Tubing Tagedy

"So tubing...WILL BE AMAZING!!!" This is what I was told I believe a few hundred times by Ben. I've heard it for a month or two maybe a little longer. It had to be amazing in Texas...

1. It needed to beat this damn 110+ weather

2. Worth leaving the child behind...for the whole day

3. Be beautiful & relaxing

4. Worth going out in this 110+ weather

 

So I finally caved and it was planned for the weekend of Tommy's big "25". Little did I know I would end up costing me a very important family member!!!

 

The weekend was so great to begin with, Tommy had been gone all week down in Corpus Cristi studying for his E6 examine and then when Saturday rolled around he was running away to Ben's for the day and night!!! I am so stupid sometimes...an entire week and then weekend alone with Ruby & the animals, oh I am stupid but oh so BRAVE!

Tommy most certainly enjoyed his "Man Night" away, me not so much but I survived and no one was killed. 6:30am came super early for me as Ruby & I got ready for the big adventure. She would be spending the day with the sitter, the most amazing Ms. Tiffany & her boys, while Mommy & Daddy floated down the river in San Marcus. The drop off was easy and a little painful but we both went our separate ways. I made the long but short hour drive to Ben's and arrived to a alive and well husband and half awake Ben. We made our way out for some breakfast at the Roots, amazing place...French Toast and Sausage were the BOMB. Then we were off to Don's Fish Camp!!!

Now Don's Fish Camp is pretty darn AWESOME, Ben told us a little about this place but not much. I was expecting some fancy place with nice large 15 passenger vans and well not what we showed up to! You drive through an abandoned trailer park and are greeted by some wonderful Jeff Foxworthy worthy rednecks and then you wonder why you are at the School Bus salvage yard! This place was a little crazy but I could tell it was that darn awesome, a place I'd be taking family to when they come and visit! It's backwoods tucked behind dirt roads and boast the nicest people you'd ever meet!

Okay so much of that...after $15 parking and $12 per tub we were off, off in a school bus that is! See how they set this up is that you park at the fish camp then they bus you a few miles up the river and drop you off, then you float back to the fish camp jump out and climb into your car and be gone!!! What genius didn't think of this back in Florida???

We were dropped off by a one way bridge and our adventure begin...umm can we say no gators!!! It was so nice, shade where you needed it and the current keep you going...and the scenery was BEAUTIFUL. It was so much fun and the water was nice with the heat, but we weren't at that 100* weather just yet. There were little rapids and turtles everywhere and we even saw a snake just before we got out. It was what we needed, a nice peaceful relaxing day away from San Antonio and our house....but that was all about to change!

It all started with the last set of rapids just about 15 feet away and this was the conversation...

Tommy "Dude I'm going down backwards!"
Ben "That's all good I'm hitting it sideways"

April "Well at least I'm facing forward!"

Those words will haunt me forever....Ben and his sideways floating! I made it through the last batch of rapids...lets add we were all tied together and tied to the cooler! As I said I made it through but that was it...Ben flipped causing Tommy to flip and leaving me still on my float with 2 tubes attached to me and a cooler! As I floated away I did as I always do...snap pictures! The boys came out of the water they didn't seem injured but had to battle to rocks to get to me and the tubes. They made it back and thus the trail of disaster continues!!!

Tommy attempted to get on his tube using the cooler as leverage, he didn't make it on his tube but ended up flipping the cooler and knocking all Ben's beers into the river!

So now onto the "BEER RESCUE" and how wonderful it was...saw swam off to get it and then had to brilliant idea to throw them back to Ben and I. Ben ended up with a jammed finger and I ended up with the butt end of a beer can right into my knee!

I canceled the rest of the rescue mission and Tommy swam back to the tubes. After I was attacked by the beer can I had to put my camera down, so I put it on the cooler thinking it would be safe.

Back comes Tommy with attempt #2 of climbing back onto the tube....and again he uses the cooler as leverage, someone obviously didn't learn his lesson! In a blink of an eye I watched my short life flash before my eyes as that cooler flipped again and down went my camera!!!

 

I know most of you are thinking "Really April tragedy over a lost Camera" ! Yes tragedy over a camera, you really thought something happened to Ben or Tommy...well yes in a 5 minute period Tommy ended up with a broken finger when he flipped over, I ended up with and nasty bruise on my knee, Ben got a jammed finger and my precious camera lost its life!!!

We weren't able to recover the camera and yes I cried, she has been with me for 3 1/2 years and has been through so much we even had to part ways as she went to the camera Dr. to get fixed!

There was no way we could have recovered her, the current was to strong and we couldn't even touch the bottom of the river!

But hope was not lost, as we made our way out of the river the kind young man who took our tubes let me know that they usually have people who travel the river collecting lost items!

I May see her again!!!!

I left a report of the camera with the lady at their "Office" and sent Ben on a mission....Save the Camera!!! Next weekend he will float down the river again, oh goodness he is so upset about this(really he's rather stoked), and save the camera! He will be taking goggles with him and go back as many times as possible till that camera comes back!!!

I pray I'll see my camera again, she was my go to camera, waterproof and all she could take on any picture!

That was our weekend we finished it off with dinner at Hooters for Tommy's birthday and some chocolate cake for me!!!

I have learned 1 lesson this weekend....always upload photos from your awesome camera on a regular basis!!! So there was going to be a ton of pictures from tubing along with some videos....but not anymore, I will post some of Ruby here in a few!!!

 

Thanks for listening to my sad story!!!