Blog Post 9 - Las Canadas….The Best Day of Nico’s Life

08/09/15

31:39.34 N – 116:31.16 W

Today we went to a place called Las Canadas. It started out as a campground 25 years ago and they kept upgrading it. It is set in a beautiful little valley in the foothills. Today it includes 3 elaborate pools with slides and water features, zip lining, horseback riding, fishing, paddle boats and ATV's. When we headed out there I did not plan on zip-lining, Jirig hates heights and it was only going to be Nico who was going to zip line. But once we got there Nico insisted that I try it with him. I am not a dare devil or thrill seeker for that matter but try explaining that to him. The guides assured me that I could do it that it did not require that much upper body strength of which I have none. We got suited up with harnesses; Jirig checked them out to make sure they were secure. The zip line course consisted 6 zip lines, one of which was a 1/2 mile long and 5 different suspension bridges in between. We climbed the ladder up to the tower for the first zip line. I was ready to bail right then. Nico kept encouraging me. We hooked our harnesses to the line and off we went. I had thought you had to hold yourself up but you do not. It was so much fun! The hard part was the suspension bridges. They span across deep canyons and each one is a little different. The whole course took about an hour. I was really proud of myself and Nico when we were through. He was such a trooper. That kid is not afraid of anything. He just rose to the challenge. There was a couple in our group who claimed to be action sports enthusiasts who had sky dived before. Well once they got out on the course both of them choked. The husband was huge and had a hard time keeping up. Nico and I did the best out of the 6 people in our group. Nico told me I was the coolest Mom in the world when we were through. The next adventure was the water slide. No big deal, it was just a 100 yds. slide with water running through it. No problem right? Shit is was insane! We just flew down the slide. I was so startled I could barely sit up. Before we know it we were done. We both had the biggest wedgies of our lives. Jirig was laughing hysterically at us as we plied our bathing suits out of our butts. Nico wanted to ride ATV's so we went to check them out. I did not want to ride one alone so I went with Jirig. They let Nico go by himself, even though he told them he had never ridden an ATV before. Only in Mexico would this happen. They made it perfectly clear that they we not liable for any injuries and you had to sign a waiver confirming it. Nico was a natural. He figured out how to ride it in less than a minute and he was off. They had miles and miles of trails that took you all over the little valley and into the mountains. It was so cool. About 1/2 way through I tried it by myself and really liked it. It was a day of firsts for all of us. After Nico got comfortable he immediately wanted to race and drift. He was a natural at it. When we were through and were leaving for the day Nico said he had never had so much fun that this was the best day of his life. That is about as good as it gets for a parent. We plan on going back when Daniel comes down for a visit in a couple of weeks when he returns from his trip to Costa Rica.