Simple Pleasures

One of life’s simple pleasures is floating down a lazy river on a hot summer day. We set out in the heat of the day in search of fun and relaxation on the Great Luckiamute River. Our group of seven friends and family loaded onto inner-tubes and rafts with oars (just in case we wanted to move faster than the lazy river would take us). The plan was to start at Dan’s house (near #26 in the picture) and get out at the bridge that is closed on Airlie Rd. (near #19). No one knew for sure how long the trip would take, but the guesses from the Polk County natives ranged from 1 hour to maybe 3 hours. Who cares? it was a beautiful day! By hour 2 we all cared. Our stomachs were growling and a quick breeze chilled us in our wet clothes. About 8pm we were searching for a place to get out, so we cold walk back to the pick-up we left parked at the bridge. At one point we scrambled up the bank at a pump sight to find a field of Blueberry bushes, but no road in sight. We had a snack of yummy berries and got back in the river. The rafts were going flat, so some of us ended up walking and swimming. The water was warmer than the windy air; a stumble into the murky waters felt good. A few tricky log jams slowed our pace, but in hour 4 we were going full speed. The temperature was dropping and night was falling. At almost 10pm, someone let out a hoot of joy when we saw the bridge. Pulling the rafts out of the river and climbing up the banks was easy work, now that the adventure was over – almost. We had 7 soaking wet people and one pick-up, three rafts, and two inner-tubes. 5 of us chose to wait huddled in our warm towels while Jeff and Dan went to get the vehicle at the start of our journey. Hungry and sunburned we returned to our warm house. I quickly made pizza and we ate and ate. When my head hit the pillow, sleep has rarely felt so good. Today, I am bruised and battered. It was worth it though; an adventure completed and part of the Great Luckiamute conquered.