Unplugged and Off the Grid

Traveled 5 miles to Rafting Company in Cotopaxi

We woke to the soothing sound of the Arkansas River flowing and the beautiful rocky canyon next to us.  We landed in a little bit of heaven last night, right in the middle of Colorado.  There is no service on our phones and no Wi-Fi so it is all about enjoying our surroundings for the next three days.

Relaxation is on the agenda for today.  Al was up at the crack of dawn and enjoyed his coffee overlooking the river while Blake, Tilley, and I took the opportunity to sleep.in. I really wanted to skip a workout today but Al convinced me, once again, to get something done since we took my birthday off yesterday.  Off we went on a scoping out adventure.  We walked down the East River Trail that led us along the side of the river.  It was a little too rocky and narrow for me to feel comfortable running so a quick walk was all we did.  At the end, we walked 2.4 miles.

We returned to the RV around 10:30 and started cooking our Big Breakfast Brunch outside.  The menu included hash browns, sausage, onions, cheese, with an egg on top.

The headwater of the Arkansas River is known for whitewater rafting.  In this area, the adventurous head out to raft the category five rapids that cut through the Royal Gorge.  Unfortunately, the river is high at this moment due to the large amount of snow run off so the Gorge is closed to commercial rafting at this time. They close the Gorge when the river is over 3,500 CFS (Cubic Feet per Second) and it is currently at 4,360 CFS.  The highest recorded amount for the Arkansas River through the Gorge was 6,800 CFS several years ago.

Even though the Gorge is closed there are still whitewater rafting opportunities available.  We drove five minutes down the road to book our trip for tomorrow at Arkansas River Tours, ART for short.

Since the Gorge is closed we booked a half-day rafting trip in the Upper Big Sheep Canyon followed by a train ride through the Gorge.  We have to report to the rafting center at 8:45 AM.  The outside air temperature is currently 98 degrees with the water temperature of 60 degrees.   I am looking forward to the rafting but very excited to our train ride through the Royal Gorge.

The remainder of the afternoon was filled with doing laundry, playing pool, mini golf, taking a nap, and swimming in the pool. 

It was fajita night for dinner this evening.  Al grilled the steak and chicken we purchased in Grand Junction on the grill, we had a nice campfire going, and Blake made cheese dip.  To top it off, Blake and Al made delicious homemade banana ice cream for desert. 

Throughout out the evening clouds were gathering over the canyon and we wondered if we were going to get our very first rain of the trip.  Right when I sat down to eat my ice cream, it started to rain.  We quickly moved everything safely under the rig, finished our ice cream and turned in for the night.  Tomorrow – whitewater rafting.