Our recent two hour canoe ride was
clearly divided into two sections. First, came the
oh-my-please-do-not-let-us-die portion, followed by the
wow-this-really-is-fun part of the adventure.
Now granted, I didn’t actually think we would die.
I just thought I might kill my husband.
Again... I am exaggerating! Really!
I would have only injured him.
Let me start from the beginning….
On our recent trip to Detroit Lake, my family rented a canoe at the Detroit Lake Marina. We timed our rental for the last two hours of the day – beating the heat, maximizing the shade, and joining the end-of-the-day leisurely pace on the river.
clearly divided into two sections. First, came the
oh-my-please-do-not-let-us-die portion, followed by the
wow-this-really-is-fun part of the adventure.
Now granted, I didn’t actually think we would die.
I just thought I might kill my husband.
Again... I am exaggerating! Really!
I would have only injured him.
Let me start from the beginning….
On our recent trip to Detroit Lake, my family rented a canoe at the Detroit Lake Marina. We timed our rental for the last two hours of the day – beating the heat, maximizing the shade, and joining the end-of-the-day leisurely pace on the river.
Our family settled into the canoe with life jackets, paddles,
a first-aid kit, and a small cooler of snacks. I had wondered
if there would be enough room, but soon found we had plenty of space. The cooler and kit fit perfectly under the seats.
The boys sat comfortably on a cushion on the boat floor.
We pushed from the dock and began to
make our way up the Breitenbush River.
My boys have never been canoeing before and so my Momma danger-radar was, of course, cranked to full tilt. My sweet husband sat in the back of the canoe and with
each movement rocked the boat wildly (Momma radar alert!). This prompted me to scream and command all boat passengers to immediately stop moving and/or thinking about moving.
I did not want my children in the river.
I did not want to end up in the river.
I did not want my children in the river.
I did not want our gear sinking in the river.
I did not want my children in the river.
We adults paddled against the gentle wind and current with
my husband dangerously tipping the boat and risking our
very lives every 32 seconds (Momma radar alert!).
This went on for much too long: boat rocked, I screamed, husband apologized; rinse and repeat.
Finally up the river, we began to experiment with passenger distribution. I consider my husband a slim guy, but in comparison to me and the boys – the man is the heavyweight of the Obery household. Moving both the boys to the front of the boat with me helped immensely. Everything started to improve. Our boys took turns sitting in the front seat to row (downstream). I lounged in the bottom of the boat (toward the front) and took photos, enjoyed the scenery and ate cookies.
This solved our "Big-Man-Rocks-Boat" issue.
The screaming soon stopped. Suddenly this trip was great fun.
The cookies were delicious.
On the river, we saw (what I imagined to be) falcons diving
into the river and catching their dinner. We paddled
alongside ducks. We called hello to fellow boaters.
We passed fishermen at play. We waved to families on shore.
For a flat fee of $20 we were given the gift of two hours on
the water among beautiful scenery; flexing our muscles,
and (once the Momma radar was calmed) laughing together.
Next time at Detroit Lake I hope to bypass the
drama portion of the evening and skip right to the …
I-married the-most-patient-man-ever part of the trip.
Mommas can be assured:
Canoeing is a safe, fun activity for all the family.