Moab Trip Part II::The River

Disclaimer #1: (Dial Up Users Beware.... LOADS of pics.... )


$10 waterproof WalMart cameras just don't take the quality of photos that I am used to (spoiled with) with my Canon SLR Digital Rebel 8.0 MP camera. Not by a long shot. BUT, I am GRATEFUL to have had the cameras on the river because a $10 waterproof WalMart camera is a bit more "dealable" than losing a $1000 + camera to the depths of the mucky Colorado River...

SO with that said... here are some pics from the River portion of our trip with the World Wide River Adventures rafting company.

Disclaimer #2: I take no responsibility for the goofy commentary or for any eyes that may be hurt in the glaring of the sun from my chubby white skin... lol. No Buttes were harmed in the making of this photo excursion, well, except maybe mine when I fell out of the kyak at the end of the day...

Here we are on the boat... all suited up.. Dig the matching sunglasses? LOL! Brent forgot his and the cheapies that I bought the day before lost the nose piece thingy and kept scratching my face... Maverick... Adventures First Stop!

Did I mention that US Coast Guard Approved Lifejackets are the most uncomfortable things invented? Their comfort resembles that of wearing a corset... I felt a bit like Elizabeth in Pirates of the Carribbean..... Someday I plan on inventing a lifejacket that will accommodate curvey people and "the girls"..... until then, we will be squoooshed in our USCG Approved Lifejacket...



We launched from a muddy hill on the side of the river. It was quite nerve wracking in my cheapie WMart water shoes and my knee to maneuver down the hill and into the boat. I was so afraid of landing on my bootay or cranking my knee. B was on the boat and settled in his seat in a matter of seconds. He practically leapt into the boat. The Colorado River is fast moving rather shallow river and so it's quite "mucky and muddy".





We had a pretty fun guide. He was funny and entertaining and told us a lot about the area we were floating through. Sometimes you get guides who are just there to work and aren't that fun. Chris was a riot!

In the background you can see the LaSalle Mountains... Still so strange to be floating on the river in swimshorts and a shortsleeve shirt and see snow in the mountains....


For the first half of the day, Brent and I rode on the big boat. Chris even let me row it for a while when we were in flat water. THAT was FUN! SOOOO Much FUN!




We stopped for lunch on the side of the river. Our guide and his helper unloaded a huge cooler stocked with sandwich stuff, chips, veggies, and fruits. The guys played this game where they held onto a paddle and then tried to place a stick in the ground without falling in the sand... It was hilarious to watch the MachoMachoMen try their best!




After lunch, Brent and I took our turn at rowing the inflatable Kyaks which was soooooo much fun! Scary, but fun. It's funny how Brent and I can practically read eachother's minds when it comes to what we want for dinner, what movie to see, or silly things we're doing, but when it comes to rowing in unison, our minds are on completely different train tracks. LOL! At the end of the day, about 100 ft from the pick up shore, we got stuck in what our guide called "All Day Eddie"... An Eddie is a section of water that just churns in circles, round and round, and round and round.... Well, we got stuck in it for about 10 minutes and could not row out. It was awful and embarrassing... the rest of the troupe was already out of the boats and on shore... We didn't capsize until the very end ... B jumped out one side of the boat, and I jumped out the other. The water on his side was deep and the water on my side was about 2.5 feet deep. LOL! I landed on my good knee and then on my butte. OUCH!





















Darn USCGA Lifejacket kept riding up, up, up and by the end of the day I was just peeking out above the vest at the river around me... LOL! Here we were just entering a rapid..... "LEFT BRENT, LEFT!!!" He was in charge of steering and I was in charge of holding on for dear life!