Meet Dean, he was the other Assistant Boatman on our June, 2014 Grand Canyon raft trip.
Unlike me, Dean knew what he was doing. He was able to discern the bow from the stern. He knew what an Eddy is. I kept thinking it was a guest I haven't met yet. He was a pleasure to be around and fit in perfectly in the overall scene. He's a new buddy of mine.
Here's my pre-blog post I wrote about my experience. It was a tough voyage for this old guy.
Assistant Boatman II
In 2011, I acted (right word) as an assistant boatman. The experience was positive enough that I decided to give it a go again.
Lynn (boatman extraordinaire) invited me along for Round Two.
Sadly, the times they are a-changing on the Colorado River. The new generation boatmen are half my age, nimble, experienced and crazy fast in getting chores done.
The next generation also views the Grand Canyon as one vast sleep-away camp featuring swims through rapids, cliff jumping, tug-of-wars and other X Games diversions. All this complete with a "last one in, is a rotten egg" attitude.
Silly me, I thought National Parks were a place to seek solitude, beauty and serenity.
For the first time I my life, I felt like a doddering old man. (I was the oldest crew member among seven). I was humbled and intimidated at the same time.
So... I'm announcing my second retirement. I'll go back to doing what I'm good at. Being a gainfully unemployed retiree.
See, I even have a stone La-Z Boy throne for my non-work space.
BTW. The Grand Canyon is still one of the best places on the planet. In my future, I'll see it at my own pace and schedule. It'll be quieter too.
In 2011, I acted (right word) as an assistant boatman. The experience was positive enough that I decided to give it a go again.
Lynn (boatman extraordinaire) invited me along for Round Two.
Sadly, the times they are a-changing on the Colorado River. The new generation boatmen are half my age, nimble, experienced and crazy fast in getting chores done.
The next generation also views the Grand Canyon as one vast sleep-away camp featuring swims through rapids, cliff jumping, tug-of-wars and other X Games diversions. All this complete with a "last one in, is a rotten egg" attitude.
Silly me, I thought National Parks were a place to seek solitude, beauty and serenity.
For the first time I my life, I felt like a doddering old man. (I was the oldest crew member among seven). I was humbled and intimidated at the same time.
So... I'm announcing my second retirement. I'll go back to doing what I'm good at. Being a gainfully unemployed retiree.
See, I even have a stone La-Z Boy throne for my non-work space.
BTW. The Grand Canyon is still one of the best places on the planet. In my future, I'll see it at my own pace and schedule. It'll be quieter too.
And I did go back, just last month.
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