There is very little ice cold mountain water can't cure!
And, did I mention the fun and relaxing benefits of tandem tubing?
(Honestly I can't believe this is my first blog piece about tubing as it's one of my
favorite ways to cool off, relax, and spend time with friends in Colorado!)
I wanna talk about this tandem tube. This tube was such an excellent investment (pictured below). We scored an electric pump at Walmart that also has a car adapter. Easy does it: you inflate the tube car-side. The tube itself has a "console" spot for all your valuables (and this time I remembered to bring freezer bags to keep everything dry.) This tube also has inflatable head rests and netting in the donut hole (not that I could possibly slip through with this bodacious bodonkadonk...but, still, it's built for comfort.)
On a side note:
When people ask me my purpose in life...easy!
Fat bottomed girls, they make the rocking world go round.
Last year on a float down the St. Vrain, I lost my Giant mountain biking shorts to the bottom of the river. So, if you're a diver, those were $80 dollar shorts! The story goes (and there's always a story, right?): my friend gave me a piece of obsidian because she's into rocks and crystals. I had confided in her that I had experienced a series of negative life events. She told me that rock would absorb + remove any negative energies from my life. What the heck...I thought I'd give it a shot. And, sure enough I slipped the obsidian into the pocket of those shorts, and I never saw them again.
So, the rock did it's job + took my shorts with it. But, life certainly did get better.
The last picture of my bike shorts in my lap here...RIP Giant shorts...
Back to the tandem inflatable tube. Did I mention that it has a built in full size cooler?!! We loaded up with some ice, some ciders, and some snacks. We sprayed our smoking lily white bodies with some Sun Bum, threw on some bikinis, sunglasses, and ballcaps (and threw some towels in the car). Simple right? Not a lot of preparation and just some old fashioned fun floating down the river. Thanks to my friend for scoring a long branch from the river bank to paddle us out of some "spin cycles." By spin cycle, I mean when you get in one of those "Bermuda Triangles" where you keep floating in the same circle over and over. She definitely got an arm/ab workout while I played river DJ.
A river song for ya:
Some photos of locals having fun!
Oh! And, the first time we floated the St. Vrain, we had to Uber back to the car up river (yup, you guessed it - me with no pants! The Uber guy loved it.) Illustrative picture:
PRO TIPS:
So this time we took two cars and planted a car down at the exit stairs to the river. Sooo much easier. Plus when you get out, you have dry towels, water, and a free ride back.
Also, the portion of the St. Vrain we tube has maybe 4 little "falls" or rapids. Nothing too "wild"...
If you're unfamiliar with a stretch of river, play it safe. Check the forecast and scout the river. How fast is the water moving? River flow is measured by cubic feet of water per second or cfs. You also want to make an informed decision of the best place to get out (especially if you're tubing with small children).
Don't wear flip flops unless you want them to be like my shorts...at the bottom of the river. Wear Chacos, river shoes, Tevas, Merrell's, Crocs (made right here in Boulder CO), because there are rocks and perhaps some debris (and you want to protect your feet as there are times you'll have to get out of the tube such as shallow areas.)
I'm not joking around here at all when I say wear sunscreen. You will fry like bacon without it.
The earlier the better. You could be tubing for 1-3 hours and you don't want to get caught out after dark. Also, depending on where in the mountains you go, Colorado is known for sudden afternoon thunderstorms.
Invest in a waterproof pouch for your phone that still allows you to use the screen to access your music and camera features. You'll wanna capture the memories. (Pictures below of mine)
Me taking a selfie and terrified of losing my phone to the river so it's strapped to my neck!
On our recent tubing trip:
People were smiling and waving at us as we floated by. It was fun to see other locals out tubing, like a father + son. His son goes: "Dad look at their tube!" And, the dad says, as he sees us sipping ciders, smiling and chilling to some river tunes: "Yep, son, that's the way to do it."
This kid has great form!
Here are some suggestions for lazy river tubing in Colorado (besides the St. Vrain in Lyons + Longmont)!
Confluence Park/South Platte River in Denver
Boulder Creek in Boulder
Cache La Poudre River in Fort Collins
Yampa River (Steamboat Springs) - on my bucket list
Thanks so much for stopping by! Please leave me your favorite river tunes for my next trip tubing down the river! I need some fresh tunes! I hope your adventures this summer involve some tandem tubing, because it's so dope!
Love,
Kimmie
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