The kids and I were so eager to get our kayaking on that the first chance we had to put into the Rio Grande we took it. Our plan, to put in at Bernalillo and meet daddy for a picnic lunch at Almeda Blvd where we would load up and go home. Our trip was LONG, 12 miles and 41/2 hours to be exact. Living in Rio Rancho we have learned that within a 4 hour period the weather can change multiple times and it did. We started off warm, happy and all kinds of excited to be on the water. About and 1 hr into it Spencer tipped and his kayak took a solo trip down the Rio Grande. I rescued Spencer and Matthew rescued his kayak. As soon as we all met up again and everyone was back in their correct kayak we were one our way. Now 3 of us are soaked the sun is going in and out of the clouds and we are all a bit unsure of the safety of our journey. Now we are floating, paddling, floating, paddling...... wondering how much further as dad and I were thinking about 2 hours. Now the sun is gone, rain clouds are present and there is a slight breeze that is freezing us to the bone. At this point Kendal decided that she would rather be doing school and that we may be going in circles as she has seen the same trees over and over again. After 3 1/2 hours everyone is done, some are crying, all complaining and we were eager to see people. We finally saw a lady walking on the shore and decided regardless of where we were, we were going to get out of the water. First chance we got we shored our kayaks and got out of the water just to find out that we were at our meeting spot. A little late for lunch and with a dad that was a bit worried (we called a couple of times).
Trip #2
After some research and a drive to check it out we found a better landing spot that was only 4 miles and 1 1/2 hours on the river. After My LB got home from work we all cramped into 4 kayaks and made the trip. Daddy with Kendal, Mommy with Maggie and Spencer and Matthew flying solo. Kendal was a bit cramped and all kinds of scared that her kayak was going to tip. Matthew was in a kayak that was too small and flipped it once, no worries we were veterans at kayak rescues. It was a perfect trip and the landing point was in our neighborhood so the truck swap was easy as pie. We ended with dinner by the river, 50 cent cones at Burger King and great memories.
It was a boring summer day and mom got the bright idea to go kayaking. Dad took the motorcycle left us with the car and truck and with some smart thinking and a short bike ride the car/truck swap would be easy peasy. The hardest part was talking Kendal into kayaking again, I knew she would have a great time it was just a matter of helping her see it. After loading the kayaks and making a quick stop at the dollar store for water soakers we were on to our third adventure. The day was hot and luckily the water was refreshing because we got WET. Every chance we had we put down our paddles and commenced the soaking. At one point Kendal said to me, "I am having a fun time. I don't know why I ever doubted you." It took three tries but we finally got it down. We are river kayakers!
