We start at the Welch Village Mill and rent canoes. They shuttle us to Cannon Falls and we put our canoes into the river. Wouldn't you know, that part of the river is the fastest! The novices have to learn real quick!
Hey, no fair, Alyssa gets a free ride!
We stop at the same island every year for lunch. Why this particular island? You'll see as you scroll down.
The kids enjoy a nice swim to the other side of the river.
The water was a mite cold, but we got plenty of sunburn, too!
The other side of the island has a set of rapids. Evan is giving some of the newbies a quick lesson in body surfing the rapids on your life vest - what a rush!
Hold on!
We paddle another 6 miles back to Welch - encountering many hazards along the way. It's a good thing we have 6 miles of smooth sailing in order to practice our steering techiniques, because the last half of the journey has big rocks, and MANY tubers to avoid before we arrive back at the cars.
You'd think this rock would be easy to steer clear of, but a few years ago our pastor and his wife managed to get stuck right on top of it (of course, the river WAS a bit higher that year!). We call this Maureen's Rock and made sure she knew when it was coming coming close this year. We actually had no flipped canoes at all, however, a few of our group thought it was an adventure to paddle backwards after getting caught up on the frequent sandbars and low, rocky rapids!
It was a beautiful day, and a great way to enjoy God's creation.
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