In Praise of Rushing Water

View from Creek Side Bed & Breakfast in Cedaredge, Colorado

We’ve been in the throes of monsoon season throughout most of Colorado, that cool, wet time of year that typically rolls in with the fourth of July and leaves by Labor Day. It doesn’t rain every day, but you can count on a decent soaking at some point—usually in the afternoon—just in time to relieve us from the hot, Colorado sun. These bountiful rains have made our rivers and streams swell and our mountains and valleys verdant and lush. I feel for the people plagued with sweltering temperatures and drought in other parts of our country. Indeed, many Texans have been seeking relief here in our delicious alpine climate.

I listen to the soothing din of the tiny stream that courses down the mountain next to where I live and work. I’m calmed by its steady flow by day and night. Its surge is lasting longer this year due to our blessed rains and our melting snowpack. Yes, there’s still snow way up in the high country, thanks to the abundant storms of this past spring.

People here love to get out on the water. They fish, raft and explore our pristine waterways, forever grateful for the moisture that the mountains release. Some of the river adventures offer calm float trips, others thrill with exciting whitewater rafting. One thing’s for sure though, the water’s pretty darn cold. But oh-so fresh.

I’ve gone on trips-of-a-lifetime (at least thus far—there’s still the Grand Canyon) on the Gunnison River the past two summers. Each provided an outdoor adventure extraordinaire for this rather girly girl. I loved the fierce embrace of the river throughout both of these thirty-two hour expeditions. They impressed me so much that I wrote about them at Rafting and Roughing It on the Black Canyon of the Gunnison:  Part One, Part Two, Part Three and Part Four.

This year I’m sending my hunny off solo. I rarely do things twice—unless it’s a visit to Paris or a hike in the mountains—so I decided not to accompany him this time around. I’m sure I’ll be dreaming of the river’s infinite caress though, the canyon’s beckoning walls.

Fortunately I can take solace in the incessant sound of the water outside my window.

Creek Side Bed & Breakfast, 790 N. Grand Mesa Dr. (US Highway 65), Cedaredge, Colorado, 970-856-7696, creeksidebed-breakfast.com. Situated near the Black Canyon of the Gunnison and the Grand Mesa, this little b & b can serve as a base for visiting these two spectacular sites on the western slope of Colorado. And if you love to be lulled to sleep by rushing water, it’s a must for you. Owners Terry and Carol Jarbo will welcome you with great warmth.