Road Trip - Part 3: More incidents

After the horrible day at Canyonlands, I spent the next day on my own at Arches National Park.

Other than it being really hot out, it was an ok day. I saw some beautiful scenery and enjoyed a few nice hikes. I also took some nice pictures of the various rock formations. For whatever reason, it just doesn't seem particularly memorable.

The next day I decided to take a short day-trip of rafting down the Colorado River. After the week I was having I didn't want to take the multiple day camping trip! Because of a record drought, the river level was really low. In a way, it made the trip less exciting, because the flow rate was lower. On the other hand, it made big rocks stick out of the river that normally aren't that, which made it a technically more difficult trip due to navigation. In spots, a normally Class II/III rapid became Class IV.

In one of those spots, one of the other tourists on my trip got flipped out of the raft. As he flew out, his leg kicked up and his foot made direct contact with my jaw. I bit my tongue (causing it to bleed) and felt like he broke my jaw. We fished him out of the river and pulled him back on the raft. Within a few minutes, my jaw was swollen and turning purple. At least it wasn't broken. By the time the rafting trip ended, the entire right side of my face was bruised.

That's it! Trip over. I spent that night in Moab, then packed up to go back home the next morning. I had a few other minor mishaps on the way home, but at least made it there intact - and 3 days early!

I spent the remaining 3 days of vacation at home - safe and sound - recouperating from my "vacation".