We went canoeing today. Dad, Mom, and three teenage girls. We took the girls just for the entertainment factor. They had their own canoe. After they figured out who was supposed to be steering they did well.
Picture it. Michigan, early summer on the Huron River. The river is higher than it has been in a long time. The dog roses are blooming, the lily pads are just starting to bloom. The sun is shining, the sky is blue. Cedar waxwings are chasing bugs while the egrets fish in the reeds. The silence is broken only by the sound of teenage girls gossiping. The day started well. We headed upstream. Upstream when you are fresh is always the wisest choice.
We soon left the girls behind as they tried to figure out how to steer the canoe. I wanted to watch, but Dad wanted to get going. We passed a canoe with a Vietnamese family of three. The father was casting along the bank while Mom paddled. We pulled up next the shore in a shady spot to wait for the girls to catch up and had a nice chat with a couple more Vietnamese women. Apparently there was a large group on an outing. When the girls finally banged into sight we went on. Not too soon after that Dad told them that the person in the BACK of the canoe is supposed to steer. Once Harley understood that the noise level from their canoe fell to normal levels.
We paddled on to a picnic spot where we stopped for lunch and the girls went swimming. They were amazed at how hard it was to swim upstream. After lunch we continued upstream. I was starting to get tired. We paddled for another 45 minutes or so until we reached the dam that separates the river from a lake. We turned around and headed back to the livery. The girls handled the turn quite well. The trip back was quite nice. I took some pictures and just rested. By this time everyone was sunburned and getting tired. Harley was getting frustrated because the other two girls didn't know what they were doing. Poor Hailey was so tired she just curled up and lay her head on the gunwale. Shaina and Hailey had to work tonight, so I feel bad for them. All in all it was a good day. That was definitely $56 well spent.
No comments:
Post a Comment