to get a video or some photos of our time on the river.

- We were blessed by a group of wonderful people at the First Congregational Church of Colorado Springs headed by Carol Fields. Carol and her group fed us and provided our homestays. They really outdid themselves in their loving care and hospitality.

George

Chapel Ringers, First Congregational Church

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