I can’t officially say that the ice is out in ALL of Ontario, but down in our little section of it we are officially ice free. Of course that means it is time to get our canoe out for her first paddle of the year. She had been waiting patiently in our garage for the water to be soft for a very long time.
Easter Monday
The Easter long weekend brought some pretty awful weather, but on Monday the conditions were just about perfect – a perfect temperature and not too windy. I waited patiently all morning to load the canoe since Dan took advantage of the great weather as well to go for a spin on his new mountain bike. When he finally got home, we drove a few minutes north to the Moira River and headed upstream. With all the rain and melt, the river was high giving us some great places to explore along the shorelines (or lack thereof), but it also means there is a bit of a current, so we always head upstream first so that we can enjoy an easy paddle back to the car!
Our beautiful Swift canoe and my Badger paddle 
Playing in the Trees
The Moira is known to rise fairly high in the spring, flooding the shores and making it possible to paddle between the large trees. This opportunity to paddle in the forest is one of the reasons we really look forward to this first paddle, it’s just not something you can do other times of the year – in mid summer the river is so low that it is possible to walk on the river bed in many locations. It was quite magical as the river was like a mirror giving some pretty awesome picture opportunities. I even found a spot where the trees seemed to form a circle in their reflection.
Before we knew it, it was getting close to supper and we had to head back home – plus my parents were visiting and were at home with Hayden (you did notice he wasn’t in the boat right?!?!?!). We could have stayed much longer, but it was a good opportunity to get paddles back into our hands and it just felt so great to finally be on the water again, if even for a short time.
Is the ice out where you live? Have you gotten out on the water yet? If so, please tell us about in the comments below, we love hearing from you!
Beauty. (photo by Danny)
I got a chance to ride in the little lady last Spring and it was a lovely experience. However, being at home with my Grandson was also a lovely way to spend the day. And, wasn’t that turkey pot pie just delicious??!! <3 Hugs, Mom.