Come to the River of Life Part two

While I was enjoying my breakfast I soaked in the beauty of watching  a few pelicans play in the water and a deer and its little one came by to enjoy an early morning drink. Got the gear packed up and off we sailed. 

The leaves along the river bank were amazing colours.

We even got to see ‘the cattle on a thousand hills’ as the old chorus goes. It was turning out to be a hot day so by three o’clock Sailor Dan and I decided it was time to go for a ‘skinny dip’ to cool off…We found a lovely beach to relax and have a swim and a little snack.

We packed up and off we went….but somewhere we missed a turn in the road….I didn’t see any other channel but there must have been one because our river turned into a trickle of water. I got out and pulled the canoe following the deepest parts of the trickle. I was getting so tired and was thinking I would have to unload the canoe just to pull it through this tough part when I looked up and saw two beautiful shiny brown horses. Now how did they get on the island side of the landscape…. They gave me hope….

So I pulled some more…..Here I was with a rope around my body pulling the canoe like a workhorse…..they must have been smiling at me I thought. They patiently watched me and I had to pull the canoe past them and finally I found deep water….Sometimes in life God expects us to get out and do our part andpull our weight….There are times of hard labour and times of refreshing….I was definitely enjoying the times of refreshing as the current once again pulled my weight down the river again.

By now I had learned my lesson not to leave it so late to pitch my tent so found a lovely stretch of beach to pitch my tent….this time an island so those coyotes wouldn’t be hanging out with me.. Made a nice supper and watched the sun set. Could hear the coyotes singing on both sides as I drifted off to sleep. I had stuck a tuna can in the water so animals wouldn’t be attracted to it and in the morning the water had shifted or lowered so much that I had to drag the canoe several feet just to get it to water.

It made me wonder how hard it was going to be to get home if the water had lowered that much. The sky was dark and filled with angry looking clouds but the sun came out and made the coloured leaves brilliant against the dark sky. 

It was a beautiful day for canoeing ….not so hot as the day before. My battery died on my camera so missed some great shots along the way. I was coming around a corner and I heard cows very close to the water but there was bush right to the edge and then all of a sudden out of the blue was a beautiful brown cow in a tiny opening in the bush so I got my cell phone out and got a lovely shot. 

Found a lovely island with lots of driftwood on it so gathered a heap so I could make a rip roaring fire. Enjoyed a lovely conversation with Marie sitting by the fire while I watched the stars. Made arrangements to meet her at the Berry Barn the next day for supper thinking I would camp my last night at Bare Ass Beach not far from there.
The next day looked dark and stormy so I pushed myself and arrived at the Berry Barn at two o'clock so phoned Marie and said " I'm coming home" The weather was suppose to be cool and rainy overnight so decided to sleep in my own bed that night. Had a lovely bowl of borsch and a bun at the Berry Barn and enjoyed watching some people on horseback on the shore as I paddled down the river.

Lots of sandhill cranes all along the way!

The fall colours were amazing!

Old Man River had a different look when I came around the corner this time......somebody readjusted his arms and gave him a 'manly' look....lol

Almost home I thought....here is the train bridge ....but it was still a couple more hours to get to the boat launch.

Here are my 'Angel Feathers ' that showed me the right path all along my trip

Scooped a feather up for a souvenir and found a 'lucky' ladybug
Was getting dark and I was feeling a little uncomfortable canoeing as I could no longer see the sandbars that might hang me up....Phoned Marie and told her to meet me at Victoria Park boat launch as Broadway launch would take me another half hour and it was already dark.
I got there and was having trouble figuring out how to hold onto the dock and get out of a canoe without capsizing. Along came two young men on bikes with back packs and they offered to help me. I told them I wasn't expecting to find 'angels' at the dock and I was truly blessed by there help. They carried my gear and my canoe all the way up to the top where I needed to meet Marie. They even helped me put the canoe on the roof of the car....God is so good....I had no strength left and he sent me two beautiful native angels to end my trip and get me home safely.
I can hardly wait for the next adventure .......