August 11, 2017 Rolling on the river

August 11, 2017

I like to curl my paws.  When I was little, I would curl my paws on my mommy when I nursed.  My purr box automatically turns on, and I curl.  I curl hard.  I will curl my paws on my humans.  I prefer the maternal human but I will do it to the paternal human at times.  I jump on them when they are sitting down and I curl, and curl.  I can’t curl too hard when my paws are directly on their skin.  They have hardly any fur, and they flinch if I curl too hard right on them.  This is a major defect in humans, but I have learned to adapt.  If I am touching their skin, I curl real softly.  It is not quite as satisfying, but it is ok.

Last night, as Spouse was closing the shade awning, something snapped.  This morning, he worked on the repair job.  It was touch and go for a bit, but ultimately, he got it fixed.  I took a short walk along the rim trail, then we got ready for a day of floating down the Green River. 

Kevin and Allie are ready to go, so the day has begun.  The raft was loaded onto our truck and we headed to the launch ramp.  

When we got there, someone was directing traffic.  Yesterday when we were here, it was totally empty.  Not so today.  I guess Friday is the beginning of the weekend and the madness had begun!  It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day and everybody – including us- wanted to take advantage of that.

It was a zoo, but we were able to unload the raft and get it off the launchramp.  Spouse and Kevin then had to go move cars around so that we would have the truck when we pulled out 7 miles downriver.  So Allie and I (with Sampson the dog) waited… and watched the craziness.  

Raft after raft, and kids… lots of kids.  One woman had her two little blond girls with braids without hats.  They will pay a price today.  People were screaming and reveling.  I was cringing.  Yesterday, it was so zen here.  Today?  I was wondering if the river was big enough to sustain the crowds.

By the time Spouse and Kevin got back, the worst of the crowd had already drifted away.  We took our time, then pushed off.  We were alone for the time being.  It was quiet, except for the noise of the mild rapids pushing us along.  Then, Spouse and I – let’s say we had our differences about how to steer.  Being dyslexic affected his brain, I am sure.  He managed to turn the boat the wrong way, then say if was because of my paddling.  No dear, I KNOW that either end of the raft can be the bow, HOWEVER…  why not steer the raft so that some of us do not have to change positions to see where we are going?  Bicker we did, but finally found some harmony.

The river flows through the tall, rugged, piney red cliffs.  Kevin got his fly pole out and started casting.  He used to be a fly fishing guide so he knows his stuff.  But one thing we noticed, both yesterday and today, we saw people fishing but we didn’t see anybody catching!  Kevin said these fish – which you can see all around – have PHDs in how NOT to get caught.

We pulled over to a sandy beach and had lunch.  Sampson enjoyed running up and down the hills, fetching sticks from the 57 degree water and watching his owners.  Kevin gave Spouse and me a lesson on casting a fly fishing rod.  This can be quite the artwork.  We hung here until two rafts, laden with kids pulled up to our beach.  Like the invasion of Normandy, they kept coming.  It was getting cloudy, and we pushed off to escape the invasion.  

It is a beautiful float, with occasional rapids.  Because of Spouse’s steering, I was the one that took the hit from the rapids.  I was getting cold, the thunder was rolling, and it started to rain.  We all donned our jackets and continued on.  Even with the conditions, it was still enjoyable.  But now a few other boats were nearby.  We would watch how they took the rapids, then steer accordingly.  Kevin continued casting, getting only one bite the rest of the way.

As we neared the end of our float, the clouds moved past us and the sun came out.  Off came our jackets.  The cliffs are not as high, and more desert like.  It would be nice to float for the next several days, but that isn’t going to happen.  When we got to the pullout spot, we loaded up and made our way back.  A guided flyfishing boat would cost $500 and only Spouse and Kevin would be able to go.  This raft cost $100, and even Sampson the dog got to go.  What a deal.

When we got back, we cleaned up.  We invited Kevin and Allie over so they could shower, and we could share some guacamole.  Kevin brought his guitar and harmonica to the campfire topping off a stellar day. 

It was way dark out and the stars were incredible.  I decided to sleep outside for the night.  I set up my banana chair with my yoga pad and another pad, then plopped my sleeping bag on top and nestled in for the night.