During Erik's week of summer vacation, we traveled with the Merkleys and Noorlanders to Flaming Gorge, a new one for me. We spent a lovely 3 1/2ish days boating, rafting, and of course, eating.
Our first full day there we rented a raft and went 7 miles down the Green River, entering just below the dam. Round one was idyllic and calm, and we pulled out feeling very sure of ourselves on an almost disappointingly mild river.
Round two we decided to aim for all the biggest rapids in hope of a little excitement. Well, as it turned out, a combination of rain and wind on that voyage transformed the river into a whole new animal. We were still pretty assured until we went down over a rock/rapid sideways and partially tipped the raft. Now to you rafting enthusiasts, we did know better than to go into a rapid sideways - we were head on but the river and wind had other ideas. Somehow Taisa's leg got caught under mine, so she dangled in the water instead of falling in until I could pull her back in. Meanwhile, on the other end of the raft, Erik got thrown into the whirlpool right under the rock and was stuck there in kind of a dangerous predicament. For a while there, he wasn't sure if he was going to get out. Thankfully I missed the near death and terror part while pulling Taisa in - by the time I realized Erik was missing he had managed to kick himself free and we eventually got him back in the boat. We were pretty shaken by that point: soaking wet, freezing, missing a paddle, and almost missing a passenger. It was a pretty grim 4 miles back to the ramp, made worse by really choppy water and hard paddling. After that trip we all piled into cars and headed back to the cabins for showers and food and beds.
You would think our rafting adventures would end there, just counting our blessings, but a few of our party hadn't gone yet and managed to convince just enough of us to go back and man the raft. The irony is that round 3 was the most peaceful of the bunch; we avoided all rapids and had a pleasant trip. 
The boys being boys. They climbed down that crevice and followed it out to this ledge.
Blake "caught" a fish (caught meaning he found it dead on the riverbank with a stick through it)
The next day we spend boating, tubing, and water skiing, resulting in some pretty attractive burns for many of us. Totally worth it.
And while we were facing near-death experiences and making dam jokes, Morgan was off on her first parent-free vacation in Cache Valley. With Booma (Grandma) along and a menagerie of cousins to play with, she didn't even miss us.
