A previously un-noticed air compressor kicked off at 4:00 am, with an impressive roar.  After peeling myself off the ceiling, I laid back down, with my heart doing about 180 on an hyper-adrenaline rush for the next 2 minutes.  Amazingly, most of the Scouts slept through it, with only a few murmured “What the Hell?” queries.  Got up at 4:30 and did the bathroom thing.  61 degrees and clear; better stars tonight, too, for some reason.  A set of bleachers was being set up in a large lot next to the shed, for a command change ceremony this afternoon.  I didn’t recall seeing any of this last night, so they must have started after midnight.  A mighty early duty call there....  Crew reveille at 4:50.  Everyone up and bustling in short order - the benefit of 7 hours of sleep, and instructions last night when everyone was still reasonably alert.  Today we had to completely clear the main floor of the shed, because the command change ceremony would have to be relocated inside the shed in the (unlikely) event of rain.  After moving all our gear back out to the truck, we stacked all the cots in a small space at the far end of the shed, where they would be out of the way - a heck of a lot faster and easier than having to disassemble and reassemble them.  On the road at 5:25, good time again.  Most of the guys quickly zoned out as we (once again) headed back out the MLK Bypass, up I-25 North, and west on Rt 24.  Pulled into the Woodland Park McDonalds at 5:55, and waited a few more minutes for them to open (they actually opened at about 6:05).  They also insisted on the mass-order thing, but this time they got just about everything right on the first pass.  After a quick group toiety, we hit the road for Buena Vista at 6:30.  Passed the turnoff for Eleven Mile Canyon, and continued climbing to the high plateau.  [Informational Aside:  I always enjoy this drive for the dramatic changes in the flora as you gain elevation; after 9 trips, you look forward to certain things, and this is one for me.  There's 2 distinctly different sets of trees as you climb out of Colorado Springs; first is a very thick areas of Douglas Fir, Spruce, Aspen and Lodgepole Pines, which quickly thins out to (almost exclusively) Ponderosa Pines.  Once you crest the pass, you're treated to a spectacular view of a high plateau spreading in a 50 mile vista in all directions to the front, with views of the snow-capped Collegiate Range to the far west.]  However, this year the terrible drought the area had been suffering under became increasingly apparent the further west we travelled - everything very dry and brown, dead.  Almost no cattle to be seen, anywhere.  I had heard that ranchers all across the west were selling off their herds, and that certainly appeared to be the case here.  However, in a first for me in all the times I’ve been here, we saw 6 llamas on the way, all with shaggy brown coats (quite a bit different looking than those I had encountered in my various DEA trips to South America).  As we approached Hartsel, we saw several distant herds of buffalo to either side, then four antelope on the left (no shoulder, so couldn’t stop for a photo).  At Hartsel, there was a very large buffalo herd right next to the road, so we slowed for a few pictures.  Pulled into Wilderness Aware at 7:50.  Bright and sunny, and already getting warm.  There were quite a large number of people already present and milling around, including at least one other Scout group (Troop 371 from St. Louis; according to one of the staff members, there was also a small COPE group from Camp Alexander, doing a different “all-day” tour - but if so I missed them).  After checking our payment paperwork (I had already pre-paid everything here), we met with our “Group Organizer” (missed her name) and filled out all our liability forms, with my signature serving in loco parentis for everyone except Thomas.  Water conditions were reasonable (51 degrees), but the water flow was extremely low:  272 cfs - which was just ridiculous.  We have been here in past years where the water flow was several thousand cfs.  According to our Group Organizer, the various rafting companies had made a more or less collective decision to stop rafting if the water flow went below 250 cfs, and as it was several areas were already impassable.  Well, we’re here, so whatever it is, it is.  The high for the day was expected to be about 85 degrees, but rain was also possible, so after some discussion, Neil rented some neoprene booties, and three of the guys also went back to the van for their jackets.  We started lathering up with sunscreen, and per instructions divided into three groups.  An orientation assembly was called at 8:20 by “Beaver”, and everyone gathered around for the standard spiel and to get introduced to their guides.  Hugh, Thomas, Michael, Drew were with Sarah; Luke, Todd, Will, Matt and Neil were with “Pinkie”; and Charlie, William, Mark, and I were with Lisa. Once the introductions were over, we all grabbed and fitted our life jackets, selected paddles, and got on the bus.  More instructions on the bus, but not as much as usual, so we got a chance to chat with some of the leaders from Troop 371 (who were on the same bus).  