My parents decided to come visit me over Father’s Day weekend and then the whole family joined in! Well, not the whole family, but my brother, aunt, uncle, cousin, and grandma. So quite a bit of family. My aunt and uncle have an RV and love camping. It just so happens that my new home is near a big campground…which just so happens to be near an Adventure Center.
Mom knows I’m up for anything once (well, almost anything) and she started crafting a bucket list a year or so back. She saw camping and the Adventure Center as bucket list opportunities and started conspiring with my aunt. My grandmother went white-water rafting a few years ago and was like pffff, child’s play, I can do it again no problem, get on my level. She’s an asthmatic who always has pneumonia, always has some health issue going on, and always has a hundo on hand to puff away on. Crazy grandma. We couldn’t let her out-man us…we signed up for a white-water rafting expedition and zip-lining. If you can’t tell, the guys had very little say in any of the plans.
My parents showed up Friday right as I got home from work and we headed over to the campground to meet up with everybody else. We basically just spent Friday night stuffing our faces around a fire. I don’t really like marshmallows unless they’re in s’mores, but I was really jonesing for a beach marshmallow. (“Beach marshmallow?” you may be asking. Yes. As in – I like my marshmallows with a nice, golden, even tan.) However, it turns out that I struggle to get that golden glow after one too many Lime-A-Ritas…
Charcoal anybody?
Saturday brought on white-water rafting! It was a clear, sunny day and perfect for rafting according to our guide. We signed in, filled out waivers, and then listened to a guide tell us about how if our raft flipped we should not try to stand because our feet could get stuck in rocks and we might snap a leg in half. We were also told not to use our oars to beat one another, play light sabers, or sword fight. The company must have had some …interesting guests in the past, haha. Then we strapped on old, gnarly-looking life vests and helmets and away we went to the river!
Some poor soul named Josh was assigned to be our raft guide. Poor soul? Well my grandma was grumbling about her knees. My cousin was pretending his oar was a gun. My dad was asking anything and everything about the local geography and towns. My brother kept dropping his oar as far into the water as possible without letting go for “depth-checks.” My aunt was giving her own rafting directions to us. Oy vey.
It was a fun time though! There were only a few sets of Levels 1-3 rapids. One raft near us went bouncing over a rapid and everyone went flying out but the guide. Some poor girl got whisked away by the current right away and kept trying to stand. We were all like “NOOO, YOUR LEGS WILL SNAP!” and the guides were yelling for her to swim on her back to a rock so the current didn’t carry her out of reach. Other than that bit of excitement, we just kind of drifted peacefully along and paddled every now and then. We stopped once by a bank in the woods for a break. I felt a tickle on my ankle and someone behind me yelled “Snake!!!” I kicked my leg out and it turns out it was just a guide tickling my ankle with a reed…poor guy almost took a heel to the face.
Sunday we went ziplining, although grandma opted out and my cousin backed out after the practice zip. Most of my family got ridiculously tangled up just putting the harnesses on and our one-on-one guide smelled a little boozy. I feared a little for our lives for those reasons alone, but I’m happy to report that we all made it out alive!
Out of the whole group, outsiders and my family, I was the only one who spun in circles while zipping down the line. My aunt said it must be because I’m bottom-heavy and I asked our guide what I needed to do to about my big ass sending me in circles. His suggestion? Get a smaller ass. Womp, womp – haha. It turns out I just needed to keep my holding wrist straight. Guess I can keep my big ass after all! It was a lot of fun zipping around in the tree-tops once I got the hang out it and I think it’d be fun to go again some time.
Don’t be deceived. This bridge sways while you walk – I got a little sea sick (or is it bridge sick?)
I’d say this Father’s Day weekend was a success! I got to spend time with my Daddy (and the rest of my family) and my mom and aunt got to check some things off of their bucket lists. If you are ever around an Adventure Center, I suggest you sign up for something and step outside of your comfort zone! It can be a little pricey but I think it’s worth it 🙂
What are some things on your bucket list??
Wayfaring Beauty 