Rafting the Colorado in Moab

Two thoughts screamed through our minds, "Paddle, paddle, paddle," and

"I hope the Devin doesn't get washed out!"

I'll let you know how that turned out at the end.  :-)

So this particular portion of the trip couldn't have gone better.  Well, I suppose it could have been a little hotter.  Oh, right, and there was the bit about the bedding that could have been better (or is it bedder). But that's where the funniest stories are, right?

We headed to Moab after a night in Escalante.  A leisurely breakfast followed by a short hike in Escalante.  It was going to be a longer hike, but the five hour drive to Moab loomed large in front of us.  It wasn't too long before even I had to face the facts:  five hours would be six hours when you add potty stops, and we didn't arrive too late even if we were renting a cabin this time.

We were on the hike long enough to run into a family with a few dozen children, the youngest under five, who was already on their way back from the falls to which we'd faintly hoped to hike.

Back?  Really?  It wasn't even noon.

Then I heard that they drove a couple hours to get there that morning.  What?  Are you serious?  I looked in awe, almost worshipful, at the parents who hadn't yet hit 40 ... perhaps not even 30.  How did they do it?

Truly, there is a reason Utah is called the Beehive State.  It's history is steeped with people buzzing with industry from sunrise to sunset, and it's legacy lives on.

Grand County which encompasses Moab, by contrast, has one of the smallest LDS (Latter Day Saint)) populations in the state at roughly 26% and has a tourist and adventure-based atmosphere to it.

We were looking forward to the family treat of staying in a cabin.  Somewhere, however, a key piece of information was lost on me.  Was it the anticipation of the trip?  The relief at not having to put up a tent?  I'm not sure.  But somehow I stretched the, "We don't need a tent this trip," to "We don't need any camping stuff this trip."  No sleeping bags, no pillows, no blankets.  Oh no, we would be living the life of luxury in a cabin.

To this day, I can't tell you what I was thinking.  I can tell you (with some reluctance) what happened though.  We arrived at our cabin happily, in time for dinner, to open the door and discover ... TA DA!

Bunk beds with vinyl covered mattresses ... and no bedding.  Of course.

As you might expect, there was near mutiny.  I drove out of there in a huff like any good self-respecting mom with a head on her shoulders.  In time, they would remember that I was their ride home.

When I returned, everyone was somewhat subdued and ready to face the challenging nights together.

We dug every sorry old towel out of the car because, naturally, in my deluded mind, this five star cabin would have luxury towels as well.

The only thing we had was a towel to lay on and the crinkly metallic emergency blankets from our backpacks to put on top of us.

Manuel, alone, had his little pillow-blanket set given to him by a friend before he left,curled up, and, from all, appearances, fell asleep.

But no. he couldn't sleep.

The noises from our crinkling metal blankets kept him up.

crinkle, crinkle, shfffft, shfft, crinkle, crinkle, shfffft, shhfffht, shfffft

"It sounds someone is wrapping Christmas presents," someone said.

We all laid with our eyes open, listening as everyone tried to get comfortable.

crinkle, crinkle, shfffft, shfft, crinkle, crinkle, shfffft

"Is this real?" Krista asked in the darkness.

Yes, it was real, but it didn't stop us from having a FANTASTIC time on our rafting trip the next day!  Check out these smiles.

We were driven about 45 minutes to our put-in.   The day was beautiful as was the scenery.  Honestly, we were excited and happy from the moment we started this adventure all the way through to the end.  It feels difficult to put this story into words because it is all in the experience.  I will say I was grateful that there was a photographer capturing active shots as we went by.  That photo, and series of photos, brings a smile to all of our faces.

The rest of the story?  Well, we paddled, paddled, paddled, and -- Devin paddled right along with us!  

If you go near the Colorado in warm weather, save your pennies and take your family for a rafting trip. It will be a long cherished family memory. 

We rafted with Red River Adventures .  Our guide was fun and skillful in the water, and we'd recommend them to other people in search of an adventure!