The second round at Island Park I was officially part of the family. The family didn't have to worry about if Mike and I were in the same room together. This year the focus was on making sure Jon and Alair played it safe. Thankfully Mike and I were past that stage in our relationship. Mike and I were able to enjoy most of the week up at the cabin. Icon had given him the whole week off. When we first arrived there was a little bit of tension in the cabin. Lack of sleep, Nerf guns, and crazy kids were the contributors. Nevertheless, we had a great week. It was a lot of fun and I felt more comfortable with the family. I knew them more on a personal basis this year. Therefore, I could throw out jokes about Julie’s age or hang out with the others when Mike wasn't around.
In fact, Mike had to leave for a day to go have his second interview with Zane Benefits. He was willing to make the trip because he had a really good shot at getting the job. One of his mission friends, Sam, had worked there for several years and was their top sales guy. He put in a good recommendation for Mike. Unfortunately, no offer was made at this point. While Mike was gone, I floated down the river with John and Julie and their boys. John spotted a big bull moose in the river. We paddled back up creek to get a closer look; we were able to get within 20 feet of the guy. It wasn’t too happy with us; it was staring at us with its ears back. It was pretty nerve racking but it was awesome!
We saw lots of other animals as well, a highlight of the trip. We were up close and personal with a black bear. It was headed right towards the crowd of people and I was probably only 200 feet away or so at one point. We all watched as it swam across the lake and encroached on a Crane’s nest. The crane was not welcoming. It flapped its wings at the bear. To our surprise, the bear climbed up the tree! We also saw a mama bear with her two cubs and then another bear which climbed out of the river and climbed up a hill. A good year for bears! But that was not all; we also went on a successful wolf watching adventure and saw many, many buffalo. The trip was a lot of fun. We had good conversations, lots of junk food, saw the sights, watched good movies, and some good laughs.
After Island Park, Mike and I took off on our own adventure to Jackson Hole. We met up with Devin, his girlfriend Brittany, and his three sisters. The river was about 19,000 CFS and was the best run I had ever done. There was a new wave called “Double D” which was fun, even though Mike had done the river many times he still had to get his bearings. Because of the high water level, the Big Kahuna was very mild, but Lunch Counter was huge! The waves were probably 10 feet above our heads down in our little raft. Darla, Devin’s youngest sister, was absolutely horrified. I was even a little scared, but it was a blast!
Later that night we went into town. We checked out our pictures from our river adventure. Mike learned my secret that sometimes in the really big rapids I forget to paddle. In rafting that is a social disgrace. Mike was surely disappointed that it was his own wife breaking the rules, but lucky for me he is quick to forgive. While in the shop, Mike saw one of his pictures on the wall from when he was a guide. He was a celebrity! The lady told us they show off that picture to a lot of their customers. Because of his fame, she gave us our pictures for free! Later that night, the group traveled to Bar J Wranglers. It was something Mike had never done in all his years in Jackson. It was a fun show with lots of good food. It was a fun trip to Jackson.
The next day we were on our way back to Logan when we had a little mishap. Mike’s engine had ceased by Afton, Wyoming. The ’97 Mitsubishi Eclipse had its last ride. Black smoke had been emitting from our car, we tried to make it to the next town but it died too soon. We hadn’t been stopped a couple of minutes before a lady named Nan stopped to help us. She was our little angel that day. She was so willing to help and offered us a place to stay for the night. Unfortunately, we needed to get back to Logan for work. So she called her daughter-in-law, Carrie, to help us out. She recommended a mechanic in town and called her dad to help tow our car over there. Nan then took us to her house and fed us some sandwiches for dinner. Nan and Carrie then drove us all the way down to Montpelier, Idaho, about an hour drive. They would not accept any money, not even for gas. Nan just told us to pass along the favor. Kori, my cousin, then drove up from Paradise to meet us in Montpelier. She too would not accept any money even though it took her over three hours! We truly were blessed to have so many kind and generous people willing to help us out. The Lord does watch out for us and is willing to provide help in many forms. We are very blessed.
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