Rollin' on the river

When I was in junior high and high school, our youth group used to go on a float trip every summer down the Illinois river.  This past weekend I went on a rafting trip on the Illinois for my sister-in-law's bachelorette party.  Boy, how times have changed that place! 
When I was a kid we would run in to a few other parties but we mostly felt like we had the river to ourselves.  Now the Illinois River Survey says that some 300,000 people float it each year, most of them in the summer.  Saturday we were with other groups of people the entire time, even running into other rafts more than once because there was no where else to go.
We used to be about the rowdiest crowd on the river, with all our shouting, singing, and flipping canoes.  Now it's a mini Mardi Gras.
We did have a nice time, despite the partiers.  We spent 6 hours on the river, only going 6 miles.  We swam, talked, laughed, and all came back with sunburns.
Now that I've been, I would love to go again but next time I go I'll try to get there during the week so hopefully it will be less crowded.  

(photo courtesy of shopoklahoma.com)