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My credit card has turned platinum from all the canine accessories I've purchased for my German shepherd hearing dog Rosie, from flexible frisbees and orange backpacks to toothpaste and collapsible water bags. But an Aqua Dog life vest? That one even surprised me. So did our most recent travel adventure: rafting down the Yakima River in central Washington. Our actual destination was the farming/college community of Ellensburg, home to Central Washington University and the site of a conference we would be attending on people with disabilities. Ellensburg is only a two-hour drive east of Seattle, but once you're over the Cascade Mountain range, the terrain transforms sharply from the lush, tall pines of the Puget Sound area to the more scrubby landscape of high desert.

One of my coworkers had the inspired idea of leaving Seattle a day early so we could all go rafting. The river, rising in the Cascades near Snoqualmie Pass, flows southeast about 200 miles past Ellensburg and Yakima to join the Columbia River. The Yakima Indian name means "runaway," referring to its rushing waters, and I could just see Rosie being jettisoned tail over nose into the churning river.

We hooked up with Rill Adventures, and they assured us this is not serious white water rafting. You can choose to float in the calm water or get a little frisky and confront some white-capped waves, but it's a safe ride, perfect for the family or inexperienced rafters. Rosie was welcome on the river, but Rill suggested she wear doggie booties so her nails wouldn't slash the heavy rubber and capsize us all - and put the price of an eight-man, ripped raft on that platinum card. Needless to say, I bought the booties.

A country store on a dusty lane in Thorpe was our rendezvous point, where we loaded gourmet sandwiches, fruits and veggies into coolers, not to mention lots of water and tall, cool ones. Another staff member, seized momentarily by a blast from the past, bought us all gargantuan, double-action squirt guns, and our water adventure began before we could even see the river. Rosie, a true water baby, took most of the liquid hits right in the mouth.

An employee from Rill, driving an oversized Suburban that towed a trailer carrying two sturdy-looking blue rafts, led our caravan to the point where we would debark at the end of the day. Leaving our vehicles there, all 10 of us plus Rosie, a big 90-pounder, managed to pile into the Suburban for the trek upriver.

Our launching area was no more than a wide spot along the two-lane road. We wrestled the rafts down a small hill to the river, which seemed to flow more like its Indian name than the gentle class one river it actually is. Being a novice rafter, I was wary of those little white caps dancing out there on the current, and I cinched Rosie's and my lifejackets a bit tighter. She's used to wearing a backpack when she's working, so the bright yellow vest was no problem. The booties were another matter. Not to laugh at my able canine assistant, but she walked on land like she was wearing four scuba fins. The booties didn't stop her, though, from jumping into the raft when I said jump, and she claimed her position as lookout perched at the bow.

We shoved off, five people to a raft, four of them with paddles in hand steering us into the center of the river. I gripped Rosie's leash with one hand and her lifejacket with the other, not knowing how she would react to the new sensation of bobbling up and down in a big piece of rubber surrounded by water. I halfway expected her to try jumping out. However, one thing I've discovered working with her is she's amazingly adaptable to new situations, taking her cue from me. So if I didn't mind bobbling, she didn't either. At first her ears were glued back and she kept glancing at me every few seconds, but that didn't last long. Soon those ears were up straight and moving like radar to pick up every nuance of this new environment.

We were all beginning to feel comfy and lulled by the 75-degree weather when we spotted "rapids" ahead. I grabbed Rose, and everyone yelled "Hold on," hooting and hollering like 10-year-olds on a roller coaster. We gripped the ropes while the raft broncoed through the strong waves, soon settling back to its more sedate pace. Rosie was pretty nonchalant through it all and enjoyed cooling off in the splashes.

I discovered that rafting on a (mostly) gentle river can be therapeutic, with sun and solitude soothing the body and spirit. We saw only one other group of rafters the entire day, along with several fishermen wading in the shallows and casting their flies. The Yakima is a prime, year-round trout fishing river, home of rainbow, cutthroat and cut bow trout as well as brook trout and steelhead. Fishermen often toss their gear in a raft and cast as they float.

