the place is called burke's canoeing trips. you can check out the website here. we had some impression, not sure from where, that it would be an idyllic and serene trip down a quiet river, enjoying the sights, sounds and wonders of nature. fat chance. it was the weekend preceding the 4th of july, which is a really big holiday here and the place was swarming with people. ok maybe that's an exaggeration, but it was a bit crowded.
here we are, ready to set off on our adventure. the canoes are aluminum so that they are not too heavy, but in the summer, it can get really hot. the weight of a canoe is an important consideration as we would find out later.
and we were off! straightforward route downriver, no detours anywhere, so no worries about getting lost:) we were to pass through two landmarks which would tell us how far we had gone. these were bridges over the river which marked the completion of one-third and two-thirds of the trip. along the way there would be places where people choose to stop for a while, many of whom were using their own canoes, or kayaks, or even boats with engines (even saw a chap on a jetski). some probably just drove to the spot for a picnic and a swim. here's one of the spots:
here we are after having our lunch which the kitchen at schwab kindly prepared for us. the chef there and all the staff there are really really nice. they go out of their way to make us feel comfortable, and to take care of all our needs. we even got a thermos flask from them.
oh we were eating in the canoe because it was so hot and stopping by the side somewhere in the shade was just fantastic. there were many stretches of beaches (river banks?) but they were all teeming with people. and also some nice quiet ones, but these would invariably have signs that said "private beach. keep out." one chap even erected his own tent and sat there with his dog, waiting to repel invaders or trespassers. i guess people will go there and leave a mess if he did not keep them out.
word of warning: be prepared to get wet going downriver even if you don't capsize. there were lots of kids and adults playing with water guns who have absolutely no qualms about giving you a good soaking. and it was nice because it was such a hot day after all. although there are two types of such people i think i would categorise them into. some are just having fun and will spray the water into the air and it sort of rains down so you get wet, but not drenched. then there are others who are just standing in the river and come right up to you and blast you with the water guns and you will get absolutely drenched. i guess they think it's just harmless fun but some may not appreciate it.
and there were some kids who jumped off from rocks higher up, right into the water beside our canoe as we passed by so as to cause a big splash. that also gets you thoroughly drenched. which isn't very pleasant. the water's not that clean. and it is of course dangerous. if they mistime their jump and land on the boat, they could get hurt badly, and so could we. the operator of burke's canoe trips told us people have been paralysed from stunts like that.
anyway, after lunch, we paddled along (deanna and i were in one canoe) and we were pushed into the side by a bit of current (we failed to anticipate it early enough - if there's one thing to learn about navigating in water, it is that you must learn to anticipate things early to give yourself time. it's not like driving where you turn the wheel and the car will change direction. in water, things take time. that's why huge ships sometimes get involved in accidents because they just can't manoeuvre quickly enough.) as we went into the side of the river, there were branches sticking out from the side and instinctively as we tried to avoid hitting the branches, we both leaned too far to our right and the next moment we were both in the water.
it was lucky that there was a family just by the side who were having a picnic and they helped us flip the canoe back. there's a trick to it - you have to do it fairly quickly so that all the water comes out. the side of the river was too steep for us to pull the canoe up to turn it over so it had to be flipped over in the water. so the weight of the canoe is a critical factor. we could have done it ourselves i suppose but with help, it was much easier. but still, it took us 3 tries to get all the water out in one flip.
so all my stuff in the bag was wet. the phone and camera were in ziplock bags but i guess i had not closed them properly after taking pictures. i was complacent as we had crossed the halfway point without incident so far. always be prepared. i did not join the scouts when i was in school...
anyways, after that we continued on to the end and hopped on the bus back to the start point. the bus took about 15 minutes and along the way, the driver put on some music (not sure if it was the radio or her own selection) and it was nice when bob marley sang "redemption song".
my mood was dampened (no pun intended) a bit by the capsizing but overall, i was thankful that we had lifevests on, and no one got hurt. and so, with the help of my friends whose cameras survived the trip, i can still remember the good moments of this day.
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