8.8.11

Family in a Canoe



My canoe is 10 years old now. I bought it for my 2001 trip down the MacKenzie River. When we moved to Montreal in 2003, my father brought my Old Town Discovery 169 to his place in New Brunswick and I'm glad he did (though I regularly wish I had a canoe to play with in Alberta too).


While visiting my papa and mémère, I get to take the kids out on the gentle Kouchibouguac River (part estuary). There are cedar, maple, spruce, apple, birch, poplar, and many other trees lining the shores. Keeping the place alive are many birds (herons, kingfishers, …). Pollution in recent decades have killed much of the water life I remember seeing when I was young, notably the trout and eels.

I love the sound of the water as we paddle and watching the kids gleefully pick floating leaves from the river.



Amber and I are talking of planning an over night canoe trip with the kids on a local river when we return in acouple years. One of the great things about canoeing is that you can carry lots of gear, much more than the hiking alternative.

2 comments:

Dan the Man said...

We're close to the water now, and I wish that I had a canoe or open kayak (but really, it's a canoe I want) to take the boys out on the river. Maybe, one day, if MEC has a sale or big "gear swap" or something and I have more than $4.72 in the bank that day...

Debby said...

sounds lovely and peaceful....I remember a few canoe rides down that river