WalMart, Rivers and Bulls OH MY!

Did you know that RVers can park in any WalMart parking lot across the country and sleep for a night?!

Well, in going back and forth between "should we drag the trailer to Utah or not" type conversations, we reached a moment where the idea was "we should". We thought it best to jump on the feeling before it passed and got out of dodge. It was late. We weren't going to get too far.

That is when we came upon Burley, ID WalMart parking lot. Perfect!....er uh, at least we thought.

We slid out one of the two slide-outs made the table down into a bed and both kids slept there fabulously. As for us....well, if you have ever been curious about the adventure of sleeping in a WalMart parking lot, it's not all that. Unless all that includes all night traffic, noise and lamplights that make you feel like it is anything but night. NOT the best sleep!

I do have to say that I had a good laugh at myself when I woke up in the morning and in the middle of my shower thought, "Wow! How many people can say they have taken a shower in a WalMart parking lot?!" Then I went the rest of the way with the ridiculousness, walked outside and fired up the generators so I could blow dry my hair. NOW THAT is an adventure! :)

Hours later that day we were at one of my very favorite places in the world with some of my very favorite people!

My Grandpa Atkinson has property right on the Provo River in Provo Canyon. It is BEAUTIFUL! We pulled the trailer in, set up camp and then spent the weekend relaxing and playing with my family!

Mallory and my little brother Parker fished their little hearts out.

Then my neices Kaitlyn and Lydia got in on the fun!

See the people floating by on the river?! Well, we finally couldn't resist any longer. Lisa and I ran to town and bought 2 rafts. We had to re-live the experience we had floating as teenagers. It only took a few minutes before I remembered that it wasn't a good experience....some was, but other parts, the near drowning parts, the freezing water parts...not so much.

My little sister Rachel and I climbed into my raft. Lisa and her hubby climbed into hers. We shoved off...and then 10 ft later my behind hit a ginormous rock....the first of many ugly bruises. I should have known then!

Rach and I were left behind. Lisa and Ryan somehow got a head of us. The current pushed us into an overhanging tree. "Fine," I thought, "I will just push off of it and we will get back into the center". 

Then my hand hit the tree.

Then the raft.

Then the raft started to get sucked under.

Then Rachel.

Then Me.

We flipped. It took a minute for me to catch my breath, once I found my way to the surface. I think Rachel was a bit freaked out by my inability to breath for a second or two. I mean, that's some COLD water!

With the raft upside down we began to float laying across the bottom side of the boat. My shoes and then the paddle were our targets. They were down river.

We got to my shoes. The paddle, well, that would be left to completely freak Lisa and her hubby out! When they got out to watch for us and then minutes later see the wreckage floating by, maybe then they will regret leaving us behind! Mwah ha ha! :)

At one point my EMT self kicked in. Hypothermia. Yes, possible. I was numb and didn't mind the cold because of it, but I knew it would be best if we got out. So we did.

We walked along the Heber Creeper train tracks for a while. Praying it was not running today, because we had no idea where we would run to. After a while we ventured back into the river only to be back out within minutes. We were officially freaked out. There was a very unsettling feeling about it all. Walking was our best option.

So we walked. All the while Rachel reminding me that my Mom and Dad would kill me if anything happened to her because she is the favorite. Yes. Well. :)

Then we came upon cows. Rachel freaked out. "As long as there aren't any bulls we should be fine." My I-used-to-live-on-a-ranch side of myself told her.

There were bulls.

So, I put my arms in the air and started "Shush"ing them to move them out of our way. The Bulls were stubborn, but they moved. Andy Prescott would have been proud!

A while later we found Lisa. She was walking up the tracks. I like to tell myself she was worried. She probably knew I would flip it and then walk.

Lisa and her hubby talked us into getting back in. We were short an oar and Lisa had just one. You have to know Lisa. She was not worried in the least. She could steer her tube AND ours with just one oar.

So we set off. Lisa in the front on her knees rowing. Me and Rachel each with a hand on their tube to hold us to them. Lisa's hubby fly fishing, and catching fish mind you, off the back. We were a sight!

More than once Lisa said, "Don't worry, I am in control" as we followed the fast moving current into a wall of rocks, a large rock, trees, etc. Rachel and I shook harder than ever and screamed a lot! :) We were a bit gun shy of this river business.

In the end, Lisa and her oar saved the day! We climbed out of the river and I SWORE I would never do it again. Not on the Provo River anyway! :)

Now THAT was an adventure!