The Blasted River Trip

Each year we LOVE taking the boats out on Lake Mohave. We've gone with many boats, with one boat, when we had a boat, when we didn't. We've blown tires, run out of gas, had leaks, messed up props, gotten blown off the water, you name it... Regardless, we always enjoy ourselves. This trip was no exception.

Taking just one boat and our own little fam and our Imbach fam, we headed out to Laughlin knowing full well that the desert was expecting a storm. We crossed our fingers for good weather and after a delicious dinner at Vinces in the 909 we headed up for the late drive. There were flash flood warning signs once in AZ but we were fortunate enough not to get caught in any. We were however surprised by a larger than expected left over puddle as we came over the hills making out way into Laughlin. Sure did cover the whole truck and boat in mud then unfortunately my sister's car too. We shook it off.

Arriving at 3am, we'd lost our reserved non smoking rooms and were given smoking rooms that had been "deodorized". Saturday after a breakfast at the Pioneer, we launched our muddy boat with ease. Thank goodness for my brother-in-law because backing the boat up give me personal anxiety.  We could see the storm over the mountains but there was sun above us and water below us with makes for a perfect day at Lake Mohave. We never set up camp because the perfect beach was impossible to find. The downside, we rode around with an easy up, chairs and a cooler all day. Upside, we were all together all day. We stopped a few times just to let the boat float and go for a swim. The kids tubed and my nephew wake boarded. It was rad.

Suddenly, literally, all of a sudden, the wind blew up, the sky got dark and up came the white caps. We were 11 miles up the river at Cottonwood Cove and we knew immediately that we needed to get the kids out of the water and head back to the dock. An hour later, all soaking wet from the crazy ride back, we got to Katherine's Landing. Everyone else seemed to have the same plan to get out of the water because boats were in every slip, whether or not it was theirs. We kindly asked some people to move out of our space and they happily obliged since they were just waiting for their trailers. Other people were not so polite... We sat and watched a full on fight between a houseboat and a boat full of "ladies". Lesson learned by our boys: F-bomb only make you look stupid.

Tired from our day, we ate dinner at the Salt Grass in the Golden Nugget. I left my phone on the table and didn't realize it until back at the hotel. Even though we used the Find My iPhone app, my phone had mysteriously disappeared and not been found by anyone in the restaurant. Even though we'd been sitting in a back and separate dining area with only 3 other parties, my phone wasn't seen by the waitstaff or the bussers. We returned to the restaurant the following morning, still nothing. So my lack of pictures on this post is due to the fact that I never got my phone back. Expensive error.

We decided to eat brunch at the Harrahs and while we were waiting for our table, Mr. B sat down for a hand of blackjack. After a delicious breakfast we walked back to our car with the intention of leaving Laughlin before we pushed our seemingly bad luck too far. No keys. Mr. B went back into the casino and luckily found our (one and only) truck key near the tables. That was it, we had to go.

Looking for the keys made us 30 minutes late to the the dock to pick up the boat. Yup, our boat was chained to the dock. I'm not even kidding. It was $20 more than the cost of renting the slip for another night to have someone unlock it. With the kids in their bathing suits, we decided to get the Heck out of dodge before we lost a child! We paid the fine, pulled the boat out, wiped her down and left. Crossing the first bump over the Colorado river going from Arizona to Nevada the trailer starts to fishtail. We figured we blew a tire and we pulled over. Nope, didn't blow a tire. In our hurry to leave, we over looked double checking the locks. The trailer came off the tow hitch and slammed into the back of our truck. Dented bed, no damage to the boat. uh, little yay?

It was a quiet ride home and in the end we agreed, no one was seriously hurt, we got quality time with our family Saturday on the water, phones can be replaced and dents can be repaired. It is what it is and if we get mad about it then it will still be what it is and we'll be mad too. As a couple and as individuals, we try to take the "roll with it" approach. Stuff will not go our way, we can either get upset about it or we can just keep going forward.

Needless to say, our next river trip is bound to be better than this one was.

10th Anniversary Trip Journal: Jan 6-8 At Sea

January 6^th
Although it was incredibly hard, I woke up this morning at 7:00, put on my running shoes and hit the track that is on the boat! I did week 2, run 1 of C25K which I’m counting on to help me get my stride back. It was tough but I’m glad I did it!

