Washed out clean, the story of El Dora 09

All the nuances of jokes, stories, circumstances and the events of the river this year will be added to the lore and legend that has become El Dora. To take the time to describe the happenings would be an injustice because it could not began to capture the beautiful event. Just know a group of classy people got together and had a classy time.

I will however describe the most impactful part of the trip, hoping to leave you with the same impression, emotions, and thoughts it left with me. It will have to start with movie Shaw Shank Redemption, a guy by the name of Andy Dufrane. If you know the movie great, if not it's a story about a man wrongfully imprisoned for the murder of his wife. He battles the hardship of doing time while fighting to keep something anything of his identity to himself. He comments in the movie about how that's the most important thing to keep is what's inside you because they can take your time, and life but they can't take you. He sums it up best with this famous line, Remember Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies. In the movie he escapes from prison, carry new clothes behind in a garbage bad and baths in a creek, dons a suite and walks away a new man. He landed in Mexico, Zihuatanejo, Mexico. Finding Peace, hope, and happiness next to the pacific.

On our little trip down the river, tubing we were having a classy weekend where people dressed up for the occasion. Everyone let go of the classy side of weekend on the river accept for one friend sporting a bow-tie and suspenders. Down the river we went, and the river has a way of shaping the weekend. You can plan to be classy, trashy or whatever type of weekend you can think of but the river will flow it's own story into your weekend. We stopped at a sand barge to enjoy our drink and hang out of a while. It the mitts of re-filling drinks and snapping off one liners. One of our friends pulls out a garbage bag and from with in the garbage bag grabs a bar of soap. No one knew he had the proverbially ace up the sleeve, and he bathed in the Iowa river. saying and I quote, "I'm not going to put on a suit without cleaning up." Our friend grabbed a three piece suit from his garbage bag and classy's up the river ride. Buttoned up and dressed to the T, he added "I just pulled a Andy Dufrane"

One of those rare moments in life where everything comes together, and you are left stunned, shocked, satisfied, laughing, loved, and hopeful. I share this with only because during the movie a smile comes over one of the characters when they figured out what Andy has pulled off. The kind of smile everyone should get out of life, the smile that shows the world everything will be all right. We all had that smile after our friend pulled the Andy Dufrane.

six years El Dora has been the back drop for a summer camping/tubing trip. The cast has changed with pit parts changing hands every summer. Some friend have faded away,or say they wish they could still go but the main characters have been entrenched for a while now and it could not be a better cast. At some point the magic will stop everything has an end and we will look back on our time with fond memories, grab that smile once more, and know that no good thing ever dies. Andy Dufrane was looking for peace, understanding and hope and decided he could find it in himself and in Mexico. People watch movies like Shaw Shank because we all want great moments but normally regular life doesn't provide them. Well my friend Our group provides great moments time and time again.

Who knew El Dora Iowa and Zihuatanejo, Mexico could be worlds apart, but both contain the same kind of peace, happiness and hope we all need on our journey through life.

Sincerely
The flying Eagle who will always remind every one let moments like this wash over and over it's what makes life great how matter how corny it sounds.