After River Food and Brew, originally uploaded by Tokenhippygirl.

We went inner tubing yesterday on the Sandy River.  Spent 5 hours on the river with 7 spectacular women.  Thanks ladies for making it a great day.  So relaxing, so peaceful, so much fun, and so tired and hungry by the time we were done.  We headed to McMenamins Edgefield for some grub after getting off the water.  We had to wait a while, 30-40 minutes, but once we sat down the service was pretty good and the food tasted awesome.  I’ll post some shots of the tubing experience soon.

On the subject of the actual tubing experience I have to say this… we didn’t die.  Everyone we told we were going to go tubing on the Sandy, and I mean everyone, said to us… be careful, people die there every year.  They also said the water was really cold.  OK, the water was cold, but none of us got really cold until the last hour or so.  Before that it was lovely.  It actually felt good to be in it.  My recommendation though is that if you’re going to do it put in at Oxbow Park (which we did) and get out at Dabney Park (which we didn’t).  We continued on past Dabney to Lewis and Clark Park and we all felt, at the end of the day, that it was slightly too long and also so much more crowded between Dabney and Lewis and Clark.  The river runs slower there as well… sort of meanders.  Probably OK if you just throw your tube or whatever other floation device you have with you and just want to have a leisurely 2 hour float, but we are women of action and loved that there were more rapids up above on the Oxbow to Dabney section.  By rapids I mean maybe 2+, nothing crazy or anything.  We are not women of THAT much action, especially since this was our first time tubing since our teenage years.  We also saw some deer and many birds on the upper section, where from Dabney to Lewis and Clark we only saw people.  Loads of them.  We had to keep navigating our pod around them.  Or should I say Maggie, iron woman, had to keep navigating us around them.  Maggie kept getting out and walking, pushing us along as we all clung together.  I think she was just ready to be done, ready for some food and a beer.  She rocked.

We had a great time yesterday.  9 women, 7 tubes (one for the ice chest), and a raft.  5 hours of floating.  5 hours of chills and some spills and hot sun and cold water and laughter and water guns and mini footballs and laughter and rapids and sun burn and booty up and wild life viewing and peaceful enjoyment of nature.  5 hours spent with spectacular friends having an amazing day.  Does life get any better?