Raft Trip down the Colorado

   Taking vacations was something we always looked forward too.  One summer we decided to take a trip to Colorado, we had been there many times before but it was always in the winter to go skiing.  On this trip our kids were teenagers and we we wanted to do things they were interested in as well memorable.

     A summer vacation in Colorado would be great.  We drove which is a long and boring drive especially for kids (19 & 16).  This was before smart phones, iPads even car video players, so we had to revert to count the cars (color) or some other word game to keep everyone occupied and entertained.  We stayed in Eagle Colorado, which is right off Hwy 70 and easy access to many interesting areas.  There were a number of things on the agenda but I had made up the list so it was not necessarily what my wife or kids would have chosen.

     We all were interested in going to Pikes Peak, and Hot Springs but the kids also wanted to go to the outlet mall which I didn't understand.  Why would that be interesting, were in the Rocky Mountains after all.  Well my wife pointed out to me that it's a vacation for us all not just me, ok but it still seemed wrong.  So in addition to Pikes Peak an Hot Springs we went to the mall but also the small town of Leadville, which has amazing scenery along the way.  There were many places on the road to Leadville with spots to park so you could walk down to the stream and just appreciate nature.  We did this a few times.  The water was crystal clear and icy cold even though it was summer, after all these were mountain streams fed by melting snow.  At one of these stops Mimi (my wife) rushed down ahead of us saying "I want to touch the pretty water" but around the pretty water were pretty slippery rocks and she quickly went down on her butt.  This was not really funny but for some reason things like this always make people laugh.  The kids laughed, I laughed even Mimi laughed and cried a little.  She touched pretty water and the pretty rocks.  Years later she found she had broken tail none.

     One thing still on the list was a raft trip down the Colorado river.  Mimi was a little tentative about this and told me to make sure it was a safe thing to do.  But instead I just bought the tickets and we all headed off to the meeting spot to sign waivers and get training on what to do if you fell out of the raft.  Mimi asks what the waivers were for, I said it's just a formality in case you die, the raft company is not responsible.  "What the hell" she said, " it's no biggie, it never happens" I said, but I hadn't convinced her.  She reluctantly signed the paper.  The raft instructor then went on to explain what to do if you fell out of the raft, you needed to cross your arms and legs pointing downstream and just float until the raft caught up with you. This was not a big confidence  builder either.  Neither the waiver nor the instructions bothered our kids, they  were anxious to go.

     At this point we got on the bus to take us to the put in point but I could see Mimi was getting more nervous as we approached.  As we pulled up you could see the rapids ahead and at this point Mimi said "I'm not going", the bus driver probably hearing these words many times said " I can drive you down below the rapids so you can get board the raft where it is calm".  Mimi thought that was a better idea and agreed to do that.   So the kids and I got on the raft and headed down the Colorado River toward the rapids with our experienced river guide from Creve Coeur, Missouri.  I'm not kidding our expert guide was Missouri transplant.  I would have preferred a bearded crotchety old mountain man with skin like tree bark and straggly hair (maybe a guy that just grunts and points because that’s the way you communicate in the wild) or an American Indian that could read the water ripples and tells chilling river stories, but it was not to be.  Just to let you know in case you're not familiar with the town of Creve Coeur, Missouri, it's an upper class neighborhood, not where you would find Bear Grylls scaling a mountain peak.  A rough outdoor experience for people from Creve Coeur would be using plastic wine glasses while camping in your motor home so having a river guide from Creve Coeur was a surprise.  As it turns out most of the guides on these raft rides were from some state other than Colorado. 

      We conquered the rapids without any mishaps (see photo) and enjoyed every moment, it was exhilarating.  We then proceeded down the river to pick up Mimi waiting on the shore, she hopped on and we continued on our way.  There were a few smaller rapids but none the size of the first.  We beached the raft to have lunch and relax.  After lunch we continued the raft trip, we were now in the deep but calm part of the river so you could jump in for a dip if you wanted.  There were a few other rafts around as well; this is when the water fight started. Our guide (let's call him Creve) had a water cannon and started shooting at the rafters in the other boats and they in turn sprayed us.  It was a fun day and a great way to end our rafting experience.  "Hey! Creve can I get another Latte before we dock with extra cinnamon this time."  Boy! It seems like all of our vacations have both memorable and funny experiences.