Show A river ricer trip offers unforgettable adventure Julie Martinez Contributing Writer I still remember that day quite vividly in my mind as though it had just happened happened happened hap hap- yesterday Two summers summers summers sum sum- mers ago I went on a vacation vacation vacation vaca vaca- tion to Lava Hot Springs Id with my parents and some friends We take this trip every summer yet each time it seems to get better and more exciting However this time something something something some some- thing happened to me which changed all that excitement and fun It was a close call First of all I had been convinced that tubing down downa a river wasn't dangerous unless unless unless un un- less I did something out of stupidity I was told that my inner tube and my ability to swim were all that I needed I didn't care what I was told I Iwas Iwas Iwas was still scared and nothing was going to change that With everyone begging and pleading with me to go godown godown godown down the river I finally gave in The women went down the river together and the themen themen themen men came down after There were a few who didn't go godown godown godown down at all They waited at a i t r J spot where the water wasn't rapid to help others off their inner tubes My mind still didn't agree with what my body was doing Even so I managed to get on the inner tube and was well on my way for the time of my life I was a bit shaky but the longer I sat on the inner tube the more relaxed I became As a result of the shock of the cold wa water ter my teeth began to chatter I also found that huge rocks could cause some problems Every once in a while one would sneak up on me Occasionally I got stuck on a rock That's when I became uneasy and nervous all over again Even though the water had only been waist deep the pressure of it was strong Getting out of a position like that definitely isn't easy With the water flowing strongly over my inner tube I struggled to push my body away from the rock Even so I was paranoid about the rocks after that in in- In fact I kept my eyes posted for rocks that might cause me any harm As I drifted a little farther down the river I noticed the water becoming more rapid At the time I noticed that ahead of me was some sort of drop I had two choices one was to go on the left side which was the smoother of the two or to go on the right side which was a steep drop Obviously the wise choice would've been the left As I came closer to the drop the water became so rapid that I couldn't control the direction of my inner tube I held on to the tube tight closed my eyes and only hoped for the best It all happened fast The next thing I knew I was thrown from my inner tube and soaked from my head to toes I couldn't touch the bottom of the river I became ter ter- Not knowing what to todo todo todo do I struggled to swim towards the side of the river where I could grab hold of the rocks Something bumped me on the head I turned slightly What a relief It was my inner tube I got back on and continued to drift down river i 0 A few moments later I saw a couple of familiar faces Straight ahead were my dad and a few other men waiting to help me off of my inner tube The ride had finally come to an end As they helped me off the tube I heard a voice call Julie are you OK That was a close call I I only replied Yes Im I'm fine Even though I had been physically fine I was in ina a state of shock As I heard everyone talk about the incident incident inci ind- dent my eyes began to fill with tears I knew then that there had been a reason deep inside of me for not wanting to go down the river l may IY a K Y a |