The kids and I took out the boats this morning. Mr. Stubborn and Miss Drama teamed up in the canoe, while Little One and #2 stuck with me in the flat bottom boat.

We paddled up the river probably close to a mile or so. Then Miss Drama started freaking out about how we were going to get lost, how would we ever make it back, and so on. Logical conversation with her was completely out the window by this point, so we all turned around and started paddling back.

Thankfully, there was not much of a current on this river; it’s almost like paddling on a lake. It didn’t take very long for us to make it back to the stretch of river visible from our campsite.

This is the point where things took a turn for the worse, but only for me. Miss Drama and Mr. Stubborn decided we should race back and took off in the canoe. Meanwhile #2 and I are paddling in the flat bottom boat which is actually not a very effective boat for racing.

I should mention at this point, there was a mini folding chair bolted to the back bench where I was sat. It wasn’t feasible to fold the seat and sit on the bench, so I sat on the chair in its unfolded position. This put me a few feet up in the air with a precariously high center of gravity, not to mention the chair folds.

Next thing I know, I’m digging down deep in the water to paddle and SPLASH! The chair folded and over I went. Into the mucky cold river water. With all my children watching, screaming, and freaking out.

My little dip in the river didn’t require much of a rescue operation as it wasn’t very deep or wide, so I was able to pull the boat near the shore and climb back in to my seat. Now to get in to some clean clothes, rinse off, and sit by the fire.

I’d post some photos of my drenched self, but thankfully I’d left my phone back in the truck otherwise I’d likely be looking to get a new one.
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I did take my phone with me to Coos Canyon, however, and snapped a few great shots. 

​The kids (especially #2) enjoyed clambering up and over the rocks and boulders and exploring the canyon on foot.

Everyone was having a great time until they started getting hangry. That’s when I realized I was quite underprepared for dinner. I had left the stove, table, and dishes behind at our campsite. All I had was some charcoal, a lighter, pickles, sausages, and some cheese. Luckily, there were grills and a few picnic tables though.
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If you’ve never tried it, let me forewarn you it is extremely difficult to light charcoal without lighter fluid. Nearly impossible even. We finally managed to accomplish this task by lighting a small fire with wood and pine needles and then piling the charcoal on top of this fire until it eventually caught on its own. After scrounging around, we even found a small piece of foil on which to cook the sausages. 

​Of course, once everyone started eating, I realized I also had nothing to drink from. We had water, but it was in the sort of jug with a pull-out spout, not a twist off lid. Not to be deterred, the children ate all the pickles, dumped out the juice, and proceeded to take turns using the pickle jar as a vessel for their water-drinking pleasure.

​After our cobbled together supper, we learned about Paul Bunyan and the legend of how he came to settle in the River Valley. Throughout the area around the Androscoggin River there are several of these giant chairs. As legend tells it Paul Bunyan built these chairs as he was out exploring the area, searching for the area he wanted to settle in. The kids thought it was awesome

Tomorrow we are heading down to Bar Harbor. So while we experienced our fair share of fails today, the journey still continues.