You've already seen a lot of what I went through on the trip, the rain and the drenching in those darned rapids Alan insisted on running, but for me there was more to the trip than just that.
It started early Friday afternoon when we left work early. That's not such a big deal but I knew something good was going to happen when Alan started messing around with backpacks. I decided to spend the rest of the afternoon outside, sitting next to the car, so that I wouldn't miss out on the fun.
20150918_001 by Alan, on Flickr
He spent all afternoon and evening running around the house digging through boxes and throwing things in different piles. Just after dark he finally started putting it all in the car and loaded up the canoe. By 10:00 that night we were on the road. It was a long drive....a REALLY long drive.
We slept that night somewhere in northern Minnesota next to a lake. I thought it was our destination and was really excited to go canoeing and walking but instead we just kept driving. Man was I bored! It was really hot too. We'd stop every now and again for a short walk and Alan would sometimes make me get all the way in the water to cool off. I don't like getting all the way in the water.
We drove that whole day and finally got to Red Lake just after dark. I wanted to get out for a run so bad but it was starting to storm and Alan said he was tired and wanted to get a good night's sleep. He said to not worry, that I didn't know what was in store for the next day and that I wouldn't be bored again for a long time. Was he ever right about that!
The next day didn't start off a whole lot more promising. We'd slept in the car on some dirt road outside town but instead of going for a hike when we woke up we drove back to town where I had to stay in the car while Alan went inside to talk to some guy. After what seemed like hours of waiting he finally came back out and we drove out of town again. I wasn't getting my hopes up until we turned off on a gravel road. I like gravel roads. Good things always happen when we drive on gravel roads. Even though it was chilly Alan left my window down so I could smell outside. It was like sensory overload! Now I was really starting to get excited.
When we finally parked the car there were some other people who were just loading up their canoe. They were nice guys and petted me while Alan started unloading all the gear and our canoe. I'd never seen Alan make such a big fuss about going paddling. I kept thinking, "Just grab a paddle and life jacket and let's go already!" But he kept digging through bags and looking in the car to make sure he didn't forget anything. Finally, just when he seemed to have everything ready and I thought we'd start he made me pose for a dumb picture.
20150816_001 by Alan, on Flickr
Then we were finally off! First we ran through the woods a short distance before putting the canoe in a small lake. I say 'we' but I really mean 'I'. Alan didn't run anywhere the whole trip. He was constantly lagging behind and I had to keep doubling back on my trail to make sure he hadn't keeled over dead or something. It only took a little while to paddle across the lake and then Al told me to "get out" when we got close to shore, or something resembling a shore anyway. When I jumped out the ground under the grass kind of sunk away and shook. It was then I knew this wasn't going to be a normal paddle. I had no idea what was in store for me.
I'll write more later. Alan wants his computer back.
Sadie
It started early Friday afternoon when we left work early. That's not such a big deal but I knew something good was going to happen when Alan started messing around with backpacks. I decided to spend the rest of the afternoon outside, sitting next to the car, so that I wouldn't miss out on the fun.
20150918_001 by Alan, on FlickrHe spent all afternoon and evening running around the house digging through boxes and throwing things in different piles. Just after dark he finally started putting it all in the car and loaded up the canoe. By 10:00 that night we were on the road. It was a long drive....a REALLY long drive.
We slept that night somewhere in northern Minnesota next to a lake. I thought it was our destination and was really excited to go canoeing and walking but instead we just kept driving. Man was I bored! It was really hot too. We'd stop every now and again for a short walk and Alan would sometimes make me get all the way in the water to cool off. I don't like getting all the way in the water.
We drove that whole day and finally got to Red Lake just after dark. I wanted to get out for a run so bad but it was starting to storm and Alan said he was tired and wanted to get a good night's sleep. He said to not worry, that I didn't know what was in store for the next day and that I wouldn't be bored again for a long time. Was he ever right about that!
The next day didn't start off a whole lot more promising. We'd slept in the car on some dirt road outside town but instead of going for a hike when we woke up we drove back to town where I had to stay in the car while Alan went inside to talk to some guy. After what seemed like hours of waiting he finally came back out and we drove out of town again. I wasn't getting my hopes up until we turned off on a gravel road. I like gravel roads. Good things always happen when we drive on gravel roads. Even though it was chilly Alan left my window down so I could smell outside. It was like sensory overload! Now I was really starting to get excited.
When we finally parked the car there were some other people who were just loading up their canoe. They were nice guys and petted me while Alan started unloading all the gear and our canoe. I'd never seen Alan make such a big fuss about going paddling. I kept thinking, "Just grab a paddle and life jacket and let's go already!" But he kept digging through bags and looking in the car to make sure he didn't forget anything. Finally, just when he seemed to have everything ready and I thought we'd start he made me pose for a dumb picture.
20150816_001 by Alan, on FlickrThen we were finally off! First we ran through the woods a short distance before putting the canoe in a small lake. I say 'we' but I really mean 'I'. Alan didn't run anywhere the whole trip. He was constantly lagging behind and I had to keep doubling back on my trail to make sure he hadn't keeled over dead or something. It only took a little while to paddle across the lake and then Al told me to "get out" when we got close to shore, or something resembling a shore anyway. When I jumped out the ground under the grass kind of sunk away and shook. It was then I knew this wasn't going to be a normal paddle. I had no idea what was in store for me.
I'll write more later. Alan wants his computer back.
Sadie
Last edited:
