...for Sentimental Reasons

Here's what TDS wrote just a few days before he stared into the abyss. -rg

good day. saturday, 8-4-07.
10:05am. from Richford, VT. 7 miles South of the Canadian border, by water.
Not much progress over the last two days. Only 15 miles or so. Last night I tented in Davis Park, basically in the town limits of Richford. I was not planning on staying here but the weather prevented me from Canada.

A pretty good storm came down yesterday morning around 7:30am. Rain, thunder, lightning and wind made motivation to break camp difficult. So I spent the next couple hours inside my tent, dry. The storm let up and I hit the water.Only 8.5 miles yesterday and I carried the canoe upstream every bit as much as I paddled. While this is tiring work, it is part of the experience. And I am observing many characteristics of the river. It was about 10am when I started.

Around noon I decided to pull over since the thunder was only 1 second behind the incredible lightning strikes. So I got the canoe up on shore, turned her over and got underneath with all my gear. It seemed like the storm might last awhile so I added clothes for warmth and dryness...rainpants and jacket.The storm came and hit hard. Hail the size of a pea came down. The winds picked up to the point where I thought a tornado might touch down and blow all the water out of the river.

The brunt of the storm lasted an hour and the rain did not let up until 6pm. after a couple hours, soaked, I got back in the water. About half a mile from here the lightning, thunder and rain commenced. I started busting it to get to this park to try and wait it out before heading to Canada. By the time I got here, unloaded the canoe and made it to the park pavilion with gear it was around 5:30pm.

So I called it a day and headed into town in search of food and water.While walking up Main street I noticed a coin-op laundry-mat and a sign that read BAR and GRILLE. So I stopped in. pork loin sandwich with gravy fries, several beers and a good time. The Ricochet Bar had a band playing and the guys told me about the river. This was just what I needed after a day like that. Breakfast, laundry, grocery stop and I are almost ready to push off. Gear is drying, the sun is out and Canada is in my sights.Rain and potential for thunderstorms forecasted for Monday through Wednesday. Be well.

Happy Trails,
Totally Different Subject