Stay for a Lifestyle

My friend, R., and I rented duckies to float down the Arkansas River.  Slathering suntan lotion is key, but somehow my toes escaped.  Now I have impressions of my water shoes across my feet - and they are cooked lobster red!  Our journey started at Stone Bridge, about 8 miles northwest of Salida.  Just a few exciting patches of water - including Class II rapids and the boat chute over the dam.  I was not "one with the river," it being my first outing of the season.  With the water at 800 cubic feet per second, many rocks were exposed, and I perched atop a few!  R. and I saw a mother grebe and her four chicks sunning on a river rock.  There were a number of fishermen with their black labs.  Only one other ducky.  Three hours later, we arrived at the Coors boat ramp, vowing to tackle a harder stretch of the river in a few weeks. - Leslie