Airstream Time

Exploring North America in an Airstream

Posts from the ‘Canoeing’ category

Lehigh Gorge

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With heavy rains, we couldn’t explore much, but we did walk down the the Lehigh River. It is a 32-mile gorge with raft rides and bike paths. You can put your bike on a train and then ride back to the town, Jim Thorpe, a 25-mile trip with a slight down hill train slope. You can also kayak or canoe it, but it is not for amateurs. A lot depends on how much water is released from the dam. There are a number of free shuttles to carry bikers to towns for lunch or exploring. 

The Lehigh River flows for over 100 miles and is the largest tributary to the Delaware River. According to there is a healthy population of brown and rainbow trout. There are also smallmouth bass “that fight like hell.”

Between the Delaware River and the Lehigh River and Hickory Run State Park, this area has a lot to offer. I’m sure it gets busy in the summer.

Parc national du Lac-Témiscouata

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60℉ at 6:00 and a high of 75

Sunday, September 18, 2016

After a good night’s sleep, I felt a bit better. We went up to the very cool Visitor’s Center where we met Brigette, who had waited for us until 8:00 last night! Geez, I am so sorry! Like many Quebec people, she said she didn’t speak very good English, but she did great. She explained the park to us, where to go and what to do. We sat down to catch up on emails and book a flight to Baltimore and a place for Martha to stay in Quebec. They have a great WIFI:}

After lunch we opted for a canoe rental on Lac Touladi, putting in at the top, called Petit Lac Touladi. It takes 6 hours to paddle to the end of the lake, so we decided on going just to the top of the big lake and then going back, which turned out to be about a two-hour trip. It was a very pretty afternoon. I’m usually not too big on canoeing big lakes, but we really enjoyed this one. There is a lot of marsh around the lake, perfect for ducks, and we saw a lot with many different kinds. As the winds quieted in the afternoon, we couldn’t help staring at cloud reflections in the water. On the return trip, we went along the eastern shore of the lake, seeing big piles of mussel shells on the banks. There is a big story here about an indian, who once hunted beavers here, but then dedicated his life to protecting them. There are a lot of beaver houses, but there are also muskrats and raccoons. It was obvious there are a lot of mussels in the lake and a lot of whatever eats them. 

When you paddle in the middle of the lake, you don’t feel like you are going anywhere, but when you are on the edge, you can see how fast you are going. It was my impression we could paddle the lake faster than we could walk it. In the old days, it was the only way to travel. Lakes and rivers were the highways of the times. 

They have great showers and bathrooms here, so we cleaned up, fixed dinner and enjoyed another Will Smith movie – “Focus”, which was very good. What a luxury, especially when you have a cold, to lie in bed and watch a movie!