[Paddlewise] The grotto chamber of an overturned canoe

With all this talk of ice and icebreakers opening up the Hudson for Klepper
foldboats, that causes my mind to drift to warmer thoughts of summer.

If you enjoy your canoe only with "the open side up", you have missed some of
the more fun ways to enjoy a canoe.  Swimming and playing with a canoe is most
enjoyable.

And surely we all realize the romantic aspects of teh canoe.

Some of the more fun things in life can be accomplished with an overturned
canoe also.  If you have not discovered the air pocket of an overturned canoe,
you have missed out on the thrills of your own, private grotto.  Talk about
echo trail.  It is an echo chamber par excellence!

Have you ever conned your sweetie to go underwater and come up in the air
pocket to "see how cool it is" only to meet across the center thwart and let
nature take it's course?  If you have not hugged and kissed across the center
thwart of an overturned canoe while your head was in the air pocket, then you
have just not lived.  If you are careful and balance properly, you can stay
there long enough for the neighbors on the lake begin to worry about your well
being unless they know about the grotto too.

It is pretty dark under a wood or aluminum so braile navigation is the rule,
fiberglass is a bit enlightening, but a Kevlar gives of a romantic candleglow
all it's own.

Anybody care to share your favorite lake for "grotto grubbing".  By the way,
this is NOT recommended on a flowing river! 

John and Susan LeBlanc

P S  We been going on 27 summers like this and don't see any need to stop.

***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List
Submissions:     paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
Subscriptions:   paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
Website:         http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/
***************************************************************************