Spring has sprung and I couldn't be happier, with that, I was itching to get out and do some camping, riding, paddling or whatever. Coincidentally I was sitting on three new pack-rafts that were begging to be broken-in. Thor, friend and IVC (Imperial Venture Corps) member in good standing had just purchased a raft as well, and put together a route leaving from his house that would encompass all three of the activities mentioned above.
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| country roads...Y wasn't real happy about cars driving by so fast but he held his line and did just fine |
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| closing in on camp |
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| Cold start.....everything was covered in frost. Didn't sleep too well either, on account of giving my light weight, warmer sleeping bag to Super Y...that's Ok, I think that's what dads are supposed to do anyway, right ? |
To clarify........Alpacka raft was closing out 2016 models cheaper than I've ever seen offered....I bought three, mostly so I could plan trips in which every member of my family would make use of them. Thor also bought one on the discount. As I was packing, (and nearly finished) Thursday night for a Friday afternoon departure, my middle son Super Y announced that his plans for a sleep over were cancelled and he would be joining us on our excursion. Great!....fortunately I had Friday off of work and spent most of the day getting his bike ready and all the gear for two of us. The thing about an overnight-er is.....it takes just as long to pack and requires the same amount of gear as a much longer trip...minus multi day supply of food. If nothing else it's a good way to learn to pack efficiently.
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| Starting to warm up |
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| wait for me |
Upon meeting Friday afternoon, we set out for 10-12 miles of road riding to our camp on the Cannon River. Arriving well before dark we had time to set camp, get a fire going and really enjoy the evening chilling -out. The next morning, with our camp right on the river, we simply packed-up, aired-up, and paddled down stream towards our take-out in Northfield. We were on the water approximately two hours, cruising along with a nice current, some riffles to occasionally add excitement, and plenty of warm sunshine on our faces. At our exit , we were able to ride a little bit of single track on our way to lunch at a BBQ eatery. From there we only had 5-6 miles back to the start point, and made quick work of it.
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| One of several sets of riffles....fun |
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| Old mill...I think |
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| I'd like to get back to this trail soon and check it out thoroughly |
Thor's route with the addition of the fantastic lunch stop made for a really freakin' awesome sub-24 outing. I was especially impressed with SuperY for his ability to carry himself in a way befitting of a respectful, driven, and responsible young man in the company of adults...............looking forward to more outings like this................
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| almost home |
until then, D Rider..................................out
