View Canoe

Canoe 26RD1161

It is a cool day at the beginning of May flowers are starting to appear birds are chirping otters are playing and the trees are coming back with their green buds and leaves. I'm in Icelandic State Park west of Cavalier. My owner carries me out to the Tongue River. He walked me out to the river on May 7th where I guess I will be dropped. It's me my owner and more than 30 other kids carrying their own canoes. All of those little canoes are going on a journey to the ocean just like me. I'm flame a little marker decorated canoe who since I was carved had a dream to travel to the ocean. He lowers me as close to the water as he can. The other kids chuck their boats into the water. I float well I guess. As the day ends I realize that I am lucky to be able to continue most of the other boats were getting stuck on rocks and your typical driftwood. As we near Akra I see a couple of kids picking chokecherries from bushes in the woods. One of them spotted me in the river. They tell their sister and run over to catch me. Come on a little closer he says as he grabs a stick from an oak tree and tries to drag me closer. I drift farther away as the other one comes holding a fishing rod. She sends out the line and hooks me on the rim. They pulled me in and read the message my owner wrote on my side. He wants to go to the ocean the one with the stick said. Lets show mom the other one said. As the girl who was obviously younger probably 6 or 7 years old ran into the house. It was a small house. It looked kind of like a cabin. It was right next to the river. I could see a little bit of the garden in the back seeds already sown. She comes back out with their mom then shows me to her. Should we put it back in the water She asked. The kids shook their heads. I could tell I was not going to get to the ocean quite as easily as I thought. They take me inside to the smell of spaghetti. I've never smelled that before. All I have smelled before was the smells of sawdust and dew of the morning. I wanted to try it but that would not be a good idea. That would ruin my colors. As I go into the house I see a picture of a seal. I would love to see one of those. I thought to myself. The living room was a medium sized room with a long sofa and a tv. I see a big collection of items on a shelf. I see a frame of rare coins some pottery sherds and even some fossils and ancient rocks. They put me on the shelf in front of the framed coins. Another person comes in from another room. I assume it's the kids dad. He has some spaghetti on his chin and has black hair. He sees me and immediately sets his gaze at the little canoe sitting upon a shelf of valuables. What is this He asks. It's a little canoe that the kids found the mom said. The father pulls me off the shelf and takes a look at my writing and puts me back. I saw him mutter something but I couldn't figure out what he said.Later that night when everyone was asleep I heard footsteps from the hallway. The father came in all dressed like he was going to go outside. He grabbed me off of the shelf and took me to the kitchen table where a little woodworking tool sat. He grabbed it and etched a little DS into the rim. I assume it is his initials. He brings me out to the river. It's sprinkling by now and it's dark. I told you I would bring you back he said with a grin on his face. He put me into the water and I took off.All of the other boats were gone either still stuck or far ahead.As I pass through Akra the sun starts to come up. I spent the rest of my time in Akra looking at the sun and flowing right to Cavalier. As I come into Cavalier I am met with a lot of trees like big box elders. I am kind of in a big crevice that flows right through Cavalier. I see ants marching away carrying food to their nest and hawks soaring through the sky. As I continue I see many more like ivy growing upon fences and tall reeds near the water. I continue flowing for a few days. A Bald eagle soars overhead scanning the river for fish to eat. I assume it is a catfish or something. It swoops down bearing its talons. It made a screeching sound and I almost did as well. Apparently it was targeting me It clasps its talons around my body scratching some of the artwork off. I knew I was in Canada now. It carries me a while about 1 hour to their nest full of little eaglets probably a week old. The nest is built upon a big spruce tree next to the Red River.I was confused why she would go so far for a catfish let alone a canoe. There were 3 eaglets. I decided I was going to name them. I named the biggest one Sara. The slightly smaller one I named Mike because he looks like he would be that kid playing in the parking area who'd I imagine would be named Mike. The smallest one my favorite I named Bob. I named him Bob because of the Minion movies that I hear about but have never seen. I could tell Sara was the oldest at least by a couple of hours. Bob was the youngest. I saw a fox at the bottom playing with her kits. The tree was covered in vines and moss. Sara didn't like me apparently because she got up on her two little legs and headbutted me off of the nest into the Red River. I made a big splash as I plummeted into the water. I go so fast that I can't see everything clearly. First I see a boat then the town. Pembina. As I pass through Pembina I remember that I am getting closer and closer to the ocean. As fast as I am going I will be there in no time. I pass Emerson and Winnipeg but no one seems to notice me.I am going very fast and that might be the reason I didn't realize that I was heading into a rather large body of water almost a lake. Could it be Yes Lake Winnipeg. I float for a while. For all I know I'm going in zigzags. I see seaweed and your occasional lillypad when I near the beach. I see many fish like pike and walleye. I near Gimli a town off the coast of Lake Winnipeg but I don't quite make it and instead go forward or backward I'm not sure.I move into the middle of the lake. I see a big boat well bigger than me. The waves cause me to jerk forward and plummet into the water. Submerged it is quite foggy so I try to make out what I see. A net. I'm pulled out of the water. As a couple of fishermen look at me they nod at each other and move on. The wind against my woodwork is uncomfortable against my wet cold body but I thought that it would dry me off faster. That would feel nice after uh how many days have passed. Was it months years. I don't know. A long time in water.It has been hours since they took me to the dock. They took me out of the boat. They left me there for a long time. I think they forgot about me. Anywho they took me back to the lake and set me off. I am just noticing that the water looks narrower and more like a river than a lake.I think I am in the Nelson River. I am officially past half way. I got so excited that I didn't realize the bears who were swatting at channel catfish in the river. It has turned spring again and many fish swim in these rivers. It has been 2 years since my owner set me off. Is it going to be two years then it is over The bear swats at me sending me high into the air and onto the dry still ground which was covered in grass and bushes. Surely it was going to be now when it all ends. And then I saw him. Bob Bob now 1 month old able to fly snatches me up and throws me into the water. I think I saw him wink and fly away. I continue on the river for a few weeks. By now the water is feeling more light and salty. I open into Hudson bay. The ocean. I see polar bears and seals. I see Arctic poppies and arctic willows. The water is cold and the land is bare. But it is the ocean the arctic ocean. Me a little marker decorated canoe who had a dream to travel to the ocean was fished out of the water to take a picture with some of the other canoes Bobby sitting in a branch. And I swear I saw him wink.