Utah: Rafting the Colorado River

When we started looking at the map of Moab a few months back, it dawned on me that since the massive Colorado River winds right through the town, there may be some rafting. So we booked a 1/2 day float on a guided raft excursion for Sunday, the first full day we had in Moab.

The weather was overcast, making it perfect for being outside for hours on end. While the actual rafting wasn't terribly adventurous compared to what we're used to around Chattanooga, the scenery was astounding. I do love getting to know a new place based on the view from the water. And a major bonus: a bald eagle soared above us as it crossed over the river.

The drive out to the put-in is one what's considered one of the most scenic highways in the country, then we floated back and got to see it all again. There were about 4 substantial rapids where we got good and splashy, and the boys jumped in and swam a few times. They also learned how cold it can feel when you're wet and a morning breeze kicks you. They were both shivering pretty good from time to time.

While the water was pretty tame, it was a beautiful way to see the countryside. Afterwards we came back to our Airbnb and grabbed some lunch and had some downtime. Later in the day we walked downtown to pick up our permits to hike the Fiery Furnace at Arches NP on Monday. We wrapped up the day with breakfast for dinner & a movie on Disney+. We made sure to have extras so we could easily grab some food and eat in the car the next morning on our way to an early hike at Arches.Read more