.
All the paddlers got soaked every day rafting on the river.
Two partially blind students from Tucson took a trip.
Everyone in the group went through all the rapids.
Blind and sighted people learned from each other while they enjoyed an exciting rafting trip.
The water ran faster.
The winds were stronger.
There were fewer rapids.
The desert sun got hotter.
Waves
Progress
Warmth
A race
Strong winds blew against the rafts.
The wind held them back like a giant invisible hand.
That was the toughest part of the trip.
Everyone paddled hard to make headway.
They all had trouble controlling their paddles.
They were all blind.
They had never ridden the rapids before.
They all fell off the rafts.
They were better than the other sighted rafters.
They were stronger paddlers than the other sighted rafters.
They were perfect paddlers.
They didn't get nervous and listened for commands and responded quickly.
Explain how to paddle through rapids.
Describe the San Juan River.
Inform readers about an entertaining and educational adventure.
Entertain readers with a story about rafting guides.
"It sounds scary, but it's really fun!"
"We paddled for hours without stopping."
"The rapids were great-and so was the food!"
"That was the toughest part of the trip."
Explaining causes and effects.
Telling events in order.
Explaining problems and their solutions.
Making comparisons and contrasts.
Everyone benefits when people with and without handicaps work together.
Rafting is too dangerous for most people with handicaps.
Blind people can do anything that sighted people can do.
Sighted people are poor paddlers compared with blind people.
They rode through the biggest set of rapids.
They stopped in the town of Mexican Hat.
They learned to respond quickly to their guides.
They paddled hard to reach Lake Powell.
"The San Juan River flows from east to west across the desert of southeastern Utah."
"Those who could see described the sights to those who couldn't."
"This trip was fantastic."
"Under the hot desert sun, wet clothes dried quickly."
They were perfect paddlers.
When asked to close their eyes, the sighted people would feel uncomfortable.
Both handicapped people and non-handicapped people were able to help each other, have fun, and have a great trip.
Fisher often takes the handicapped on trips.
Relieved that they had survived the dangers.
Disappointed that the trip was over so soon.
Determined never to take a trip like that again.
Frightened by what they had experienced.
"They were perfect paddlers!"
"The visually handicapped people actually did a little better."
"You hit the waves, you go down real fast like a rollercoaster."
Paddlers hurled buckets of water at each other.