A Quick Escape

We’re leaving! But only for a few days. We’re heading over to the Lower Wisconsin State Riverway for a short 5-day canoe camping trip. The whole famn damily is heading out on the river for some well deserved “Rest & Relaxation.” We’re going to paddle the 90 odd miles from Prairie Du Sac to Wyalusing State Park; camping on Islands and sandbars as we go.

I put the “R&R” in quotations, because any of you who have, or have had, children know that with two 7-year old children, there really isn’t any rest. And relaxation can be difficult, when every two minutes (or less), you hear, “Dad!, Dad!, Dad!” And you answer, “Yes dear?” Only to be met with the most obtuse question you’ve ever heard about whether or not a Unicorn could paddle a sea kayak around Antarctica. Honestly, that was a direct question posed by one of my daughters not two days ago. Amusing…somewhat, but challenging when you just want five un-interrupted minutes to finish a packing list for an upcoming canoe trip or a re-stock order for the shop.

So, here I am at midnight, still not quite finished packing for a 7am departure and now I need to let you all know that orders and inquiries sent to Umingmaq Paddle Touring Center this week, will go unanswered until Saturday 06/12/2021. Please be patient, we’re out testing some of the latest gear in preparation for a big trip planned for next summer.

We’re also building memories with our, sometimes, annoying children, but, then again, I wouldn’t want it any other way! Just yesterday, our girls interrupted our trip preparations to let me know that they’d spotted one of the big Snapping Turtles of Sandow Lake right along our shore. I walked down and we spent about 15 minutes standing 5 feet from the prehistoric beast as it watched a school of fish swim so close to it’s beaked mouth, we thought we were about to witness a predation event. It seems that those Sunfish had no clue as to the potential, lightning quick, violence that sat motionless, just inches away. The girls were ecstatic that they had found the giant and asked question after question about the biology of the old turtle. It was a fantastic moment.

We’ll be back before you even miss us, hopefully.

~Umingmaq