Made In The Shade!

How lucky can I get! I was very happy and excited the day I found out I'd be able to come on the FA Family Rafters '08 river rafting trip down the very scenic and energizing Ruby/Horsethief/Westwater section of the Colorado River. I don't have FA but I'm in a wheelchair due to a spinal injury 25 years ago. I'm not a member of any particular agency so I really love every chance I get to connect with other nature-loving adventurers! I've been on two past trips with Aaron Kittel so I was very pleased to come along with this awesome family group! It's really wonderful when family members accompany their disabled loved ones for great bonding time and incredible memories! I've been on the Westwater section before, but not Ruby/Horsethief. For me, it was the best three days of the trip because we had a layover day at our second camp and most everyone went hiking, swimming, relaxed in a mud hole, tie-dyed T-shirts (and pants), played games, told stories, read books, wrote in journals, and simply enjoyed each other's company! I learned a little history about how these beautiful sections got their names - Horsethief, which actually comes first on the river, was aptly named because it was a hideout area for stolen horses in the wild West, and Ruby was named because of the rich red rock in the area. We also saw spurs of the incredibly old black rock called "schist". Each day on the river was a new experience with many interesting and inspiring sites and the chance to see native wildlife like Blue Herons, Bald Eagles and Mud Swallows, and of course quite a few lizards at our camps! The days were hot but swimming and water fights kept everyone fairly cool! And the nights were perfect for socializing and listening to some great guitar playing and singing by some of the guides! And when they weren't entertaining us, they were fixing up some mighty fine vittles to keep us all well nourished! Of course, I can't leave out the last day and the exciting rapids of Westwater Canyon - Marble, Staircase, Big Hummer, Funnel Falls, Surprise, No Name, Skull, Cross Bones, Sock-It-To-Me, and Last Chance! Wow - those were some exhilarating white-water experiences! And not one of the rafts was sucked into the Room of Doom! I'll never get enough of the awesome widerness experience, but this FA Family Rafters
'08 trip was definitely one of the best! It was great to meet all of you - thank you so much for letting me be a part of your memorable adventure!