Monday, August 15, 2011
There’s a common joke among Steamboat river guides that our pretty town is a giant eddy. For those of you that aren’t river savvy, an eddy is the calm water found behind large rocks or outcroppings of land that protect the water from the fast moving current. The current in an eddy actually moves upstream, and then spirals into a continuous circle that creates a pool that is sometimes difficult to leave. As a part-time river guide, I cannot think of a better term to explain Steamboat, because often when you pull over to rest in an eddy, you’ll find yourself slowly rotating around and around, never fully stopped but also never returning to the current. Steamboat is one giant eddy that people enter and very often do not leave. The common ‘how did you end up here’ story is that Steamboat was a vacation spot in the winter, and then a summer, and then 10 more. Like I said, it’s a giant eddy.
You may be wondering why I am suddenly relating Steamboat to water. I wanted to share it because it occurred to me this morning that the “currents” of Steamboat are all slowing down. It’s no longer a record winter with incredible powder, and it’s also no longer one of the best high water river seasons I have ever seen in Steamboat (I can’t even explain to you how amazing the rafting has been this year). So what is it? It’s the lazy eddy days. It’s time to float down the Yampa on our tubes, feel the sun on our bellies, and lazily wait for the trees to turn yellow and the snow to start falling. Right now, it is time to breathe. The mornings are crisp and cool, the evenings are producing amazing sunsets, and the days are still hot.
Some of you may not want to think about the upcoming winter, and some of you may be tubing in the Yampa with your Goggles on, working on the perfect pre-ski season goggle tan. If you’re the latter, a little tip about today:
It’s the last day to buy your pre-season (cheaper!!!!) season pass, DON’T MISS OUT!
Sadly, tomorrow prices will go up an additional $210.
See you tubing in the river….
