All Washed Up

Seeing a waterproof bag in a camping store reminded me that I should buy one in case I ever go near water again with my camera and other valuables in hand.  This year my son, Ragnar the Trader and I plan to take a bikepacking trip to celebrate his thirtieth birthday. It occurred to me that we should plan to stop in Midway and rent a canoe for the afternoon, drift down the Kettle River and then relax around a campsite.

Being that close to the U S of A will be fun!

Twice in the past my cycling buddy Roy and I have rented a canoe from Steve, the manager of the campground in Midway and drifted for a couple of hours down the river, quaffing beer and taking photographs.  Last year on our "Best of" tour, we discovered a small inlet where we could safely tie up the canoe and then jump from a nearby cliff into the cool and clear water.

 My son seems to like the idea of this particular tour even though it does involve climbing a mountain twice - once on the way to Grand Forks and then again on the way back to Midway.  That part didn't thrill him.  But when I described the air conditioned liquor store in Grand Forks and its vast selection of cold beer and that the store is right next to an A&W, Ragnar became downright enthused!

Look at the chicks man!

 The canoe trip will be one of the highlights of our tour as long as neither of us tip the canoe into the river the way Roy and I did last year.  We got completely soaked but luckily I managed to hold my camera and wallet out of the water. We did have to pay Steve twenty bucks for one of the paddles we lost.  We're still blaming each other for capsizing the canoe even though we both know that it was Roy grabbing an over-hanging branch that caused the spill.  This year it won't matter as much since I'll have my stuff in a waterproof pouch.