STYX RIVER, Ala. — OK, I’m chicken. But I have a reason. Blame education. I studied enough Greek mythology to be wary of any river named “Styx.” The Styx, according to ancient Greeks, was the river the dead crossed on their way to the underworld.

Ulp.

But, when your grown daughter is visiting from New England and wants something to do and says that she found on the Internet a place to go tubing, and it’s Styx River, you say, “yes, dear.”

And you plan for a tubing adventure. On the Styx River. Styx River Tube and Canoe Rental has been operating for 25 years, says employee Chris Lamb.

You will find adventure. Like coming hand-to-mouth with a snake while moving yourself after floating onto a snag of trees. Or seeing a deer come down to drink and flee, white tail flicking, when it spots you. And groups of people floating down with their tubes have fun laughing and splashing in the warm, shallow river.

The first step is to head to www.floatstyx.com and read the information on the website carefully.

Styx River Tube and Canoe Rental rents, as the name implies, tubes and canoes. They rent kayaks, too. There are a variety of canoe and kayak trips ranging from day to overnight trips (bring your own camping gear), but that sounded like too much work. I’m not Madam Outdoors, anyway. Floating down a river on a large inner tube was about my speed.

You won’t be alone.

“On the weekend, we have around 500-plus floating,” said Lamb.

There are a few common sense rules. The most important is that if you are going to drink adult beverages, do so responsibly and a designated driver when you get off the river. No matter what you are drinking or eating, glass and Styrofoam are not permitted.

Even if you are not drinking alcohol, you will be in the sun, doing things you probably don’t normally do so it’s a good idea to bring some bottled water or soft drinks along. Sunscreen is an absolute must, as is something to wear you don’t mind getting wet in order to prevent baked arms and shoulders. And don’t forget to protect the tops of your feet.

Tubes that will hold a large cooler can be rented. Bring a length of rope to tie your drink cooler to one of the tubes, otherwise, you’ll need to have someone holding on to the cooler with their foot or hand.

Remember that everything, absolutely everything, can get wet so if you have something that should not get wet, leave it at home, in your car or sealed in a waterproof container inside your cooler.

The river is patrolled by the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Department and the Alabama Marine Police. According to the company website, “The minimum fine for littering on public waterways in Alabama is $500.”

There’s more, and while tubing is fairly safe, you are out on a river, in a fairly wild area and you should be alert. Follow common sense safety rules — non-swimmers and youngsters should wear life vests. They are available there.

The life vests are free,” said Lamb.

Don’t dive without checking the depth of the water first, avoid wildlife and if something looks risky, don’t go there or do it. Also, there are many “private property” signs up along the river. Respect them.

And if you have any doubts about conditions that make spending 3-4 hours in the sun and on a river risky, be sure to check with your doctor. No sense ruining the fun for everyone if it can be helped.

The tubes are not the insides of your dad’s tires either. No, they are brightly colored (I was reassured they would be easy for rescuers to spot) with handles on top to make them easier to hold onto (another very good thing). Cooler tubes are plain black.

Wear water shoes or rubber sandals as the bottom of the river is pebbly or soft and mucky in spots. Waterproof shoes would be best, as I know my sandals floated away to my daughter’s disgust on a few occasions.

After parking and slathering on sunscreen, my daughter and I were taken up to the drop-off point in the back of an open truck. The ride is bouncy and you will want to hold on.

After arrival, you float to the well-marked let-out point (near the parking lot), and the driver makes sure that you have all the tubes you need. This is your last chance to apply sunscreen while dry, and gives you an opportunity to tie tubes together.

Launching is very easy. You just walk into the water, hop onto your tube and start drifting.

And that is it. The current takes you down the river, but you do have to be alert to guide yourself away from obstacles in the water, which ranges in depth from bottom-scraping shallow to deep for a tall adult.

There are plenty of sandbars for you to stop, rest (the ride is not stressful), eat if you want and grab a drink.

When I floated over to a bank, I grabbed a branch, planning to push off. Little did I know that the branch was already occupied — by a snake. I don’t know what kind of snake. It was just as surprised to see me as I was to see it. It fled, and I dropped my hand, and neither of us were hurt.

We spotted a flock of ducklings trying to climb the steep bank while an adult duck quacked encouragement from above. The ducklings were having a tough time, and I thought that was the extent of their trouble.

But my daughter, cried, “Oh, there’s a snake!” And yes, it got one of the downy ducklings.

But the river had less disturbing magic. I saw something I would not have seen if we were in a large, noisy party. A deer came down to the river to get a drink. It was a magical moment. But when I turned to call to my daughter, I could see the deer become startled and flee.

All too soon, it was time to get out. Lamb says that the sign is easy to spot (it is) and she has never heard of anyone going past the “get-out” point. We put our towels in the car and were dry enough to travel in short order.

And that was it. Tubers can use their tubes again and take another ride up to the start. You can do that all day if you want.