Sober Float

Well I really doubt if I will get a chance to write anything until Sunday or Monday so thought I would do so now, big weekend ahead again so it is a good topic for a post.

About 15 of us are headed up to Valentine Nebraska, the heart city where people send their mail just before February 14th to be post mark Valentine for their sweethearts. Valentine is also the home of the “Butt Bandit” this is the notorious individual who would smear his butt and genitals with Vaseline or lotion and leave an imprint on the windows of businesses, churches, schools, hotels but alas he is no more, he was busted last year for indecent exposure, the bandit made national news much to the displeasure of the county sheriff. Valentine is a 3-1/2 to 4 hour drive north, 65 miles of which is through a section of the sand hills where there are no towns or anything except a couple of ranches, beautiful country in a barren way.

We are going up for the first annual Sober Float. The AA district up there is sponsoring a float down the Niobrara river, the deepest river in Nebraska, if provides the border between Nebraska and South Dakota. I found a cabin that sleeps 7 and it rents for $52.00 a night, bathrooms and showers are community style; it is located in a campground so there will be room for the 3 or 4 tents that will be pitched also. Originally I was going to sleep in the cabin on a bed but will probably end up in my tent since we have more people going up who don’t have tents than do. My tent is a fairly large 3 room cabin tent so my friend and her daughter can still have part of it. The numbers have bounce up and down since Sunday; partially do to a couple of people not having the fundage and then late comers jumping on board for some fellowship. There a few of us from the Memorial Day campout going, no my lady of interest isn’t one of them. The district will have 8:00pm meetings Friday and Saturday nights, and then we will have meetings around our camping area, AA and NA again. We start floating Saturday afternoon around 2:00pm, we have the choice of taking a tube, canoe or kayak down the river, the trip last 4-1/2 hours through some very beautiful country, the river doesn’t run very fast so it is a relaxing ride. The afternoon temperatures are suppose to be in the mid 70’s which is just about right, personally my skinny ass would prefer 80’s or 90’s but I am a sun worshiping heat demon.

Over all it is going to be another weekend of fellowship, living recovery, showing others how to live in recovery, spirituality and fun. The cooks have already set up the meals, I have breakfast burrito duty again but I like doing it, nothing like a good pat on the back for fulfilling someone’s appetite with good food. Oh yeah they are making smoothies again, God bless them!! Hot dogs, smokie’s will be roasted along with marshmallows and smore’s made. There will be couple of late night bonfire meetings, hopefully some hiking and mediation. I am unfamiliar with this area so I am not sure how much wilderness area there is. We will also sit down with the guide book on state parks and places of interest and plan out something for mid July. Trying to have something every 3 weeks or so.

Hope you all have a great weekend. Be good to yourselves.

Scott