I thought a Person Who Hadn’t Been Tubing Said Something….

I’m at least 82% sure I’ll never go tubing again. Not that the experience wasn’t thrilling, I just think it was a one time deal for me. 

A few weeks ago, the minions (my children) and I decided to go tubing. I call them my minions because they are my lifelong sidekicks. We needed something outdoors to do because we were bored. Usually, we go hiking on the weekends. But, we wanted to try something new.

So, I googled every tubing place in a three hour radius from our house. Some places were closed due to Covid. Some places had age restrictions. I googled, searched social media, and finally called a viable option. 

We chose Wilderness Cove Tubing and Camping in Saluda, North Carolina. This location is about 2 hours west of Charlotte, NC. There are about two or three other tubing companies along the same road. I’m sure they are all about the same caliber. However, I like the prices and setup of Wilderness Cove.

That morning, July 3rd, we headed down to Saluda. We took highway 74, then several back roads. The last road down to the tubing location was heavily winding and going down deep. I was afraid my poor little sports car couldn’t take it.

Once we got there, they had plenty of parking. Which was great because it was a holiday weekend. There was a very long line to the paystation. Yes, they take cards and cash. There were two restroom stations. That’s important to me because of the minions. You never know when they’ll have to go. Now, I have to be honest. With the climate of our country, I was a bit nervous. We were the only black people out there when we arrived. However, everyone out there was kind and hospitable, joking with the kids. I felt ZERO tension. After paying and picking up our tubes, we headed over to the river.

I asked the boy if he wanted to tether to us. Wilderness Cove gave us two tethering cords, so the kids would float attached to my float. The boy decided that he did not want to tether to us. I know, I know. I can hear every black momma rolling over on the couch saying, “He doesn’t get a choice. You’re the momma!” Well, I gave him the choice. The girl decided to tether immediately, of course.

The journey began smoothly. The water was calm. We took pictures and videos documenting our journey. But right around 1 quarter into our trip, the water changed. There were tons of rocks, which created rapids. The boy was slightly ahead of us. The water became insanely bumpy. As we rounded the end of the first set of rapids, the boy flipped out of his tube (he had on a life jacket). He floundered in the water in a panic. I was able to grab him by the arms and catch his tube on my foot. In one fell swoop, I used all of my arm and leg strength to toss him into his tube. Thank God I lift at the gym!

He was done! He no longer wanted to tube. The girl and I were still doing ok. She did flip off her tube, but she handled it like a champ. She crawled onto my lap and then scooted into her tube. After the first rapids, my son decided to tether to our tubes. 

All along the river, people were everywhere. There were people swinging off ropes that were suspended from trees, jumping into the water. Kids were jumping off rocks into the water, little people. I was in shock. I loved how the people who passed us constantly asked us if we were ok; they witnessed the three tube tips. Everyone out there was like one big family.

After about two hours on the river and multiple rapids later, we pulled to the side to disembark. My booty was sore from bumping all the rocks. The following days, I had bruises up and down my legs. We were soaked from head to toe and sore all over. We boarded the bus and headed back to the tubing station.

Overall, it was not a bad experience, just different. I enjoyed the camaraderie. I loved the coolness of the water, especially on such a hot day. I think the fear of my son dimmed the experience. So, maybe when they are older, we can try again. 

Do you tube?