We spent they day at Lava Hot Springs, in Idaho yesterday. This is a place where you can rent inner tubes and go down the river. They have singles, doubles, four person ones and most anything else you'd like to find. I rented life jackets for my two youngest girls (Steph didn't come with us) and inner tubes for the all of us. The river has some small rapids and they look like this...
So, it's hot. Did I mention that? Yes, it's hot. We strap the girls into their jackets, hoist the inner tubes over our heads and start walking to the river. The girls didn't have their shoes on and they began doing the Hot Pavement Dance of Pain. So Annabella ran back to the picnic table where her hubby was guarding our stuff to retrieve their shoes.
When we got down to the river, a descent that nearly killed me, I stuffed my flip flops into my bra and Ashley's shoes into my pants. This was not comfortable, but Anna said you had to do it or else you'd lose the shoes/flip flops on the ride down. I got into a sitting position on my inner tube and found that the flip flops were cutting off my breathing by poking me in the throat and the shoes stuck in my pants were making it nearly impossible to sit.
By this time Ashley is being gently helped on to her inner tube, which I will hold on to as we glide down the river. She starts crying, I'm bobbing and trying to breathe around the footwear.
This is not going well. They take Ashley off her inner tube, I fall off of mine and we try it again on a rocket type inflatable, where she can sit in front of me. I get on, being stabbed in various places by the footwear I am not wearing on my feet. Ashley is placed on the contraption in front of me. By now she is screaming.
"I'M NOT DOING THIS!!!"
"Honey, just hold on...I will hold on to you and..."
"GET ME OFF OF HERE!! (sob) I'M NOT DOING THIS!!"
She was finally lifted off the inflatable, I fall off, climb back on the rocks and we both clamber up the dirty hillside to the road again. I make sure before I go that Christopher realizes he is in charge of his sister Allison and that I will hold him personally responsbile for her death, should it occur. I watch as they all float away.
Ashley and I go back to the park and hang out with Paco for a while in the shade. I'm still wet from the icy river water, but oddly enough I'm still very hot.
I took Ashley down to the ice cream and candy shop to get her a treat because she was so upset. She picked out two rather large lollipops for her and her sister and I bought a bag of Jelly Bellies for Annabella.
They river rats went up and down the river about three times before large black clouds formed, lightening flashed, thunder boomed and rain drops the size of Kansas started pelting everyone. We were sitting in our suburban by this time and all of a sudden I thought someone was throwing rocks at us.
No, it was hailing. Apparentley we'd ticked off the River Gods and we were being punished. Hail was pinging away on the suburban and I wondered how I'd explain the million tiny dings to my husband. Everyone got out of the river and wrapped up in towels to wait the storm out. Chris didn't want his picture taken. Ha. Like that would stop me.
After it stopped, Annabella took the girls to the hot pools while I read a book and Paco napped in the seat behind me. Later we at dinner at Fat Jacks burger place and then headed home.
So, it's hot. Did I mention that? Yes, it's hot. We strap the girls into their jackets, hoist the inner tubes over our heads and start walking to the river. The girls didn't have their shoes on and they began doing the Hot Pavement Dance of Pain. So Annabella ran back to the picnic table where her hubby was guarding our stuff to retrieve their shoes.
When we got down to the river, a descent that nearly killed me, I stuffed my flip flops into my bra and Ashley's shoes into my pants. This was not comfortable, but Anna said you had to do it or else you'd lose the shoes/flip flops on the ride down. I got into a sitting position on my inner tube and found that the flip flops were cutting off my breathing by poking me in the throat and the shoes stuck in my pants were making it nearly impossible to sit.
By this time Ashley is being gently helped on to her inner tube, which I will hold on to as we glide down the river. She starts crying, I'm bobbing and trying to breathe around the footwear.
This is not going well. They take Ashley off her inner tube, I fall off of mine and we try it again on a rocket type inflatable, where she can sit in front of me. I get on, being stabbed in various places by the footwear I am not wearing on my feet. Ashley is placed on the contraption in front of me. By now she is screaming.
"I'M NOT DOING THIS!!!"
"Honey, just hold on...I will hold on to you and..."
"GET ME OFF OF HERE!! (sob) I'M NOT DOING THIS!!"
She was finally lifted off the inflatable, I fall off, climb back on the rocks and we both clamber up the dirty hillside to the road again. I make sure before I go that Christopher realizes he is in charge of his sister Allison and that I will hold him personally responsbile for her death, should it occur. I watch as they all float away.
Ashley and I go back to the park and hang out with Paco for a while in the shade. I'm still wet from the icy river water, but oddly enough I'm still very hot.
I took Ashley down to the ice cream and candy shop to get her a treat because she was so upset. She picked out two rather large lollipops for her and her sister and I bought a bag of Jelly Bellies for Annabella.
They river rats went up and down the river about three times before large black clouds formed, lightening flashed, thunder boomed and rain drops the size of Kansas started pelting everyone. We were sitting in our suburban by this time and all of a sudden I thought someone was throwing rocks at us.
No, it was hailing. Apparentley we'd ticked off the River Gods and we were being punished. Hail was pinging away on the suburban and I wondered how I'd explain the million tiny dings to my husband. Everyone got out of the river and wrapped up in towels to wait the storm out. Chris didn't want his picture taken. Ha. Like that would stop me.
After it stopped, Annabella took the girls to the hot pools while I read a book and Paco napped in the seat behind me. Later we at dinner at Fat Jacks burger place and then headed home.
It was both, an adventure and a good day. I just wished I could have gone down the river.
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