When people think of California, it's often all beaches and movie stars. I have to admit -- that was pretty much my idea about the state as well. Of course, California does have those things, but it's a huge state with a lot more to offer.
This is what I learned when I was invited to "The River." A new friend Ann invited me and the roommate to go with her and her partner's vacation spot on the Colorado River. This "resort" is a bunch of trailers together in the middle of the desert right along the river. And it is awesome.
Being of German and Nordiac descent, I wasn't sure the desert was a good place for me, but in October it's actually quite pleasant. It was in the 80's the whole time we were there and I know it's a cliche, but the dry heat really is more tolerable than the soupy humidity Iowa experiences in the summer. I suppose that could be a different experience at 110 degrees in the summer.
The little trailer town was sweet. There was a real sense of community at the resort and it reminded me a lot of camping with my family and all our camping/boating buddies.
Since it's right on the river, water sports are a popular activity. Ann let me and the roommate out on the river with her two jetskis and the instruction to "stay upriver." In restropect, we maybe needed a bit more direction than that.
Jet skiing on the river was a once in a lifetime thing. It was a Friday so we basically had the river all to ourselves. The water was like glass and there were mountains in the background everwhere. We found a sandbar to stop at for a bit with the most breathtaking view. I didn't bring a phone or camera, so I don't have pictures. Also because I didn't have my phone, we lost track of time.
As we were sitting on the beach, the sun started to lower and my roommate goes "How long until Ann sends a search party?" I replied, "probably sundown" and we got moving. As soon as we got out into the middle of the river, my roommate realized her jet ski wasn't going anywhere. So we floated until we ran into another group of jet skiiers at a different resort. They were able to tow my roommate off to the side and we figured out there was weeds stuck propeller. A quick fix and we would be on our way.
While we were pulled over, a search party did arrive in the form of a young man from few trailers down. Everyone at the boat dock was encouraging us to move quickly because the water levels drop at night. So we take off in a hurry trying to beat the tide.
The sun was at that point in setting where it was blinding at points. I was following my roommate and as we came around a sharp bend -- the sun was completely washing out everything. I watch as she put the ski up onto a rock bed and try to swerve to miss the bed -- only to completely beach my ski up on a different rock bed --- about a 100 feet in.
The search party by this point has grown by a few members and they all see this unfold. There are few things that will make you feel lower than crashing someone else's jet ski and then having to see it sitting on dry land -- in front of a bunch of seasoned river goers. Luckily, they were all there to help us pick up the ski and put it back in the water.
Somehow all we managed to do was scratch up the bottom of the skis and tarnish our reputation. I think the skis will recover quicker than our reputations.
When we got back to shore, Ann was just relieved that we were ok -- and not concerned that we had just tried to take her jet skis off-roading. I felt awful, but I learned a lot that weekend.
Lessons learned from a trip to "The River:"
1) Water level drops as the day goes on
2) Check in with the shore every 20-30 minutes so nobody thinks you're dead
3) I can survive in the desert -- and really like it!
4) California has a lot more to offer than beaches and movie stars
The second day we went off-roading which included a random "happy stop" to have a beer and contemplate whether we could form a Breaking Bad-style meth business in this location.
The river friend then took us to "The Desert Bar." I'm imagining everytime she describes the Desert Bar that it's a little one-room shack that just happens to be in the desert. We turn onto this rocky road and start a five mile trek into mountains. It feels like forever, but once we pull into the parking lot, I immedieately understand why the bar is such an attraction. It's a huge multi-level, open-air structure and that's built into the side of a mountain. It was too big to even capture in one photo, but to give you an idea of the scenery --- here's a view from the bathroom.
