Day 20 - Do Rivers Make Like a Big Circle?

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It's our last official day of fun before we begin the 2 day drive home.  So we wanted to go out with a BANG.  

How about a little white water rafting? Oh yes!

We choose to take a half-day mild trip with Mild to Wild Rafting down the lower Animas River right in Durango.  I wanted to find a trip that would accommodate a four-year old but still be more than a gentle float down the river.  

 We geared up, hopped on the bus and headed to the put-in.  Our guide, Kyle, is a pro - he took a 25 day trip down the Grand Canyon last summer - plus he teaches kids snowboarding lessons during the winter, so he was GREAT with my kids.  He was entertaining and really made it a fun trip for the kids.

For the most part, the rapids were pretty gentle, class 1 & 2, so we could hop in and out of the boat.  The boys had water guns to splash other boats - we totally had fun on the river.  The water was in the 60s but so incredibly refreshing - I loved it. But the funniest moment came when my daughter asked our guide, "So does the river like make a big circle around to where we got in?"  Uh no.

We had one Class 3 Rapids - seen here in the picture - as you can see, we LOVED it.  Many asked me today how my little guy did - he was pretty excited to go.  They only thing he really whined about was getting splashed.  You can see he was holding on to my arm here - but for the most part, said the trip was "awesome".  The boat is big enough for him to have sat on the floor if I ever felt like there was a chance he would fall out - but there wasn't.  It was a great tour for him to go on.  The limit is ages 3 and above and I can't recommend it enough.  Another fun memory made from our trip.

 After that fun, we took a few hours to explore Durango a bit, visiting Durango Brewing Company - they had a blueberry wheat ale that I may be bringing home with me - and the Durango Discovery Museum.  Set in an old power plant, we had so much fun with all the hands one activities - we raced soda bottle cars, built rockets, made stop-animation movies, and programmed a robot.  It was fun downtime for us after the adrenaline-filled rafting experience.

 Downtown Durango was fun too - great shops, restaurants, and even a random gun fight or two.

We ended the day, soaking in all that summertime in Durango is - Outdoor life.  It was a great moment of reflection for me.  These last 3 weeks may have seem overly filled from the outside, but we have made so many incredible memories.  This is a trip we will never forget.  We met new people, experienced different ways of life, saw amazing sites, and tried to become better people through our experiences.  My hope is that this trip is one my children will look back fondly on - and remember all the incredible places they have been to.  I know I will.