2004-04-03 RR DD 3 – parchment colored dry grass and diamonds

We paddled on the Rum River from Anoka Fairgrounds boat launch starting at 9AM.  Still cold weather and a bit windy, but the ice was off so we paddle every chance we get.  Bow and stern paddlers were Roger Jordeth & Al Dubois, Bret Thunstrom & Eric Canny, Ed & Bret Arenz, Todd Ellison & Dan Hassel, Dave Dahl & Rick Lorenzen, Lee Jarpey & Keith Canny, Norm Strike & Io Harberts, Joe & Ann Manns.  C1 paddlers were Steve Eurista, & Chuck Ryan.  We saw hawks, crows, geese, hornets nests, parchment colored dry grass on the river banks, sparkling diamonds on the water, bare trees, white clouds roaming across blue sky. 

Steve Peterson met us in his C1 coming downstream from the 7^th Avenue bridge on the Rum River north of Anoka.  He had started an hour before and it would be 2 hours before he got back to his van.  On these longer paddling Saturdays, we stop at the 7^th Avenue bridge to eat lunch before turning back downstream to the vehicles.  Some brought bananas, some brought power bars, I brought a 350 calorie can of vanilla nutritional supplement, and Almond Joy candy bars to share.  Many drank Gatorade sports drink that they mixed from powder and I drank water. 

Al Dubois had been drinking from the quarter-inch plastic tube shoved through a whole in the plastic top of a liter pop bottle filled with his favorite energy drink.  He was training for the upcoming 70 mile General Clinton Canoe Race in New York.  This year he’ll be paddling that race with Eddy Mills.  For the past 2 years, he had done that race with me because his usual partner couldn’t make it.  His son, Jeff Dubois and his wife had a young child.  After doing 2 marathons, it’s too hard to justify doing another marathon canoe race until I retire.  As it is, I’ll be spending 3 or 4 days a week paddling this summer, but that’s not enough training for a marathon.  I have too many other things that take priority over training.  The most important one is my wife Doreene.