Really, it's not that we're unfriendly--it's the Snake

As in the Snake River. Allow me to explain.

The Snake River is a dangerous river at any given time, due to water speed and/or temperature, but things don't improve when there is flooding. So, while there has been some flooding this year where the Snake is concerned, the following conversation (related according to memory) would probably have been about the same on our side, regardless of the year. My husband and I were with our children at a park not far from the Snake, when we were approached by a young guy who was obviously not from the area. ( Note: FV stands for Friendly Visitor, and SUIs stands for Seemingly Unfriendly Idahoans)

FV: Hi, are you guys from around here?
SUIs: Yup.
FV: I was just wondering if there was a beach somewhere around here where we could just go down by the water, go swimming. (Not sure if swimming was actually mentioned, but that was how I took it...)
SUIs: Nope, not really. Well....there are places that are by the water, and supposedly you could go into swim, but there are signs everywhere saying you do it at your own risk.
FV (probably wondering why we were showing no enthusiasm whatsoever on this hot, hot, hot afternoon about so much water and a beach) Oh.
SUIs: Well there is a dock you can walk on and put your feet in the water over the other side...
FV: Oh. But not really a beach anywhere around here?
SUIs: No. There are places further away, but I wouldn't go swimming in the water.
FV: Oh. Thanks.
SUIs: We wouldn't let our kids go in the water.
FV: Ok. Thanks.
SUIs: Sorry.

Sorry because it's inconvenient to find out that there is no beach-ish joy to be found around the Snake River when it comes to swimming, but oh-so-not-sorry to warn someone about the dangers of the Snake. Just sayin'. That river is dangerous--so dangerous that my husband's parents told him and his siblings: "If you go in the Snake, don't bother to come home."

Please be careful around the water--including the canals, which are all over Idaho. Oh, and the water in the one that we were sitting next to on the 4th of July had the water of the Snake running through it. We were watching a wonderful small town parade when it came to my attention that there was a woman trying to retrieve a ball out of the (swiftly-moving) water in the canal behind us. The gentleman next to us, and perhaps others, were being nice about it, and offering to help her get the ball, but it seemed obvious to me that they were just wishing that she were farther away from the water. She got the ball without falling in--but would the ball have been worth it if she had fallen in?

Seems timely to once again link the article, "Drowning Doesn't Look Like Drowning". It's important information that I linked to last year, but you never know who it might help. And of course, the dangers of rivers are not limited to the Snake River. Over at Utah Preppers there is the article, Parents--Keep your kids AWAY from the rivers!, which reminds readers, among other things, that we should never think that a particular problem won't happen to us...

Just be safe out there, and avoid any and every emergency you can!