Oh What a Day

Serving Coffee During a Work Day

For the last three years I have worked Memorial Day weekend.  I watched the crowds, the families and the crazies from behind a front desk as I checked in the multiple RVers and vacationers out for their first summer weekend.  For me it was the beginning of a long workamping summer and I just wanted to get through that initial weekend and survive to tell the tale.  Well, not this year.  This year I get to be one of the crazies.

Rio Running

They opened up the dam and the Rio Grande came flowing through.  It started as an initial flush which brought all sorts of debris (bales of hay, tree limbs, bottles, cans, pillows) but by Friday most of the accumulated refuse had floated downstream and the river was now fast, deep, cold and totally enticing.  And then what should show up but the invite to float down the river in float tubes, kayaks or rafts.  Count me in!!!!

River Trip with Turtle Back Mountain in the Distance

Joan Ready to Go

Our group ended up being four of us...me and Joan, Ken and Jake (the manager of Riverbend) and an extra inner tube for the cooler of beer.  Because no one wanted to be too far from the cooler we tied our tubes together and had an absolute blast!  It took about 2 hours to float back down to Riverbend which was just the perfect amount of time.  Once back at Riverbend we hopped into the the hot springs and chased away the chill of the mighty Rio.

Jake and Joan with Captain Bob getting the van ready

Ken was in Charge of the Cooler

What a day what a day.   It was such a good day, we are going to do it all over again tomorrow...:)

The River's Flow

I haven't posted much lately.  Life has been too full and too busy.  And even though lately the heat has kept me mostly indoors on my days off, my need, want or desire to write seems to have gone on hiatus.

Today was one of my three days off.  I spent early morning soaking in hot mineral springs while idly watching a school of carp circling in the Rio Grande.  My plan was to take a picture of this carp dance but as I was lazing about one of the dams in the Rio was released and now the carp have all retreated to mud holes or puddles wherever they can find them.

The water mark on the deck piling shows the decrease in water level

You can now see the shore across the river

The carp have mostly disappeared

I didn't take this picture but this is similar to what it looked like before the dam was released

My understanding is the smell will be quite strong for a few weeks and then the Elephant Butte Dam will release its water and the Rio will rise to its full glory.  That is when there will be kayaking, tubing and floating...something I have never seen since I have never stayed here during the summer months.  My workamping job ends May 30th.  Do I want to stay a few more days to see the majesty of the Rio Grande as she freely flows downstream?  Can I bear a few more days of this 90+ degree weather?  Guess I will just have to play that one day by day.

What I have decided is that this will be my last workamping job.  I have unsubscribed from the daily "worker wanted" emails and will not renew when my workamping membership expires in August.  That's it, I am done.  It's been an experience, but I will no longer be enticed into working for my keep.  I don't wanna work!  

 I sold my interest in the land owned by my former spouse and that will give me enough money to live on.  At the end of the year I will file for social security which will add even more monthly income.  At least enough money that with my simple life, I can simply live.

Picture of me at my last workamping job