{"id":605,"date":"2009-07-12T20:15:31","date_gmt":"2009-07-13T00:15:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/snapshotchronicles.com\/roadtrip\/?p=605"},"modified":"2009-07-12T20:15:31","modified_gmt":"2009-07-13T00:15:31","slug":"our-gilligan-adventure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/snapshotchronicles.com\/roadtrip\/2009\/07\/12\/our-gilligan-adventure\/","title":{"rendered":"Our Gilligan Adventure"},"content":{"rendered":"

Our second morning in Fort Smith Montana greeted us with a beautiful sunrise and the promise of a wonderful day ahead.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Sunrise

Sunrise in Montana<\/p><\/div>\n

Bighorn Lake was a mere 20 minutes away which seemed like a stone\u2019s throw after all the traveling we\u2019ve done thus far.\u00a0 A relaxing day at the lake was exactly what these travelers needed.\u00a0\u00a0 Our campground host told us of a place near the marina where we could rent a boat by the hour and get the most fabulous view of the canyons.\u00a0 Sold!\u00a0\u00a0 With fishing gear, picnic lunch and sunscreen in hand, we headed up through a local Indian reservation to the marina.<\/p>\n

\"Indian

Indian Reservation drive<\/p><\/div>\n

At the risk of repeating myself and sounding trite, the landscape was incredible at every turn.\u00a0 Mountains, fields, cliffs, colorful and vibrant met us around every corner.\u00a0 Just when we thought we almost touched the heavens, the next turn presented the peaceful and tranquil lake that sat at the base of glorious red cliffs as far as the eye could see.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"First

First view of the marina<\/p><\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Being the Monday after the long weekend, there weren\u2019t a lot of people around us.\u00a0 We glowed with anticipation of cruising this magnificent canyon, the third largest in North America with the Grand Canyon being the largest of course.<\/p>\n

\"Scenes

Cliffs from the boat<\/p><\/div>\n

Dennis, now affectionately known as \u201cThe Skipper\u201d, came back from the rental office to let us know he booked a pontoon boat for a three hour tour.\u00a0 We loaded our gear on the boat.\u00a0 We were like giddy school girls unable to hold back our excitement.\u00a0\u00a0 After short instructions, Dennis got behind the wheel and away we went.\u00a0 The boys and I took in the fresh air and hung our heads over the sides like dogs sticking their heads out the window of a car.\u00a0 I\u2019m not sure but our tongues may have been wagging just a bit!\u00a0 The sun, the water, the views\u2026perfection, sheer perfection!!\u00a0 Each cliff was like a work of art hand painted by God, one more exquisite than the next. The boys each took a turn driving the boat.\u00a0 Their smiles were brighter than the sun.<\/p>\n

\"Luke

Luke chillin'<\/p><\/div>\n

It was about this time that the black cloud that followed us from NY to South Dakota managed to find us yet again.\u00a0 We noticed it way off in the distance and the folks at the marina ensured us the storm would arrive well after we returned from our three hour tour.\u00a0 We decided to pick up the pace a bit, just in case.\u00a0 As we continued to cruise, we hit a nice breeze and then it hit \u2013 Luke\u2019s favorite hat he bought when we were in Toronto went flying off his head and into the waters.\u00a0 The current was pretty strong and it floated away quickly.\u00a0 \u201cSave Canada! Save Canada!\u201d we joked as Dennis turned the boat around to grab it.\u00a0 I picked up the fishing net our neighbor had loaned us and leaned over the boat in an effort to save the day but I couldn\u2019t catch it!\u00a0 I had it trapped but couldn\u2019t get underneath to scoop it.\u00a0 Dennis came over to help and we crossed signals and both let go of the net which quickly floated away next to the sinking hat.<\/p>\n

In true Cardwell fashion, we refused to let it go and went to plan B.\u00a0 Cameron quickly dumped his shirt and shoes and dove over the side of the boat to rescue the missing goods.\u00a0 It was 35% heroic, 35% stupid and 30% excuse to go in the water.\u00a0 He quickly reached the net and hats but had to grab his glasses, forgetting to take them off before hitting the water.\u00a0 His hands were full and the current was strong, rendering him unable to swim.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Cliffs

