Chapter 61

September 30 - October 20, 2001

Team Two's Autumn - 3

The following Sunday, the last day of the month, they were again out on the river. It turned out that the last-minute couple signed up after all, so the trip was twenty-one people.

The first few days of the trip were crisp; it got chilly at night, but the days warmed up comfortably, although Polartec fleece was welcome on cool mornings.

They generally tried to keep from talking about their winter plans in front of the customers, but when they could the couple hours in Al's office on Friday morning pulled a lot of the coming months together for them. Just from a quick look at the calendar it looked as if Scooter and Jim were going to have a couple shows in the upper Midwest in early March, in Wisconsin and Michigan, not long before they'd have to be back for spring rigging. Those two would have been good shows for Crystal and Preach, since they were from Illinois and Michigan, but they were already committed to shows in the south in December. But the March shows weren't a done deal, and Preach said he'd like to get back to Michigan for a bit to see some distant relatives he hadn't seen for some years. Scooter and Jim were still thinking Mexico a little, but there were other possibilities out there, and things could change considerably before that time rolled around.

After the first few days, the weather deteriorated somewhat as they got into Upper Granite Gorge. It wasn't bad, but overcast; the nights weren't as cold, but the days weren't as warm, either. Nobody said anything, but there was an audible sigh of relief on the part of five boatmen and one swamper on being able to leave Phantom later that day without someone showing up with bad news. Once again they camped above Granite Rapids, which they usually did when they had a chance. That put them in easy reach of Crystal the next morning.

Crystal Rapids was no less hairy than ever, and as always they stood on the rubble pile at the top of the rapids to check it out, then went down and ran it, Nanci at the sticks of Kevin's raft -- they'd evolved a deal to trade off the big ones this trip. It was still overcast and a bit breezy, and by noon Scooter was looking for a place to pull in for lunch. She happened to realize that the Baseball Man beach wasn't far ahead, and there was that nice little hike out of the wind up to that waterfall, which would get people off the water for a while. Scooter and Jim decided to lead the hike, and have people back in an hour for lunch, which Crystal, Preach, Kevin and Nanci would set up.

When Scooter and Jim got back down to the beach, Kevin and Nanci had lunch set up. but there was no sign of Crystal and Preach. When Scooter asked Nanci where they were, she was told that the two had headed up to the water pocket by themselves. "No telling where that could lead," Scooter chuckled.

"No fooling," Nanci grinned back. The customers weren't aware of it, but the crew pretty well suspected without it ever having been said what had happened up there one hot afternoon almost thirty years before.

"Well, let's go ahead and chow down," Scooter replied. "If they don't get back before we tear down then they're going to get what the last little piggy got."

They were getting close to wrapped up when Crystal and Preach finally worked their way down the steep slope from the water pocket. "Have a good hike?" Nanci snickered.

Neither of them answered, but both headed over to Preach's raft. He opened the dry box and dug way down inside, pulling out a medium-size drybag, which had an ammo case inside -- they were often used as small dry boxes. He dug around in there some more, then got up and headed over to the group clustered loosely around the lunch table. "Ladies and gentlemen," Preach began. "My mother and father were killed in a car accident when I was fourteen. At the suggestion of my late grandmother, I took this engagement ring from my mother's body as she lay in her casket. It is the most cherished memento of my parents that I own, so I think it's only proper to use it as my grandmother suggested." He held out the ring, and said, "Crystal, in the presence of God and this company, I ask you to marry me."

"Yes, of course," Crystal said softly before Preach slid the ring onto her finger.

There were cheers and hugs from the assembled customers and crew; packing up after lunch was forgotten. "Crystal," Nanci asked when the excitement died down a little, "What brought this on?"

"We really didn't intend to do that when we headed up there," Crystal replied. "Just go up, hang out, reflect a little on what happened there, refresh a memory or two, and focus on the place," she sighed. "You know that at one point we were planning on wrapping the season up, then going somewhere to sit down, kick back and assess where we're at, but that got a little ruined when we agreed to do that church tour in December."

"We got to talking that it would be easier to do if we were married," Preach expanded. "I mean, being a church tour, you want to be way above board, and it's a little difficult for a single guy and a single girl to travel together and appear that way."

"Then we agreed that it wasn't anyplace we weren't heading anyway," Crystal finished. "I mean, I think both of us had pretty well made up our minds that it was something we wanted to do before next season started, and this way we get the winter to work things in."

"Any ideas about a wedding?" Scooter asked. "I take it you're planning on doing this pretty quick, so that means you wouldn't be able to have a big production down here like your Mom and Dad."

"That's about all we've worked out," Crystal sighed. "Fairly soon, yes. I'd like to keep it small and informal, but down by the river if we can manage it."

"Can I suggest Lee's Ferry, rather than Phantom?" Scooter asked. "You know what I think about the luck that hangs around there."

"It might work," Preach said. "And I agree about the spirits at Phantom. Timing, well, it has to be before the tour starts."

"The season-wrap party is along in there," Kevin suggested. "If it's mostly Canyon Tours people you want to have at your wedding, there'll be several in town for that, anyway. I mean, that weekend, not necessarily that day."

"Might work," Crystal nodded. "Preach, you got anyone you want to have come?"

"No one except Pastor Jordan," he smiled. "And that would kill two birds with one stone."

"Works for me," Crystal smiled. "I only met him a couple times, but he's a real super guy."

"He's pretty impressed by you, too," Preach smiled. "And I'm not talking about that incident where you met him years ago, either. How about you? I suppose Myleigh, Randy, and Nicole, along with a cast of thousands."

"Josh and Tiffany, if they're not too wrapped up in baby and dog training. Randy's folks, maybe. Beyond that, everybody else is in Arizona." She stopped and thought for a second. "Scooter," she smiled. "Would you like to be maid of honor?"

"Of course," Scooter smiled, amazed that this was happening.

"Which leads to a logical thought," Preach said. "Jim, you up for best man?"

"I'd be delighted," Jim grinned.

"Before we get too sloppy and sentimental," Scooter said. "We probably ought to think about getting moving. You two throw together a couple sandwiches; you can eat while the rest of us are tearing down." She stopped and mentally flipped a coin; it came up heads. "Nanci, I think you're insurance qualified anyway, but just to be on the safe side, if everybody promises not to tell Al or the insurance company, why don't you row Crystal's raft this afternoon and let these two lovebirds ride together? And everybody else, there ain't so many of us that we can't leave these lovebirds alone on their raft this afternoon."

"Crystal, I ought to wring your neck!" Karin said in feigned anger ten days later, right after the crew bus had arrived from Diamond Creek. "Do you know what you've managed to do?"

"Mom, what?" Crystal said, a little surprised.

"You've managed to set a wedding date barely a month away and then be gone three weeks of that month! How are we going to make all the arrangements?"

"No big deal, Mom, it's just going to be real informal. Except for Jon and Tani everybody we want at the wedding from Arizona is going to be in town that day anyway. Preach will call Pastor Jordan this weekend, and I'll call Myleigh and Randy. It's no big deal, Mom; it's not going to be a big formal church wedding, just a mostly private ceremony at Lee's Ferry."

"You mean, no lavishly decorated church?" Karin said sarcastically, but smiled when she said it. "No half dozen bridesmaids with ugly but perfectly matched dresses? No tuxes? No wedding gown that costs about what a new car would?"