Chocolate Mountain Canoe Trip

It's been a few years since I've been back to canoe this stretch of the Colorado River known as the Chocolate Mountains. Our guide was Chuck Reynolds who I've canoed with for the last 14 years. My friend Marc signed up with me on this trek.

Spring comes early to this desert wilderness located within the Cibola and Imperial National Wildlife Refuges. This canoeing adventure took us 34 river miles through varied desert scenery. Good currents allowed us plenty of opportunity for drifting, not to mention the near-perfect weather and tailwind that accompanied us on this trip.

Despite the 5-hour drive through LA traffic, time seemed to go so fast. After canoeing 21 miles on the first day, it didn't seem that hard. Because of the recent rains, this once shades-of-brown-only desert has been transformed and draped in green. Wildflowers and grass cover every inch. The downside is that the river, which is usually a deep blue-green was dirty due to all the silt from all the rains.

Much to Chuck's chagrin, Marc appreciated my gourmet approach to camping. Chuck told me once: "Jenny, you give a camping a bad name." Hey, I can't help it if others want to heat up cans of soup or eat cold hot dogs. I opted to serve Marc marinated Rib Eye grilled to perfection!

Anyway, we had such a good time, we talked so much about our past and present lives all the way home. We found ourselves eagerly planning to do more trips in the future. We both enjoyed each other's company so much that... we came to realization that we're a couple.

There. It's official. As a result of one of the best times I had in a LONG time... Marc's now my boyfriend. Wow. Still can't get used to saying that... Marc's an amazing guy; I consider myself very lucky.

Click to view our Chocolate Mountain Canoe Trip Photos