Testing out the canoe

On May 4th Scott and I went out to the Greyslake suburb of Chicago to Matt Sargent's house and tested out the canoe we'll be using. Scott and I had discussed before that I would sit in the bow and power us and I would sit in the stern and steer. So that's what we tried. And in that we found success! As you can see in the picture I have already found my relaxed paddling position.

For those of you wondering why we aren't wearing life jackets, there are a couple explanations. First, we were so dang excited to finally get to paddle around that we just plum forgot. Second, despite the apparant expanse of the pond, it's only about 4 feet deep.

We also checked out the canoe for leaks. And thankfully we found none, although that will not deter us from takin' some sealant with us. Just in case. While out in the suburbs, Matt's mom also took us to the local Sam's Club where we purchased the last remaining food items. And Scott convinced me that we should take some Snickers bars along too.

This preparation filled us with excitement and draws us ever closer to the launching of our great quest!


Hooray for digital camera timers!