Tag: Kayaking

Monday, August 8, 2016

Martha wanted me to float the Riviere de Diable and see how I liked her kayak, so she dropped me off at 8:30. There was no one on the river and it was quite pleasant. I saw ducks and woodpeckers and an osprey. Paddling closer to get a picture of the osprey, I just about had a heart attack as my phone rang in the chest pocket of my fleece. We haven’t gotten reception for days! Fumbling around  to get to a good spot to answer, I missed the call. It was a Charlottesville number, so I called, but it was busy. Having left a message, “who is this?”, Danis, my next door neighbor, called me back. He is getting our mail and wanted to know what was important. Of all the places to get reception, floating a river at the base of a mountain. I guess I wasn’t too far from the camp office, so maybe they have a cell tower there. 

It was a pleasant float, and I did like Martha’s kayak. It’s a sit-on-top, so it is somewhere between a canoe and a kayak, so call it a hybrid. There are deep grooves and holes on the bottom to keep it straight, which would make it more difficult in white water, but we’re probably not doing white water. It would be fine in class I or II rapids.

After lunch we hooked up and headed for the eastern part of the park in the Pimbina Sector. A better road than I expected, we arrived at 2:00. A very pretty young lady helped us. She spoke English and there was no one else waiting! I bought a Quebec fishing license for the year, but since this is Canada, you can’t just buy a park fishing license, but you have to tell them what lake you are fishing in. Then you get a one or three-day permit. I couldn’t really get a handle on the streams. They also give you a report to turn in with the number of fish you caught, released, what size and what kind they were. It is their way of managing the fishery. You don’t see many people fishing, and maybe this is good. It is, however, very frustrating.

We needed a few groceries, so after setting up camp, we drove into Saint Donat. What a cute little town with outside restaurants, pubs and shops along the main street. We found a little Bistro with outdoor seating where the people seemed to be having a good time, and they had WIFI! Martha ordered a sangria and I had a glass of wine. OK, it may not be a good idea to post for the world to see late in the day while you are drinking! Some pictures went to the wrong place.