“Why would they need to measure the water?” one of the teenage girls asked.
“That’s a good question,” Benny said, shooting her a quick smile. “When Hoover Dam was being built, two engineers were given the huge responsibility of collecting data on things such as silt content, flow, depth and even temperature of the water. That information was critical in order for the dam to be able to carry out its main purpose of flood control.”
“That catwalk is pretty cool,” Blane said. “Burt and I want to take a walk on it. I’m not afraid of heights, which is a good thing.”
“Yeah, but take a good look as you paddle under it. You can see the wood is rotted in places. The catwalk is pretty unstable, and the rangers discourage visitors from using it,” Benny said. “And it’s a big no to try to use technical gear to cross on the steel wire to the catwalk. The wire is extremely unstable now.”
“I’ll bet you’ve done it,” Blane said.
Benny looked up from his sandwich, a small grin on his face. “When I was young and stupid. I have younger brothers, and we used to come here nearly every day with my dad. He’d tell us all the rules and then he’d go to work and we’d proceed to break every single rule he’d given us. We didn’t understand the danger, we were just kids and we thought we were invincible. We ran along that catwalk back in the day and challenged each other to do the stupidest things, but we had so much fun.”
Vienna exchanged a quick look with Zahra. There was joy in Benny’s voice at the memories, and his face had lit up, easing some of the serious lines.
“Did your father catch you?”
“He knew,” Benny said. “Dad wasn’t the kind of man to get upset with us. He just would shake his head and tell us if he came home without one of us, Mom would likely do him in. He made sure we were safe by teaching us how to be safe on the river. He worked on our skills all the time, but he made everything fun.”
“Wish my dad was like that,” Burt said. “He’s all about responsibility and ‘Do what I say or you’re going be kicked out of the house.’ That’s the threat all the time.”
Blane gave a little snort. “He was ready to boot us out when we were three. We didn’t clean our room or pick up our toys.” He deepened his voice. “ ‘You’re out of here, boys.’ ”
“You’re lucky, man,” Burt reiterated. “What’s he doing now? Does he help you guide?”
A shadow crossed Benny’s face. “We lost him when I was a teenager. He was in a freak accident, had a ruptured spleen, needed an operation and they couldn’t get a surgeon in time.” He trailed off and suddenly looked at Zahra as comprehension set in. “Guess that’s why my younger brother is studying to be a surgeon. He’ll make a good one.”
He stood up abruptly. “I have to check with the other guides and companies and see if they’re on time. It can get stacked around Emerald Cave. We want to hit Willow Beach Marina around four thirty or five o’clock at the latest. Clay will get you to Emerald Cave and then take you to the marina. I’ll have everything ready for us to shuttle you back to your vehicles.”
He sounded gruff. Vienna didn’t blame him. He’d just gone down memory lane and most likely realized his father had made life fun for his brothers and him. He’d taken on the responsibilities of a man at a young age. Losing his father to an accident had most likely scared him and he wanted to keep his brothers safe, so he’d gotten overprotective. That trait had worsened in him over the years until he didn’t remember why he was that way.
Vienna watched Benny expertly launch his kayak into the river. He did it smoothly and paddled as if born on the river. Remembering his father’s death and the need for a surgeon when they’d been unable to get to one in time had made him realize his brother’s determination to become a doctor stemmed from that loss. Benny had a lot to think about.
“Elsa, you’re really burned. I don’t think your sunscreen is really working,” Verma said, sounding worried.
Vienna turned to look. “Oh no, Elsa, she’s right. Your skin is fried. Do you have a shirt or something you can wear?”
“No, but I’ll be all right. It isn’t that much longer. I’ll put more sunscreen on,” Elsa promised.
Vienna would have offered her swim shirt, but she knew it wouldn’t fit the older woman. It was long sleeved and Vienna planned to put it on. She was getting burned in spite of using sunscreen.
“Take my sun hat at least. It will really keep the sun off your neck and shoulders. The brim is so wide it shades your body.”
“No, you’re very fair, Vienna, but I appreciate it,” Elsa refused.
“I’ve got a ball cap in my pack.”
“I can wear the ball cap,” Elsa said.
“It’s grungy or I’d have you wear it. I have a shirt as well, so I’ll be fine.” Vienna passed her the wide-brimmed sun hat. “It has a string to wear under the neck so it won’t fly off in the wind. Trust me, the brim is so wide, it occasionally acts like a sail.”
Vienna fished around in her small daypack and came up with her swim shirt, pulling it on over her sunburned arms. She really should have put it on much earlier. She wasn’t as burned as Elsa, but she hadn’t done her skin any favors, and she knew better. The ball cap really had seen better days. She wore it often and it looked it. Normally, she would have pulled her hair—either a braid or a ponytail—through the hole in the back of the cap, but she left it pinned on top of her head.
They meticulously picked up their litter and were back in the kayaks heading to Emerald Cave. The cave had been on Stella’s list of things to see for a long time. Emerald Cave was located on the Arizona side of the river. Vienna still got a kick out of thinking there was an Arizona side and a Nevada side of the Colorado River.
From the outside, the cave didn’t look like much. They had to line up with quite a few other kayakers waiting to go inside before it was actually their turn. Vienna found herself looking up at the rising canyon walls and the catwalks Benny had told them about. On the side of the river up high was the gauging station, a boxy building jutting out from the side of the cliff. She was glad she hadn’t been the one to take the measurements. The river rocked the kayak. Peace settled over her. She loved the outdoors.