Into the Raging Water - Are We There Yet?

It's Day Two...I guess like a lot of family vacations...there were periods of family strife. We had some of that going on with our boat on day two and three. We stopped to see a cool natural amphitheater where we had lunch. Here I am with my baby boy, Z-man. (It's a pilot thing...you know...like, "Top Gun." Everyone has a nickname.) We are actually in the shade provided by the amphitheater.

I think this was the day we had our first major rapid, House of Rock...it involved avoiding boulders...our boat captain, AK Santini, hit it like a pro. Unfortunately, I still wasn't feeling much better about the remaining 10 days. Z-man started taking shifts rowing. He seemed to be a natural at it. I think it was this day that my husband said he and Z-man should put their names on the list for future private rafting trips...WHAT? AK Santini was obviously having a different experience than me!

Night 2...only camp chore for me is setting up our tent and sleeping mats...easy. Z-man's team was cooking and AK Santini lost the straw-draw and was in charge of the lavatory every day. Each boat was packed a certain way and ours had the lav...or as it is called in the rafting community...the Gruber. AK Santini did an outstanding job of finding scenic locations for the Gruber.

I know....you were wondering how this part of the trip worked. There are very strict rules for all rafters on the Colorado River. All poop goes in the poop Gruber and is carted out with our party. We had four poop Grubers to get through the trip. All pee went in the river. During the day the ladies had to dunk their bottoms. At camp we had a "pee only" Gruber for the ladies.  I'm sorry to continue with the potty info but just in case you find yourself in this situation here is a trick when you have to pee in cold water...start the flow before you immerse your bottom half. I would never have learned that if I hadn't gone on this trip. I definitely don't ever want to use that bit of knowledge again.

When I agreed to this trip I was told there would be shower opportunities...a hanging bag of hot water. I got it on Night 2. It worked but I only managed to get one other shower in the next ten days. Our days were just too long for anything resembling relaxation. We were constantly getting drenched in the rapids so we did get a regular rinsing. My life vest had a lovely musty...mildew odor that was with me everyday...but I was very glad to have that life vest!