Rolling
on the River
A
big white Bluebird ex-school bus huffs into the lot, and we hoist
our tubes into the back. Dennis, the big, bald, well-mustachioed
driver throws the bus into gear, and we ride upstream about two
miles. At the drop-off, we grab our tubes, and trundle down to the
creek’s edge, throw our tubes in, and hop on with a splash.
WOOOH, that’s some chilly water!
For
the next 1 1/2 to 2 hours, I see where Harry was coming from. During
the calm parts, you just lean back and oat along, enjoying the
scenery, feeling like Huck Finn. Then, along comes the rst series
of rapids, and the bobbing and spinning begins. Both of us nd ourselves
whooping as we bounce off the rocks, and I am suddenly thankful
for the wooden disk I’m sitting on. You never really get up
to any dangerous speed, so the worst that happens are small bumps
and bruises, no more that you get from your average hike or bike.
It’s a real blast, and much more fun than an antiseptic theme
park experience. Every now and then, it does get a little too shallow
for progress, and you have to get out of your tube, grab the rope,
and haul it to deeper water, but that’s part of the fun. The
rapids do get progressively more interesting, and yes, it’s
possible to ip off the tube (as my son did, whooping the whole
time,) which usually just adds to the post-run boasting. The creek
really doesn’t get deep enough to be a danger on this run,
but like most fun things, it’s not completely risk-free.
We
pull our tubes out at the #4 bridge, and tote them back to the barn,
still soaking wet and grinning. Jessica Boyer, local Phoenician
and 10 years at the barn, takes our tubes, and takes a free moment
to chat. Town Tinker has become a steady attraction over the years,
renting between 15 and 20 thousand tubes a season, she tells us.
Since the Internet, reservations have actually come in from all
over the world, most recently from Holland, Panama, and the U.K.,
with up to 500,000 hits on the website.
CONTINUE....
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