Little Rock/Jasper, AR
I just woke up from what my old roommate calls an Andrew. I call it a nap. I need one from time to time, especially after a day like yesterday. King and I made the 2.5 hour drive from LR to Jasper, AR to meet up with Jonathan, Leesha and his family. We were going to join them as they floated the Buffalo River. King and I were to float one day and they were floating three. We gout out of LR late on Friday (at 9:30 instead of 5:30), but made it to the cabin fine. I wished we had driven earlier because the view must have been incredible. We climbed up and down the Ozark Mountains. I could tell some incredible sights were waiting. Even with a close to full moon, I saw nothing but the stars and the trees close by.
We woke up early Saturday (7:00) to some coffee and to see Bryan, Gray is his son. I had not seen him since I last floated the Buffalo. This was 3 years ago after J & L were married. We floated as a group the day after. We caught up and made our way to the other cabin where J was and everyone else. We (K, J, and I) cracked open our first beer by 8 AM and polished it off as we ate eggs, bacon, and biscuits. A beer at 8 AM does not normally sound anywhere near to good to me, but being outside and knowing we’d be hitting the river, we cowboyed up and indulged.
It was great to be a part of their family for the day. J’s folks, sisters and husbands were truly glad to see us. Some people may feel uncomfortable on a family float trip. I felt right at home. There were 12 of us floating. 8 adults and 4 kids. Gray was the oldest and Mason, who rode in the canoe with King and I, the youngest at I think 7. His birthday is a week from mine (tomorrow) and the same as my Papa’s, so Happy Birthday Mason!
We got on the river at about noon. It was a low 80′s day. The water was a bit low, so this meant we had to paddle more than usual. People brought fishing poles. Coolers were stacked to the brim. King and I brought fried chicken and others brought sandwiches. We all shared.
If you’ve never floated a river, I can’t recommend it enough. Being in a canoe and casually floating downstream, you can reflect on a lot of things. You feel at peace out there. There is no music or noise other than the river and the birds. We saw a lot of big bluffs. That showed me how high up the water once was. Time and erosion have put the water to where it is. The weather was great, the sun not too hot, and the food and drink plentiful. Very plentiful. I ate chicken and a couple of sandwiches. I had many beers and some elixir (a tequila mix that makes the trip each time). On the water, the food and alcohol do not play as much of a role. I guess you are so intune to the surroundings.
After we were done floating we loaded up into the van that was down by the river. This was no ordinary van and no ordinary day. The van was a huge one. My friends from back in the day had one similar, I think it was called the Beauville or something. This one was red and had 3 rows of seats. We filled them up. Gray had been talking up the van’s new sound system. It was Alpine with a 13 CD changer and an amp and sub and some other things I don’t know.
Remember we had been on the river all day. We shut the doors cranked up big red and a funk CD came on. This is one of those mixes with a lot of different. We, or maybe I, didn’t care who it was. I was feeling no pain. The music sounded great and the whole van was jamming. Bryan was dancing as he drove, I was shimmying and shaking. We are all just laughing and happy as we drove back to the cabins. “Funk Funk Funk.” I thought I was James Brown as I danced as much as you can dance as you are sitting in between two people in a moving car.
Eventually we made it back to the cabins. I hit the shower and J & L made up dinner for the crew. It’s cool how each group of the family takes dinner on a different night. King and I were outsiders, so our job was to eat. And eat we did. They made some of the best soft tacos I’ve ever had. It may have been the day that we had had, but it was incredible. They are good cooks as it is, but I stuffed myself. As I ate the last bite, my brain and body realized what I had done that day. Beer for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Sunshine. Paddling. Swimming. Dancing. Laughing. I was way tired. I crashed on an egg crate thing on the floor of the cabin at around 10. Lights out on an amazing day. Thanks to the family for having me.