Rosie, however, was much more interested in things flying than swimming. Swallows, attracted to the rich farmlands irrigated by the Yakima, dart and swoop across the river, snatching insects off the water. More than once I thought Rosie might execute one of her standing leaps to snatch one out of the air. The swallows have plastered hundreds of their small, conical mud nests to the sides of the canyon wall and constantly buzz in and out. More spectacular were several eagles soaring overhead, hunting for trout swimming close to the surface.

The banks of the river are mostly tangled with trees and bushes, so we hadn't yet been able to make a pit stop. But several hours into the trip, we spotted a sandy beach, and you could hear a collateral sigh of relief from both rafts. Rosie, divested of her booties, blazed a trail through the brambles and bushes, finding me a good rest stop. Then she was off chasing a rather large rodent-like creature that could have been a badger or beaver - it scrambled away from her too fast for a proper i.d. After exploring an abandoned and decaying barn and outbuildings, we tucked into the excellent lunch provided by Rill. Content to sit awhile, we chatted and absorbed the peace far from cell phones and computers.

For the final stretch of our 14 river-mile ride, we repopulated the rafts—girls in one, boys in the other—and the race was on. However, after a major squirt gun standoff and a man overboard on the guy raft, we settled in for a leisurely float. Surprisingly, several times we hit doldrums, where the raft seemed determined to circle in the same little eddy, and it took some well-muscled heaves from our female crew to get us back into the main current. Rosie finally pooped out, curling up in the wet bottom of the raft with her head against the side and her nose sticking up above board. I think by then we were all feeling ready to do the same as we quietly drifted toward the end of our four-hour trip. The Rill people were at the exit point to pull us out and load up the rafts. All we had to do was regain our land legs, which took Rosie about half a second before she went wading in the river again. We all agreed we hadn't had so much fun in years. We might even make it an annual trip - no sense in buying an Aqua Dog for Rosie to wear just once.

Rafting, Fishing and Rodeos

The Yakima River and Ellensburg area provide about as many outdoor activities as there are sports: rafting, fishing, snow and water skiing, mountain biking, hang gliding, hiking, camping, horseback riding and rock climbing and even a world class rodeo. Rill Adventures, Thorp, 888-281-1561, offers both rafting and fishing trips. The Floater's Deal, one raft (6-8 people), gear, picnic lunch and delivery, is $85 for the four-hour trip.

The Evening Hatch Guide Service, 509-962-5959, provides a full range of fishing adventures, regardless of your fishing ability. Their guides know every nook of the Yakima River. The Day Trip: $295 per boat, available year round. Includes a full day float/fish on the river, a hearty waterside lunch, beverages and snacks. Covers anywhere from 2-10 miles of river and incorporates both float fishing and wading, depending on the season, water flows and hatches.

The Ellensburg Rodeo, started back in 1923, has earned its place among the best in the PRCA lineup and enjoys worldwide recognition. Its uniquely American athletic competition features many of the finest riders, ropers, wrestlers, and racers in the country. It is held every Labor Day weekend in conjunction with the Kittitas County Fair, which is an offspring of a three-day reunion in 1885 of veterans of the Grand Army of the Republic.

Chimposiums: Five adult chimpanzees that communicate with humans and each other using American Sign Language reside at the Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute in Ellensburg. The mission of CHCI is to protect and care for these chimpanzees, educate the public on the endangered status of wild chimpanzees, help improve the lives of all captive chimpanzees through ongoing research, and serve as a humane research facility for students. One-hour workshops for the public held on weekends. Reservations necessary. Best Inn/R&R Resort, 888-889-9870, provides both comfortable rooms and RV sites for your stay in Ellensburg. Includes indoor pool and sauna, 80 RV sites with full hookup, sport court, clubhouse and catering.

Circle H Holiday Ranch, Thorp, http://www.eburg.com/~circleh/  , 509-964-2000, offers a getaway for horse lovers. Cabin suites include sitting room, kitchenette, bedroom and full bath. Horseback riding is the main activity at Circle H, but there's also hiking, biking, swimming or relaxing in the sauna. Kids will enjoy the enclosed play area and corral of small critters. Circle H also invites you to bring your own horse. From their trailhead, you can explore 1,000,000 acres of wilderness.

For more information about Ellensburg: www.eburg.com

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