After the hot-air balloon reschedule, we were all ready to really get camp started. This morning, we had white water rafting on the docket. When my phone rang early in the morning, Rachel said, "Don't answer it!" assuming that they would be canceling also. Thankfully, it was just John :-)
Okay, I know the trip isn't about my driving experiences, but for me personally, this trip is all about my driving experiences. Driving a 30 foot RV is an experience like no other. It absolutely terrifies me. Not because I think I can't do it, but because there is a $1,000 deductible on the insurance if I wreck anything!
So, I was worried to drive into the heart of Santa Fe. It's a smaller, artsy kind of town, and the streets aren't particularly wide. The GPS said that is was only 20 minutes away, but I allowed 45 minutes, and lucky I did.
So, the GPS is now inoperable. The cigarette lighters on the RV are broken, so all directions are being handled on the "Maps" app on my iPhone. This means that Mark must sit by me in the cab and be my living GPS.
We were cruising along pretty well until Mark looked ahead in the set of directions and saw "Make a U-Turn" (cue mocking laughter of the Fates). Thankfully, he kept his wits about him, and I remembered my Lamaze breathing techniques, and he found a different way that didn't involve any u-turns. Of course, the place was hidden behind some other buildings, and we ended up seeing quite a bit of Santa Fe as it was, just trying to turn around, but we finally arrived.
We signed our lives away in waiver forms (with eight to fill out I didn't even bother to read them--they could have claimed my first-born child and I wouldn't have known it), and we were off.
We headed up to Taos, NM and the Rio Grande River. Oh my goodness, it was beautiful. I find something so peaceful about the scenery in the West. It's unlike anything else. I was thankful too that we could be seeing it. Along with the wild fires that are currently burning through the forests of the state, the water levels are at all time lows. Rapids that would normally be Class IV and Class V rapids are now Class II and Class III. I was just thankful that we could go rafting at all.
We got our security check from Joel, the man-dog of river guides, put on our PDF's (or BCD's for scuba people) and got in. Mark and I were in a boat with two older people, and the other six went with Betsy. The first two hours was just leisurely rowing. Seeing the sights, practicing paddling, and leaning so far out of the boat that the kids could dip their heads in.
We stopped for lunch (some of the best pineapple on the planet), and we suited up again, this time with helmets.
The rapids were the best! Rocks that are usually so deep that the boats can float over them now provided an obstacle course for our boats. Rapids had names like "The Slot" and "The Narrows". It was obvious to me that we tourists didn't make much difference in the whole process--it was really all about the guide and their ability to steer. However, we liked to pretend that we were doing something :-)
The kids' boat was definitely the "fun" boat. We could hear singing, and talking, and laughing. Maybe one of the kids will tell the story of how that went. I must admit though, watching them from a distance, there wasn't much actual paddling going on :-) Poor, poor Betsy, their river guide.
Our guide, Joel, always went first to mark the way for the other boats, and honestly it was easily apparent that he was the best. We never got stuck, because he knew what to tell us what to do. The best part, every time, was when the water would fly up into our faces and into the boat. We would just skim the largest of boulders. Well, we skimmed them without incident every time, except one.
Yes, Mark fell off the boat. Joel said technically he didn't fall out because he had listened and had his foot hooked into the boat, so only one leg went over, but he was soaked head to toe. Wow, and me trying to pull him back in the boat? The guy next to me had to help me pull him back in. Of course, the entire time I'm trying to grab Mark's paddle, hold onto my own, brace myself in the boat, all while in the middle of a rapid. It was a total RUSH!!
We weren't ready for it to end. With only 1/4 mile left, the guides let us get out of the boats and swim. Hoping I could stay dry for the ride home, I opted to stay in the boat. Bad idea. I might as well have had a target on my back. I ended up getting soaked in all the water wars between everyone. If we could have, we would have done the rapids all over again. It was really great, low water and all.
Back to driving. We changed our clothes in the most ghetto bathroom I've ever seen, and we were off to Carlsbad.
