About 23 miles Northwest of Bismarck is Harmon Lake, a 145-acre reservoir set on Otter Creek in North Dakota’s Great Plains. Since a lack of precipitation made the Little Missouri River too low to paddle, this artificial lake set among rolling grassy knolls and cycling paths was a good alternative excursion. It’s 1800 miles from Hartford to Bismarck across the US heartland. Hundreds of miles of corn and soy cash crops, peppered with industrial cattle farms line the highway as…
After our adventures in the alpine lakes of Wyoming and Colorado, we headed back East. Stops along the way home included Denver and Topeka for some sightseeing, no paddling. We added Kentucky as a canoe stop before the final stretch of driving home. We also wanted to add a river to our summer trip. This would be the Kentucky River. The Kentucky River Palisades consist of about 100-miles of blueway. The limestone cliffs are a part of a 450-million year…
On our way back East from Grand Teton and Yellowstone, we stopped in Colorado to continue enjoying the Rocky Mountains. In order to grab a shower after a week of camping we settled in Grand Lake, Colorado. This small tourist town is located near the Western entrance of Rocky Mountain National Park. Similar to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks, Rocky Mountain National Park limits activities you can do with pets. By staying outside of the park, we were able…
After a year and a half of staying home, we knew our 2021 Canoe52 trip needed to be epic. We love Connecticut, but we wanted to venture far away into an environment that was much different than what we were experiencing day in and day out. With two weeks blocked off on the calendar, we determined we could squeeze in three states: Wyoming, Colorado and Kentucky. Our adventures in Wyoming began with a 3 day roadtrip to reach Grand Teton…
Virginia’s Eastern Shore can be boiled down to great hospitality, quiet corners, and pristine beaches. As mentioned in the “Great Dismal Swamp” post, Virginia has been a magical place. Our time here has consisted of a burgeoning restaurant scene and access to beautiful bays and sandy beaches all accessed from a 1970s Airstream parked on an organic farm adjacent to Hungers Bay. We found the farm, which is situated on a high bank of the bay, through Air BnB. The…
We were on a roll. Our canoe hit the water at 7:45 AM. Our gear was stowed, the cooler had plenty of ice and vitals, and Rigby was perched on the bow. This was our first official paddle and camp foray since Sleeping Bear Bay and the Finger Lakes. This time, however, we were paddling 3 miles to a campsite in the Great Dismal Swamp to peep the cyprus trees. With all of our experience and fortitude, however, we were…
Since we live in Connecticut, we determined that the paddling story had to be epic. With this in mind, we opted for a multi-day adventure stretching the length of the Connecticut River from Enfield to Old Saybrook. That is over 60 miles in 4 days. The origin of the word, “Connecticut,” means, “long tidal river.” It’s an Algonquin term. Over a series of posts dedicated to our adventure through Connecticut, we will illustrate the beauty and importance of the river,…
One of my favorite things in the world is adventure. I love it in pretty much any form. Long backpacking excursions, thrill rides, and four day long paddles down a tidal river. This 4th of July weekend, Tony and I decided to canoe the entire Connecticut portion of the Connecticut River. It’s a trip we began planning in late 2016. Reserving campgrounds and planning the trip around the tides of the river were critical and required early preparations. We’ll share…
Close your eyes, picture it…you wake up, open the tent, dig your toes into the beach sand and catch the sun rising over the ocean, the sound of waves crashing into the shore is all you hear around you. As you set up breakfast on your camping stove, three wild horses make their way past your campsite as if this is the normal way to start your morning. That’s camping on Assateague Island in Maryland. We were so lucky to…
Our spring break adventure kicked off in Congaree National Park, just outside of Columbia, South Carolina. Imagine over 2,000 acres of forest and swamp land about a 20 minute drive from the heart of the State Capitol. It’s hard to even begin describing the incredibleness of our stay at this park. We 100% enjoyed our stay here. Congaree National Park is a magical place. Enjoying nature in front or backcountry campsites We camped out for two nights in the walk-in, tent-only…