Cliffs up ahead<\/p><\/div>\n

I could see panic starting to set in, he was helpless as he started to drift further and further from the boat.\u00a0 I think in a panic I started hitting Dennis, telling him to go in after Cameron. \u00a0He was already preparing to dive over the side and in a second flat, Dennis dove over the edge to calm Cam and save the day.\u00a0 Luke kept an eye on the action and guided me as I brought the boat to them.\u00a0 Safe on the boat, Cam said he was never so excited and scared at the same time.\u00a0\u00a0 My hero, the Skipper!<\/p>\n

We drove just a little further when we noticed the clouds coming toward us.\u00a0 We had enough adventure for the day and decided to turn around and head back to shore just in case.\u00a0 We were told by the guides and our host not to miss Black Canyon on our tour.\u00a0 Since the clouds were still in the distance, we decided to stop there for a few moments to eat our lunch once our stomachs had settled a bit.\u00a0 The boys wanted to cast their fishing lines but sadly time was not on our side.\u00a0 I think we were in Black Canyon less than 5 minutes when the storm was coming up quickly.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Here

Here come the black clouds!<\/p><\/div>\n

Dennis started the boat while the boys and I packed up everything and put it under the covering.\u00a0 Full steam ahead, Skipper!\u00a0 I sat in the front of the boat to help identify driftwood that was being tossed by the storm. \u00a0The waters became very rough and the boat ride wasn\u2019t so glorious anymore.\u00a0 It was impossible not to sing the Gilligan\u2019s theme song in your head \u2026 \u201cthe weather started getting rough, the tiny ship was tossed, if not for the courage of the fearless crew the Minow would be lost, the Minow would be lost\u2026\u201d\u00a0 Then it got worse.\u00a0 Here comes the rain!\u00a0 Thunder and lightning were over head.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0We could see the bolts of lightning in the near distance.\u00a0 The rain was slapping me in the face, I could barely see but it didn\u2019t matter.\u00a0 We just needed to get in as quickly as possible. This is where I wish my kids weren\u2019t so smart.\u00a0 They began to recite the laws of science and remind us that metal and water are conductors of electricity and we were sitting ducks!\u00a0 We tried to calm the kids, telling them there was nothing to worry about but when I turned around and Dennis made that \u201cHOLY CRAP\u201d face to me, I got really nervous.<\/p>\n

We pulled out our old standby \u201cit\u2019s just around the corner\u201d,<\/p>\n

\"Just

Just around the corner<\/p><\/div>\n

trying to keep our minds off of the life threatening situation we were experiencing.\u00a0 Then, right around the corner, we saw the marina.\u00a0 I wanted to cry I was so happy!\u00a0 Three crew members were calling us in, frantically waving their hands \u201cover here! Over here!\u201d\u00a0 As soon as we touched the dock, they rushed us off the boat and told us to run to the safety of the office.\u00a0 There was another woman who seemed as panicked as us, yelling \u201cUp here!\u00a0 Get up here!\u201d\u00a0 We grabbed everything we could and ran up the stairs to the office like we were teenagers with a case of beer being chased by the cops!\u00a0 Once we were safely inside, we exchanged a few hugs and a whole bunch of high fives, happy to be alive.\u00a0 We were all so jazzed with excitement and relief that we just experienced one of the greatest adventures of our middle class lives.\u00a0 Thankfully our three hour tour didn\u2019t end the same as Gilligan\u2019s but it was certainly exciting!<\/p>\n

To see all our photos, visit Snapfish<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Our second morning in Fort Smith Montana greeted us with a beautiful sunrise and the promise of a wonderful day ahead.\u00a0\u00a0 Bighorn Lake was a mere 20 minutes away which seemed like a stone\u2019s throw after all the traveling we\u2019ve done thus far.\u00a0 A relaxing day at the lake was exactly what these travelers needed.\u00a0\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[63,93,35,4],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/snapshotchronicles.com\/roadtrip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/605"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/snapshotchronicles.com\/roadtrip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/snapshotchronicles.com\/roadtrip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/snapshotchronicles.com\/roadtrip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/\/snapshotchronicles.com\/roadtrip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=605"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/snapshotchronicles.com\/roadtrip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/605\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":622,"href":"https:\/\/snapshotchronicles.com\/roadtrip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/605\/revisions\/622"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/\/snapshotchronicles.com\/roadtrip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=605"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/\/snapshotchronicles.com\/roadtrip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=605"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/\/snapshotchronicles.com\/roadtrip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=605"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}