An account

I am outside, I think by the river walk. I am walking along and above the river as quite a few people float down it. I know a few of the people floating. The river has been fairly mellow, but I see that just ahead it becomes turbulent, steep, and rocky. The water is violently sucked through narrow openings in the dark rock, and I get really scared for a moment, thinking its too late for them to get out of the water and so they will be swept away. I then see some sort of tube that they are able to crawl down. It is not as steep as I thought either, so they can make it safely. I am now down by the water. A portion of it is covered by a bridge or some other wood that is only a foot or to above the surface. I get into the water and the resulting cool shade. There are some school aged kids in here. There is a slight rapid and they are jumping/doing tricks down it. I make my way closer to the edge, moving a fishing line or string of some sort out of the way. Suspended on it is a small creature or two, or the remnants thereof. It is slightly uncomforting. I do not jump, but I slide down the rapid. I am now in a flat section that I think is the end of the river. I think it is the end because in a few yards it seems to start to drain into the ground below. Water coming from the other direction meets it and drains too, in a slight whirlpool. There are two guys (in red shirts?) standing by it. I have been asleep and dreaming when I briefly awaken. I am just awake enough to be conscious of it, though my eyes are still closed and I am still lying still. The image I am remembering of the dream is of an older, bearded man's face (older, but not too old, long hair and beard coarse and mostly brown, but with some gray). I recall this image and try to make it seem real, and it starts to pull me back into the dream state. My body starts to tingle and feel like it is floating. I hear some sort of static/whooshing sound. I see a hypnagogic montage of whitish and wispy outlines of faces against black. It feels like I might be out to enter back into the dream, but I never do, the awareness returning to my body.