Messing About in Boats

"Simply messing about in boats -- or with boats... In or out of 'em it doesn't matter. Nothing seems to matter, that's the charm of it. Whether you get away, or whether you don't; whether you arrive at your destination or whether you reach somewhere else, or whether you never get anywhere at all, you're always busy, and you never do anything in particular; and when you've done it there's always something else to do, and you can do it if you like, but you'd much better not.

Look here! If you've really nothing else on hand this morning, supposing we drop down the river together and have a long day of it?"

- from Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

This oft-quoted ode to boats pretty much sums up my life for the past and future 3 weeks. Messing about in boats. For almost a month now I have been putzing around the garage, busy doing nothing in particular, mostly trying to keep my mind busy so I don't just fixate on the three weeks now to come. Finally it's time for the fun part, 3 weeks of solace and utter contentment, as close to perfection as it gets.

This is my third opportunity to float the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon, and in this case, the third time is definitely the charm. Ky (Veteran of such exciting river adventures as "High Water Yampa" and "Deso Junkshow") is coming with me on this one -- her first trip down the Grand -- and we're taking my dorky home-made boat.

Food and gear is piled to the ceiling in our living room (Everett is not amused). The boat is on the trailer, hatches battened down. All we have to do now is load the trucks on Friday and drive 7 hrs south to Lees Ferry, the terminus of Glen Canyon, and the beginning of Marble & Grand Canyons. Downstream lies 280 miles of bliss. Look for me in three weeks, I'll be the puffy, tanned, hairy, stinky one.