 After room service breakfast, I went to the spa where I got a facial for the first time ever! It felt great! Robert went for his massage after I got done and since tonight is the first formal night, he’s even made an appointment for a men’s haircut and shave. He walked around the boat a lot and is easily recognized because he has the full sleeves. We are truly on average probably 25-35 years under what seems to be the standard age range. It’s okay though because we’d rather be with people who are older than us than people who are crazy partiers. Not that we don’t like to have fun but we spent the morning watching a documentary on how they build the Celebrity Solstice Class ships and it was crazy cool! There are so many nook areas on the ship. I’m typing from the library where I came to read my book for book club but I’ve misplaced it in our stateroom. We’ve committed to taking the stairs every time unless I happen to be in heels. It will be good for us considering all the delicious options for food! I miss my kids terribly but I know they are being well cared for and because of that, I can truly chill out and enjoy myself! I’ll write more later!
Took a nap while Robert watched a movie. Then I camped out in a giant  hammock while he got a facial and hair cut and shave. I got halfway through the 2^nd Hunger Games book. So nice to just relax. 

We also got a $250 credit from Costco which I forgot about! Tonight is the first formal night so we’re getting all prettied up haha. All in all we’re having a great time. Yay!
Had dinner in the main dining room again. Rack of lamb and black salmon, both super yummy. The section we were sitting in though didn’t have a very on it drink person. Since it was formal night, there were several photo stations around. We are not shy about taking pictures and the set ups on Celebrity are much less cheesy than the ones we’ve done before on Carnival. The first photographer was totally down with us being silly but the next two were so serious and annoyed by us. You’re supposed to give them your room number and they send all the pictures digitally to your apple controlled tv! I asked one of the photographers if she needed our room number but she said they have facial recognition technology which might have been BS because all the other photogs asked for our room number. I think she was just irritated that we kept making jokes.

We went to the captain’s toast and saw the staff be introduces. The show was really really good! Last night the crowd seemed a little tough and not very “clappy” I’m a huge clapper so I felt like I had to get my baseball clap on to make up for their lameness! Tonight though, the crowd was super into it! They sang songs from Footloose, The Wiz, Chicago, Nine, Mamma Mia, Les Miserables, and a bunch more. So good though!
We started filling out our “all about us” book. Our answers are funny and very similar on many questions.

January 7^th

 We slept in until almost 10. We were going to try to get up and run again but we were so tired! I slept much better on the opposite side of the bed and we leave the curtain open to get natural light. As much as I like blackout curtains, I like to know when the sun is coming up regardless of which time zone i’m in. We decided to head straight to the gym anyway. We worked out for a good 45 minutes or so then went up to get some breakfast. The food even in the buffet is super yum! I had orange butter on my waffle (uhhh YUMM!!) and whipped cream. They have free coffee and tea so I’m trying a bunch of different hot teas to see which ones i like best. We’re heading to the indoor pool now to chill out. I’ll write more later :) 

January 8^th

Slept in and rolled out of bed around 9:45 and went straight to the gym. We had to set our clocks forward yet another hour though. We both had a really good work out. It’s nice to be getting back into the swing of doing that. We had the late breakfast in the cafe and we’ve decided that even thought the ship is so incredibly beautiful and detailed , the staff doesn’t seem overly excited to help you over indulge. Rob has the premium non alcoholic drink package so he can get red bull and sodas and stuff but it’s difficult to flag down a waiter or waitress to bring you one when we’re eating. Only a few of the spots on the ship even carry red bull let alone sugar free. It seems that they are more than willing to accommodate you if you ask but they aren’t going to offer. It’s weird. Still, we’re having an excellent time. Tomorrow starts our shore days and thus all of the adventurous activities! We miss the kids so so much. I’m glad to be able to just chill out but I do miss their voices. Brina has been awesome about emailing us and she sent a picture of Hea yesterday. 

"Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole" -Roger Caras

After our week in Tuscon, we had 3 days before we flew out to Texas. We decided to take Pexie out in the boat for the first time. She is 1 year old now! We drove out to Lake Elsinore (aka Smelsinore... it really does stink) and launched the boat. It was my first time there although Mr B and JT had been before. It's a resevoir so when that heat is pouring down, it activates some crazy underwater sea monster that farts as it swims under the water. Not really, i don't think anyway. But that's a fair description of what it smells like. After letting the kids drive a few laps, yes, the kids, we were heading in and all of a sudden heard a clunking sound and the steering got tough. We pulled the boat out and decided to take it by the shop to get it checked out. On the way we stopped for lunch at Tom's Farms. Turkey Burgers for us, peanut butter sandwich for the pup. Although it turned out that the boat needed a few repairs, it was a really nice day.