Our journey continued to Salida this week where we’ll be for FIBArk 2021, the annual boating competition and celebration of the water returns after a one year hiatus in 2020 due to the Coronavirus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19). We’re primarily interested in the Tenderfoot Hill Climb and the Hooligan Race, but I’m sure the competitive events will draw our attention as well.
We stopped at Hecla Junction on our way into town to splash in the river. Up until he got his feet in the water László was primarily interested in riding the school busses that lined up to drop off and pick up rafters. We had to explain that we could look at the busses but not go on them. This is the line we use constantly with him and I would be surprised if he started to assume he’ll never board a school bus or that we’re lying and he could go on one of them if only we’d allow it.
We cooled off at the waters edge. The Arkansas Valley was about 10º below Denver’s air temps which combined with the snow melt water was a refreshing change of pace. We had a good time splashing in the water and dragging the kid by his arms — he calls this mixing — before we finished the drive into town.