Poor Mark. It only took us 45 minutes to get OUT of Santa Fe (when it would have taken 10 in a car). Heavy traffic, construction. However, he was a CHAMP and finally got us to the interstate.
"Maps" said 6 hours to Carlsbad. Guess what everyone did? Played games, drew pictures, read, ate and slept. Everyone except ME!!! Yes, even Mark abandoned me when I had to just drive straight for 187 miles. Man, that was one heck of a long drive. What killed me was that I knew I could have cut at least an hour off the trip if I had been in a car. 70 mph speed limit? I would have driven 79 in a car. The RV? Doesn't like to go above 60. And for anyone who knows me, I like to drive FAST! It was all good though--I was glad that everyone else was enjoying themselves.
We did stop about an hour out of Carlsbad for dinner. The kids wanted a fast-food burger joint, so it was Burger King. Unfortunately, it was on the left side of a divided highway. We worked it out and parked a bit down in a big, open parking lot. However, we still had to get gas, and cross that darn divided-highway again. As luck would have it, the cheapest gas in the area ($3.18/gallon) was also the most popular gas station in the area. And the smallest.
Yeah, a 30 foot RV in a tiny 7-Eleven sized area. Thankfully, Mark has become adept at also helping me guide the beast around anything. He knows just where to stand so I can see him in the mirrors, and I literally put all of my trust (and the $1,000 deductible) in his hands.
I got into the gas station fine, but I realized getting out was going to be a problem. Thankfully, we have many minds working on these things, and Kailee realized that there was an adjoining large empty parking lot to the left of the gas station. We could pull in there, orient ourselves correctly, and get back on the highway. Thank heavens for Kailee!!
By the time we pulled into the Carlsbad KOA, Mark and I were the only ones awake, although Mark was entrenched in "Ender's Shadow". The campground is rated the best in New Mexico, and for good reason. But more about that tomorrow.
Oh, and I took 27 pictures of rafting, but it was with a waterproof camera with actual FILM. Pictures will come later.
Okay, I know the trip isn't about my driving experiences, but for me personally, this trip is all about my driving experiences. Driving a 30 foot RV is an experience like no other. It absolutely terrifies me. Not because I think I can't do it, but because there is a $1,000 deductible on the insurance if I wreck anything!
So, I was worried to drive into the heart of Santa Fe. It's a smaller, artsy kind of town, and the streets aren't particularly wide. The GPS said that is was only 20 minutes away, but I allowed 45 minutes, and lucky I did.
So, the GPS is now inoperable. The cigarette lighters on the RV are broken, so all directions are being handled on the "Maps" app on my iPhone. This means that Mark must sit by me in the cab and be my living GPS.
We were cruising along pretty well until Mark looked ahead in the set of directions and saw "Make a U-Turn" (cue mocking laughter of the Fates). Thankfully, he kept his wits about him, and I remembered my Lamaze breathing techniques, and he found a different way that didn't involve any u-turns. Of course, the place was hidden behind some other buildings, and we ended up seeing quite a bit of Santa Fe as it was, just trying to turn around, but we finally arrived.
We signed our lives away in waiver forms (with eight to fill out I didn't even bother to read them--they could have claimed my first-born child and I wouldn't have known it), and we were off.
We headed up to Taos, NM and the Rio Grande River. Oh my goodness, it was beautiful. I find something so peaceful about the scenery in the West. It's unlike anything else. I was thankful too that we could be seeing it. Along with the wild fires that are currently burning through the forests of the state, the water levels are at all time lows. Rapids that would normally be Class IV and Class V rapids are now Class II and Class III. I was just thankful that we could go rafting at all.
We got our security check from Joel, the man-dog of river guides, put on our PDF's (or BCD's for scuba people) and got in. Mark and I were in a boat with two older people, and the other six went with Betsy. The first two hours was just leisurely rowing. Seeing the sights, practicing paddling, and leaning so far out of the boat that the kids could dip their heads in.
