We were able get in the water this past Friday (4-9) for a short 6.5 mile trip in our new (new to us) Mad River canoe.  We bought it in December and have been itching to get it out.  I know this is not too exciting in and of itself, but my wife and I took our girls for their first trip and they loved it!  We stopped half way and had a lunch that consisted of Ramen Noodles, bologna sandwiches, chips, apples and some snacks.  They got a kick out of cooking on the cookstove.  We had to portage around dams and low spots four times, but they chipped in and helped.  We were on the Mississinewa River in east central Indiana.  It was a perfect day.  Our girls are 9, 5 and 3 respectively.  

They got a kick out of seeing turtles, geese, ducks, a muskrat and several different kinds of birds.  It was beautiful scenery aside from the tires and garbage that littered the way every once in a while.  I kept telling them that they won't have to see all this in Quetico, and that you can drink right from the water.  They had a hard time believing that.

We had a great time.

Reyn