It felt great to get back into our boats, and we brought Madison along, hoping that she would like boating more than Miles and Cedar...she does...
She started out the day in Gail's kayak, but felt a little claustrophobic inside it, so soon switched to my canoe...
Here's an early pic of her in Gail's boat...
She was very alert the whole time, but especially when we paddled by the mostly empty state campground...there was a dog barking...Maddie did not back bark, but soon settled down to chew a milk-bone and take a nap on my feet
She helped with navigation as well
I like playing with my camera's macro mode, and did so a bit at our lunch spot
The lady's slippers were out in abundance...they always remind me of triffids (not the actual flowers, but the movie)...
It was a great day to paddle, and we enjoyed the solitude of the empty water...
Thanks to the gorilla-pod, I was able to take a nice family picnic pic
Gail and Ben clinking tootsie-pops before heading off on the rest of the paddle...
There's a great tunnel that we pass through, and we like to yodel as we go through...
Ben raced ahead of us to enjoy passing through first...
out of order art-shot...I refuse to apologize!
Gail and Ben enjoying the sun and bobbing on the water in the paddler's playground that we live in...
Gail took my camera once we got below the tunnel, and she got some nice pics of Maddie and me...
She did a pretty good job, for her first paddle...
Every once in a while she would get nervous and stand up and crane her head back to give me a quick 25-30 kisses...then lay back down again...
Ben and Gail cruising...if you click on the pic to enlarge it, you can see the matching lollipop sticks...
Ben loves the freedom of paddling his own boat...
It took him a while to get his mojo back, but by the end of the trip, he was confident and moving well in the water...
a nice reach-around pic
he had a fun trip
It's a pretty area to explore...
After the paddle, we stopped off at Donnelly's for a soft-serve...
Maddie offered to help Ben...
But we got her her own cone...of course...
She's a good girl with a cone...
She looked so sad when she dropped her cone at the end, but was happy again when she figured out that the grass caught it, and she could eat the last bit laying down...
It was a nice trip, and the first of many this summer!
