The River Boss

Seth Coates is my boss at Windfall Rafting. He is a 30 year old father of three that has a passion for three things; God, outdoors, and the river. He is one of the better guides in Maine and has picked up the sport of rafting in just a few short years. When he was first selected to manage Windfall, he had never been rafting before, but he quickly mastered the art of guiding and has become a leader physically and spiritually for his employees.  Before every trip on the river, Seth, or one of the guides leads the staff in a quick word of prayer and encouragement. Since Windfall is a commercial rafting company, they don’t make the trips directly religious, but one of the goals of every trip is, as Seth puts it, “to give every customer one positive experience with a Christian.”

When I asked Seth why he liked managing Windfall he said, “because it gives me an opportunity to do something I love every day, and it gives me countless opportunities to share my faith and give unbelievers a good experience with a Christian.” Rafting is fun, but it also takes up a lot of time.

Rafting can be a huge leech on family time, but Seth balances work with his family quite well compared to most owners. Seth guides on just about every trip Windfall goes on throughout the summer.  He says “In the summer, I work a lot and see my family a little, but I always take at least one day of the week to spend time with them and be the Godly leader I should be.”

Seth has a heart for people, and God has placed him at Windfall for a reason. He may not be the type of person to push his faith on people, but every person that goes down the river in his boat is positively impacted towards Christ.

Here is a link to Windfall Rafting's website. Come on out and have an adventure this summer with Seth and our crew!
http://www.windfallrafting.com/

The Maine Whitewater Experience-Awesome showcase of Maine Rafting

This is an awesome video showcasing rafting in Maine. They show shots from both the Kennebec and the Penobscot Rivers. They also show some other cool stuff to do in Maine at the end. Overall very cool video put out by the Maine Office of Tourism. A must watch if you're interested at all in Maine Whitewater Rafting!




Whitewater Rafting Experience in Maine from Maine Office of Tourism on Vimeo.

Best and Cheapest Gear

The best and cheapest river gear is arguably NRS. NRS or Northwestern River Supply is widely considered to have the biggest and widest selection of anything to do with river sports. They have even received the nickname "The Walmart of river sports" by many. Started over 40 years ago, NRS specializes in Whitewater gear but also offers a wide selection of other outdoor items you may need too.

Anything from whitewater rafts to hats and sunglasses, they have it all. NRS' closest rival is River Sports Outfitters, but they do not have the selection NRS has.  One of the downfalls of NRS gear is the quality. NRS gear has the tendency to be cheap and usually made in China, but it holds up to moderate use and is adequate for most things.

 NRS is primarily an online mail order company because of the remote locations of most of their customers, but they do have a large warehouse type store and showroom in the state of Washington. They also offer excellent sales and some of the best pro-deals in the nation for anyone working in the industry (guides, outfitters, or even pro kayakers). Overall they are a great company and a place where I will be shopping for all my river needs for years to come.