Cruisin Right Along...: Family Reunion

We had the opportunity to have Jeff's family all come to Colorado. With his parents living in California, his sister in Virginia, and his brother moving from Utah to Georgia we all haven't been together for a year. We were lucky to host this reunion...and Jeff told me I was in charge of planning things to entertain them all. :)

(just a random picture from the internet)

So we started with what I wanted to do most this summer....white water rafting. I figured I'm not pregnant, I'm not nursing a young baby, and I don't know how much longer we will live in Colorado, so this is the summer. Marc, Sara, and Ashliegh were all willing and Jeff's parents were gracious enough to watch the kids.

We decided to do a half day trip down Bighorn Sheep Canyon and stick with class 3 since only one of us has ever been white water rafting before (The hardest is class 5). After we got there and suited up the staff approached our group and offered to take us on a class 4-5 half day trip down the Royal Gorge Canyon instead since we looked like a young, strong, and physically fit group. We decided to take the challenge! It was actually a really great deal since the Royal Gorge trip is normally more expensive. The Royal Gorge Canyon section was closed down the week before because the water level was too high, so I bet the guides were itching to go back down that section.

Now was the time I was starting to get nervous. I wanted excitement, but I didn't want to be scared to death. On the bus ride to the drop off site a guide told us everything we needed to know if we fall off the raft or if the raft tipped. He basically told us all the ways we could be seriously hurt or die and what we should know to prevent that. Yikes! Now my heart was racing a little.

I have never been rafting, so I was suprised to learn that you sit on the outside rim of the raft. Crazy! Aren't you that much closer to falling in?!?! But it is necissary to sit there to be able to get the paddle in the water and propel the raft forward through the water.

The rafting trip went fast. We started with a class 3 wave...easy. Then class 4....fun but not too bad. And finally class 5. Our guide was great at preparing us for what was coming up and would brief us on how we were going to tackle the next rough section. For a couple of the biggest waves the guide would tell us to lean in to the center of the raft while a wave came up over us and then yell at us to lean back out and row. I think twice a wave came up over my head. Marc and Jeff took the front, so they got the most water in their laps and over their head. Here was the view of the river through the Royal Gorge Canyon:

For me the anticipation of the unknown was worse than the trip. After it was over, I thought, "that was it?" It wasn't as rough as I was expecting. I was definitely glad we decided to go with the harder section, otherwise I think we would have been disappointed.

Afterward we met up with Grandma, Grandpa, and the kids and saw the view of the Royal Gorge from the top. (we were too cheap to buy tickets to go stand on the bridge. But there was a nice, short trail looking down into the gorge.)

Our other major activity was our trip to Georgetown (just west of Denver). We decided to ride the Georgetown train. Here we are waiting for the train. I've always thought that Rachel looks like Jeff's side of the family (here she is with Aunt Sara and Grandma D.) What do you think?

Tyler and Jeff waiting for the train

Rachel, Sara, and Grandma D.

View from the train

view from the train

Marc and Ashleigh

Rachel and Grandpa D.

After the train we walked around historic Georgetown. Grandpa D. started telling us a little family history. Apparently, on January 15, 1890 Jeff's great grandma Willa Gladys Pulsifer was born in Georgetown, Colorado. I had forgotten Jeff had relatives that had lived in Colorado.