When the kids were still living at home, we took several trips down the Platte River on float tubes each summer. Sometimes we jumped the gun and hit the river before the temperatures were conducive for it, and those floats were a bit on the chilly side. But when the thermometer’s reading high 80s or above consistently, it’s a pretty safe bet the water’s going to be fine for it. The last week or so down here in Cheyenne, we’ve been above 90, so we figured it was a good time to drag the tubes up to Guernsey again.
Our youngest is still living in town, so we asked him if he’d want to come along. I wasn’t sure he’d be cool with hanging out with the old people on a weekend, but he jumped at the chance. And that was good, because to do the trip right, you need to take two vehicles. You drive up to the take-out point, leave a rig there, then everybody climbs into the other car and goes to the put-in spot. That way, when you’re done floating the several miles down the river, you can get into an air-conditioned vehicle and drive back to where you left the other one. I’m way too old to be walking back up the river to get back to the vehicle in 90-degree heat.
Back when the kids were younger, our trips down the river were much livelier. We usually went with at least one other family, complete with our kids’ friends. Those trips were noisy, splashy, and rife with horseplay. We really didn’t mind getting hit by stray splashes, because it helped ease the heat of those hot days.
This weekend’s trip down the Platte was a lot quieter. Logan’s a full-grown human now, and he has chilled out considerably. And we floated past plenty of other families with young kids, so we got our share of stray splashes anyway.
Grab a tube and hit the river if you’re tired of the heat. It’s time well wasted.
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