Despite a few of the kids still being in quarantine, we escaped for our planned vacation to the Frio River. We figured we could avoid being near others, and boy were we right! We checked into our cabin, got unpacked and had a few hours before dinner and dark. So we went to the nearest public access and hopped in to float down to our resort. However, it was longer than we realized (we are newbie river goers), and our resort was one of the few that was not clearly marked for exit. So we floated and floated and watched some other nearby resorts pass by thinking ours was just around the next bend. The sun started to set and we still had not found our exit point. We started to panic especially since walking was tough because the rocks were super slippery. We sent scouts to try and find a place for us to get off with no luck. Finally right before the sun went down for good, we just bailed onto a path that was someone's private property. But we didn't care (and they didn't seem to be home) and found our way to the road. We recognized where we were and walked about 1/4 mile up the road in the dark to our place. The cabin never looked so good as it did when we arrived that night. We were all so relieved. We had missed dinner but didn't care. We just cleaned up and went to bed, happy to not be sleeping on the riverbank! What an adventure!
The next day as we tubed, Cecilia kept asking if we would be home before dark (at noon!). I assured her we would. She explained to me, "If it starts to get dark, DON'T panic. Just say a prayer like this 'Dear Jesus and Mary please help us.' " So sweet. At least she learned something from the experience!
It turned out our resort had a beautiful section of the river, complete with a little dam that created some short rapids to ride. The younger crowd and Austin enjoyed tweaking the rocks/flow pattern to maximize the floating experience there. Then after teens were up and ready we went to a nearby place that offered a shuttle, kayak rental, and a swim hole at the end of the course with a clif for jumping. It was great fun.
The next day we visited Garner State Park to do some hiking and chose the trail that went to a little cave. Water was seeping through the limestone, and a member of the group before us slipped and cut her leg on the way out. This really freaked Cecilia out, and she was quite scared to go in but braved it!
We went to the tubing place with the shuttle again that afternoon and floated together instead of some doing kayaks. Then our last morning Austin, myself and the younger ones enjoyed the river for a bit longer before packing up.
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