We stopped for lunch (some of the best pineapple on the planet), and we suited up again, this time with helmets.
The rapids were the best! Rocks that are usually so deep that the boats can float over them now provided an obstacle course for our boats. Rapids had names like "The Slot" and "The Narrows". It was obvious to me that we tourists didn't make much difference in the whole process--it was really all about the guide and their ability to steer. However, we liked to pretend that we were doing something :-)
The kids' boat was definitely the "fun" boat. We could hear singing, and talking, and laughing. Maybe one of the kids will tell the story of how that went. I must admit though, watching them from a distance, there wasn't much actual paddling going on :-) Poor, poor Betsy, their river guide.
Our guide, Joel, always went first to mark the way for the other boats, and honestly it was easily apparent that he was the best. We never got stuck, because he knew what to tell us what to do. The best part, every time, was when the water would fly up into our faces and into the boat. We would just skim the largest of boulders. Well, we skimmed them without incident every time, except one.
Yes, Mark fell off the boat. Joel said technically he didn't fall out because he had listened and had his foot hooked into the boat, so only one leg went over, but he was soaked head to toe. Wow, and me trying to pull him back in the boat? The guy next to me had to help me pull him back in. Of course, the entire time I'm trying to grab Mark's paddle, hold onto my own, brace myself in the boat, all while in the middle of a rapid. It was a total RUSH!!
We weren't ready for it to end. With only 1/4 mile left, the guides let us get out of the boats and swim. Hoping I could stay dry for the ride home, I opted to stay in the boat. Bad idea. I might as well have had a target on my back. I ended up getting soaked in all the water wars between everyone. If we could have, we would have done the rapids all over again. It was really great, low water and all.
Back to driving. We changed our clothes in the most ghetto bathroom I've ever seen, and we were off to Carlsbad.
Poor Mark. It only took us 45 minutes to get OUT of Santa Fe (when it would have taken 10 in a car). Heavy traffic, construction. However, he was a CHAMP and finally got us to the interstate.
"Maps" said 6 hours to Carlsbad. Guess what everyone did? Played games, drew pictures, read, ate and slept. Everyone except ME!!! Yes, even Mark abandoned me when I had to just drive straight for 187 miles. Man, that was one heck of a long drive. What killed me was that I knew I could have cut at least an hour off the trip if I had been in a car. 70 mph speed limit? I would have driven 79 in a car. The RV? Doesn't like to go above 60. And for anyone who knows me, I like to drive FAST! It was all good though--I was glad that everyone else was enjoying themselves.
We did stop about an hour out of Carlsbad for dinner. The kids wanted a fast-food burger joint, so it was Burger King. Unfortunately, it was on the left side of a divided highway. We worked it out and parked a bit down in a big, open parking lot. However, we still had to get gas, and cross that darn divided-highway again. As luck would have it, the cheapest gas in the area ($3.18/gallon) was also the most popular gas station in the area. And the smallest.
Yeah, a 30 foot RV in a tiny 7-Eleven sized area. Thankfully, Mark has become adept at also helping me guide the beast around anything. He knows just where to stand so I can see him in the mirrors, and I literally put all of my trust (and the $1,000 deductible) in his hands.
I got into the gas station fine, but I realized getting out was going to be a problem. Thankfully, we have many minds working on these things, and Kailee realized that there was an adjoining large empty parking lot to the left of the gas station. We could pull in there, orient ourselves correctly, and get back on the highway. Thank heavens for Kailee!!
By the time we pulled into the Carlsbad KOA, Mark and I were the only ones awake, although Mark was entrenched in "Ender's Shadow". The campground is rated the best in New Mexico, and for good reason. But more about that tomorrow.
Oh, and I took 27 pictures of rafting, but it was with a waterproof camera with actual FILM. Pictures will come later.
What an adventure, rapids, rapid driving, rapid calculations about how to get into and out of difficult parking situations, what a lot of fun!!
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