My Defintion of a Good Day

Today was a perfect September day and I took full advantage of the nice weather.  I did some house work, some yard work,some chicken care, some cooking and some organizing.  After that I took my kayak out and put it in the Mississippi River at the weigh station park in Ramsey.  I had to drag it across the lawn from the parking lot, down a path through the oak trees covered with acorns, and down to the shore.  As I got in a man and two children came though the woods. They were at the park for a family reunion.  They left the party to go exploring. One of the children was an eight year old girl wearing Minnie Mouse ears. She looked at me as if I was an alien from outer space.  I explained to her that I was going to explore too but in the water instead of on the shore. The family moved on and I managed to get in the kayak without getting wet.  I paddled upstream.  I paddled past the picnic shelter where the family reunion was being held. I could hear them listening to a football game on a radio. This would be a great spot to have a family reunion someday.  I paddled past a house. A belted kingfisher moved upstream along with me.  A family of wood ducks flew over my head.  Bugs that walk on water were all over the place.  I had a hat on so I couldn't see up very well. The water had ripples over a rocky part of the river. I clung to the east bank and made my way farther up. I went by another house and was paddling hard when I looked again and the house had not moved at all.  I was paddling hard and only staying in place! What the heck?  I poured on the power and maneuvered closer to the shore line and finally I got past that house. Huge granite rocks littered the river bed. Some of the boulders showed above the water line. I could see by the stain on the tree trunks that this river was a good six feet higher than it is today. I saw about forty tree swallows circling above my head. I kept paddling until I saw the roof of a huge house on the Dayton side of the river.  I think I was near where the Crow River comes into the Mississippi when I quit paddling and just floated. The river turned my kayak in a complete circle and I was looking upriver again.  I had already seen this view plus I wanted to keep an eye on those boulders so I used my paddle as a rudder to turn myself around.  I saw the belted kingfisher fly off a dead branch and splash into the water after a fish. I couldn't see if the kingfisher got a fish or not. No other boats were on this stretch of the river.  I had the entire Mississippi River to myself. I wondered how many more times I would be in this boat this year. Before I knew it I floated past the family reunion and was back to where I put in.  I landed my boat, threw the paddle on the shore, and got out without falling.  Success!  I pulled the little boat up the hill crunching the acorns.  Pulling it across the mowed lawn was easy and I loaded the boat into my car and drove home.  At home I put the kayak in the garage, changed clothes, and hopped on the motorcycle.  I biked to the gym for a quick workout and home again. My definition of a good day now includes using a kayak and a motorcycle on the same day.