Boating Trips (Canoeing) during 2006

Started this page when, in July, Tim and Klea and I went and did at least 3 different trails in our canoe.

The Holland Pond ride was nice and relaxing, no obstructions or rapids. 

We knew the Quinebaug River flowed past the Brimfield Dam, so the next day we went beyond the dam to see what that was like - and we did NO recce on it first!  It was QUITE exciting for Klea and Tim.  In the first 1 minutes or so we hit rapids, most were small, but we hit three VERY good sized ones in the next 15 minutes or so.  We (I, Chris) timed it by looking how long the ride was on the map compared to what we've already done once and we guessed maybe 2 hours.  What we didn't know is that Klea would be scared for her life at the beginning and we'd need to stop and relax and bail water out a few times slowing us down, and that we'd need to portage behind Factory Outlets in Sturbridge and then IN Old Sturbridge Village and again (although I rode it over this last one alone and got them down stream) just before the last set of rapids (after about 2 hrs of flat water).

French River was another (supposedly) well documented trail (UNlike the Quinebaug River!) that should take us about 1.5 hours.  Hey, it DID - and that was with a few portages and other obstacles and getting out to talk with some truckers on the road about where we were.  The Ranger we talked with (twice) about this run was VERY wrong about her information as to how easy and relaxing this trail was.  The more FUN (albeit longer) trail on the Quinebaug was better!

In fact, we went BACK to the Quinebaug just after we did French River just to do the rapids at the beginning of it again.  We made it over the big ones with Klea... but were unhappy with the run, so we dropped her off on a rock and we tried again Tim and I.  We made the same mistake we made the day before with Klea and grounded (wedged) on the left.  We walked back up stream and tried again and this time wedges AND tipped!!!  We each got some damage, but we're okay - my lower back from pushing out and into a rock under water and his front from slamming into the cross member when we hit.  If only we had a water proof camera!!  We got Klea and I lost my hat and we didn't tip again - thanks to Klea's quick maneuvers - BUT, the canoe got another dimple in the front from a head-on with a lost turf war with a thousand pound boulder!!

Good times!

Holland Pond - At the start, about to start about a 2.5 mile trail. It took us about 2 hours, we thought it'd take about 1.5, not bad.	Holland Pond - Tim and Klea as we cross the East Brimfield Reservoir (or Brimfield Lake).	Quinebaug River - Tim and Klea right after our first two sets of rapids - whew, we made it!	Quinebaug River - We had to portage over and old Mill Dam behind the Factory Outlets in Sturbridge to get to this eating spot break-point.	Quinebaug River - Here's what that Mill Falls looks like.
Quinebaug River - We were TIRED here... but still had 2 more hours to go!	French River - We had to portage around the beaver dam (after looking for the "real" entry point and not finding it).	Not a bad one, just a fifty meters or so.	Done portage, on our way.	Downstream doesn't look bad... but the first part of this river had us going OVER or under obstructions almost every 50-100 meters!!!
Tim piloted us down this trail the whole way.	Besided LOTS of BUGS and spiders, and Blue Heron's this was one of the other animals we saw - but it was dead.	Ah, what the river was SUPPOSED to look like! The hill in the background is what we climbed to find out where we were.	More obstructions ahead.	This one we went under, with at least 2 more I can remember, the next one was MESSY and the last one was so low we almost lost our heads!
Tim didnt like that smell!	Blue Heron's everywhere in the last swampy area.	If you didn't have a canoe to get out in the water u could hang out in there.	We're DONE and ON TIME!!! 1.5 hrs... but next time (if there is one for this river) we want MORE WATER!	Taking off from the spot Klea, Chris and Tim stopped.
Three of us before we put off.	Some LARGE Pines on our pit-stop.	Nice Picnic spot.	Had to put on some sunblock - it was WARM and sunny.	Swift river from rt 9 to 37.