Turned out they were climbing Mt. Harvard (one of the biggest peaks in the Collegiate Range just west of Buena Vista), expecting to summit in three days.  Mt. Harvard is one of the so-called “14-ers” - meaning 14,000 plus feet in elevation - so certainly not a trivial backpacking challenge.  Finally pulled into the parking lot at the launch site (a different spot this year), and things returned to hustle and bustle as the guides set up and re-pressurized the rafts, then gave their groups some quick paddling instructions.  This was quicker than usual - probably because the river just wasn’t that challenging this year, and was doubtless slower too. Regardless, we were soon all manhandling our rafts down to the river.  As expected, the river was indeed quite low, but it was deep enough to start anyway.  As usual, we started off with some paddling drills, which quickly degenerated into splash fights -  first with 111, then with 371 (our boat won, of course!, even when ambushed - don’t mess with the Bob!)  It was sunny and hot, and we were treated to some great views of the canyon, and also saw two big horn sheep on the left bank - the first I’ve ever seen here, and probably reflecting the lack of water at their normal (higher) elevations.  Then we started heading into the first rapids, (Screen Door) occasionally grounding on the more shallow rocks.  Then soon into the oneaftertheother succession of real rapids - Pinball, Zoom Flume [Photos: 1, 2, 3], Egg-Beater, Big Drop, Staircase, Widowmaker, Raft Ripper, Seidel's Suckhole, and Twin Falls - and even with low water, most of these were still plenty of fun.  There were some nice calm stretches between each set of rapids, too.  Most of the rapids required some fairly tricky maneuvering, including backing and spinning, and in fact this was probably the hardest I’ve ever had to work to raft here.  In two places we got out to manhandle the rafts past impossible stretches, and we got badly stuck at another spot (along with half the other rafts coming down the river), taking about 5 minutes to extricate ourselves.  [Photos: 1, 2]  William managed to topple in twice, both harmlessly.  But all in all, the rafting wasn’t bad - just a different kind of experience with the lower water, and still lots of fun.  Of note, the huge rock in the middle of the river (Raft Ripper) had broken in two and rolled downstream during a previous flood, so that rapid was quite a bit different than past years.  A few of the guys did a little swimming on the last stretch of calm water, just before the takeout.  Good time.  After reloading all the rafts back on the trailer, we got back in the buses for a fairly long (30 minute) ride back.  The guides handed out Capri-Sun drink packets and peanut butter and cheese cracker packs, and tried to out-do each other with groaningly bad jokes.  Got back at 1:20, very late!  I quickly reopened the van, and the guys grabbed their dry biking stuff, and headed back to the changing rooms.  I reviewed the array of rafting pictures (taken at Zoom Flume), and bought the three best shots for an outrageous $58.00  Then got changed myself.  Neil bought a T-shirt, and the guys raided the snacks laid out in the gift shop.  For some reason, Troop 371 really went after the hot chocolate (but not us).  Alarmed at how late it was, I pushed everyone to get going.  Gave tips to Lisa, Sarah, and “Pinkie” - they were very grateful, but they really earned it today.  Off at 1:45 - given the choice, Scouts picked Pizza Hut over Pancho’s (a Mexican place we had eaten at during previous visits).  We arrived at Trailhead at 1:50; after we laid out our wet stuff on the van and some nearby posts, everyone went over to get fitted on their bikes while I went into the Pizza Hut (next-door) to pre-order to save time.  I ended up ordering five pizzas and drinks - two meat lovers, two pepperoni lovers, one cheese lovers - but just as I was paying for it, Hugh walked in with a disgusted expression and shaking his head.  It turned out Trailhead had only five bikes that could fit us (they thought “Scouts” meant Cub Scouts or micro-Scouts, not the Adult-sized macro-Scouts in our Crew).  Pretty aggravating, especially since we had been here half a dozen times before - and did these guys really think I would be bringing a bunch of Cub Scouts to Buena Vista, Colorado from Arlington, Virginia???  After our problems in 2000, and now this, I think our relationship with Trailhead is officially over.  The guys collectively decided to bag the mountain biking altogether rather than have less than half the Crew go out, and we immediately switched to our backup activity - a visit to Royal Gorge.  With that, everyone headed over to the Pizza Hut at 2:00 (the ETA for the pizzas), but things “weren’t going well” with the place a mess, the Manager AWOL, the soda tap on the fritz, only two waitresses, and a dining room full of rather unhappy customers.  Other than all that, just ducky!  We sat down, and I immediately offered my services to help set up - but apparently I wasn’t allowed behind the counter (insurance, what else?)  