by Angela Blair

Created on: November 19, 2009   Last Updated: November 20, 2009

The stereotypical New Year's Eve celebration brings to mind partying crowds, lots of noise and champagne toasts. Those were my lifetime New Year's celebratory habits until a few years ago, when, by accident, I found a totally different scenario to celebrate the occasion - the great outdoors!

The small town of Terlingua, Texas, is home to several companies specializing in river rafting, canoe and float trips. Terlingua is close to Big Bend National Park and it's economy is tourist-based and seasonal for the most part. The beauty of the area, other than majestic views and remoteness, is that visitors are treated like friends or family and not set separate and apart from the general populace (which by the way is quite small)!

The Terlingua, Texas, area is considered, for all intents and purposes, desert. There's lots of sand, mountains, it's remote and sparsely populated. It does have good restaurants, interesting shopping and lots to do for visitors. The summer heat is intense but winter, as a rule, is pleasant and mild as is very early Spring. That was the catalyst for my first New Year's Eve rafting trip; a pleasant place, with a moderate winter climate, to celebrate New Year's Eve with friends.

Following up on a suggestion, my little group contacted the largest and most well-known of the river rafting companies in Terlingua and were pleasantly surprised. They not only had a New Year's Eve, Rio Grande River, rafting trip in the works but it came with perks! It was the first year the company had hired two well known singer/songwriters to go on the trip and they would entertain each evening after dinner. That clinched the deal for four of us and we made our reservations.

We spent the night in a motel in Terlingua and met the next morning at the appointed place of departure on December 30. Our group consisted of 12 guests of varying ages from the United States, Europe and Asia. We were transported by van to the river and prepared to put in (begin the trip). Amazingly, everyone was acquainted and already in a festive mood by the time we reached the river. The supplies and gear were stashed by our river guides, and we all loaded into the rafts and the trip was officially underway.

The river was gentle and calm, with the exception of a few fast-flowing ripples, which were exhilarating and great fun and the weather was made to order. We stopped for lunch, enjoyed a great meal, packed up the lunch gear and were once again on the river. The afternoon was a myriad

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