Paddling

Today we went on our annual canoe trip down the St. Croix. As we have done this over the years, some people have grown up and lost interest or moved away or got busy. Others have gained interest. The important thing is that people have a good time and want to come back again. This year the water was very high. Sandbars completely disappeared. Some islands disappeared. The spots where we always have lunch disappeared. Usually we have 30 feet of beach at the canoe rental shack. This year the water was just a few feet from the shack. More water makes for a faster run. Gusty winds kept pushing us back. Sometimes if we didn't paddle, we would have gone backwards against the current. I was paired with a lightweight. We had to put the lunch bags by her so she could keep her end of the canoe down. She may be small but her arms are much stronger than last year. Together we managed. We found a new spot to have lunch. We had sandwiches, bugles (a canoe trip must), strawberries, grapes, cheese sticks, licorice, and pound cake. We saw vultures and great blue herons and several turtles. As we ate our lunch we saw the Lockness monster go by. Actually it was a log with a serpent like head coming out of the water, a hump in the middle, and a tail that also stuck out of the water. Later we caught up with the monster and got a closer view. The closer we got the less like a monster it looked. Traffic on the river was light. Today the river water looked very red. I don't remember seeing it that red before. Spending time on the water is an important part of summer for me.