July 7

July 7. Whitewater day. Rio Grande. The class III-IV rapid route we originally signed up to do was closed because of low water levels. We ended up doing the class II-III section of the river. It still was an exhilarating trip. Our raft guide had 22 years experience and was very entertaining to talk to. He had a crazy laugh.


After lunch, the second part of the trip went well- until the hail storm came. Dark clouds had been building up all morning, and eventually it hit. According to the raft guide, the hail storm was a rare event on the river. Luckily, we made it under this dilapidated bridge (see photo) and took cover until it blew over.


After rafting, we crossed the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, the fifth tallest in the United States. It towers 650 feet over the river. It's windy on top of it- and a bit freaky. Still, it was awesome to see.

Dinner. We went to Pizza Out Back in Taos. Great pizza as usual, and I sampled the local root beers: "Way 2 Cool" and "Blue Sky". "Way 2 Cool" was better...

On the way home, there was a rainbow. At the Holiday Inn, we again hit the spa. It felt good to sleep in a real bed, compared to my foam pad and cot.