But I handled the cups, ice, and some of the plates and silverware, and we were allowed to get six 2-liter bottles of soda from the takeout refrigerator since the tap was dead.  The pizzas finally arrived at 2:20, and we chowed down, finishing by around 2:50.  Another large group of teenagers (another youth group, not Scouts) came in as we were finishing up, so I gave away our remaining soda to them and a few other customers.  I asked our waitress the best way to get to Royal Gorge (there are two ways to go); she said back to Hartsel to Rt. 9 South to Rt. 50 East (as opposed to 285 South to 50 East).  Back at the van, we collected our drying stuff, and hit the road.  Dark clouds to the south suggested heavy weather ahead.  Back to Rt. 24 East to Hartsel, then south on Rt. 9.  Turned out to be a pretty slow drive on Rt. 9 - there were some extensive delays for road construction.  Oh well....  Of note, we did see two more antelope to the left.  The dark clouds turned into a moderate rain-storm, but fortunately only a couple of lightning strikes - the last thing these guys needed was yet another forest fire.  The storm cleared up as we approached Rt. 50.  I wasn’t real sure on the location of Royal Gorge approaching from this direction, but as it turned out we got a distant view of it on the left (east) as we came to the Rt. 50 intersection, so it was easy enough.  Then just follow the signs.  Pretty wild that we’re on the exact same road that bisects Arlington, 2000 miles to the east.  After a few minutes, turned right onto the access road.  Oddly, there were some cattle on the access road this year, but no deer (usually, they’re all over the place - whereas I had never seen a cow here before, at least not that I could recall).  They had also cleared some of the timber on both sides (fire safety, maybe?)  The lot was surprisingly crowded.  The ticket office was kind enough to give us a Scout group discount (from $17 to $11 each), even though we had no reservations.  Nice of them.  We did the nickel tour:  First the bridge [Photos: 1, 2, 3] (where we got the usual group shot at the Virginia flag, and admired the incredible view to both sides).  [Photos: 1, 2]  Royal Gorge is (I believe) the highest suspension bridge in the world, just short of 1100 feet over the Arkansas river.  Then we headed up to overlook point (where the guys did the classic falling off the cliff shot), then the aerial tram [Photos: 1, 2].  Lots of photo ops along the way.  [Photos: 1, 2, 3]  After a brief stop at the gift shop [Photos: 1, 2], we all headed down the incline railway to the river for a short visit [Photos: 1, 2]; the water situation here was slightly improved over Brown’s Canyon, but was still as low as I had personally ever seen it.  After watching a few rafts and kayaks come by, we headed back up.  Up top, we watched hummingbirds at a feeder for a few minutes, then headed back out to the lot.  Although I think we would all have preferred to go mountain biking (“doing” is always preferable to “looking at” for Scout activities), all in all it was an interesting visit.  Left at 7:00, and took it easy back down the access road, dodging cattle again in one stretch, then down to K-Bob’s restaurant at the far end of Canon City.  After some discussion, we gave everyone a $12 limit on dinner, and I headed back out the door to gas up the van (leaving Hugh to order for me).  Another big gulp of premium.  Back in about 20 minutes, and another 20 minutes til the meals arrived.  As usual, pretty good food, albeit a bit more expensive than I’d like.  However, everyone at least finished below the price ceiling.  We finished up at 8:45, just as it was getting dark.  Hugh helped an elderly lady to get to her car as we exited.  On the road again:  Rt. 50 East to Rt 115 North to Ft. Carson, then across on Academy Blvd. to I-25, and on to Peterson.  After another “sit and wait at the gate” while the MP’s pondered our vehicle pass for the third straight night, we got back to the shed around 10:10.  Although we were all pretty beat by this point, I pushed everyone to completely empty the van (to save time tomorrow morning).  Then we recovered our cots from their hiding place, opened the garage doors, set everything up, and laid out the last of our still-wet gear outside, hopefully to dry out overnight.  There was a nice breeze blowing, which helped on that score.  Held another quick Crew organizational meeting:  Uniforms laid out ready.  Pre-pack as much as possible.  Take showers tonight - none tomorrow morning.  Hugh also handed out the Crew T-shirts, since the Council bus generally requires Class A’s or B’s for travel, and Class A’s for all public venues.  The Scouts all took showers, then spent some time playing with some of the equipment.  I tried to set the alarm on my watch again - lets hope I got it right at last!  Lights out at 10:50.  I grabbed a shower, since the Koshare Indian Kiva and Basecamp might both be under more restrictive water conservation measures than Peterson.  Prayers and bed for me by 11:20.  Slept a little better tonight - thankfully, no compressor kickoff!  Despite the idiocy and disappointment at Trailhead, another good day.