Lake Hope Lazy Canoe Adventure Day
Leaving for the lake seemed to take forever, as we all drug our feet with seeming exhaustion. We watched the trees breeze by as we winded down the roads in search of this hidden gem, which the locals raved upon. Lake Hope finally appeared out the passenger side window and we pulled in. Relaxed and feeling the chill of the evening, getting into the water became a distant desire. We sat on the beach chowing down on pretzels and watching Avery run around the playground 20 feet away from the water which was a distance for her to completely forget the lake existed.
Eventually, we all finally mustered up the energy to mosey over to the boat rentals after deciding to rent two canoes. Craig and Savannah found out from the rental shop that with all five of us in a single canoe we would be highly likely to tip. That thought really didn’t seem to entice any of us. We happened to come in on a slow day and were offered a deal of $10 per canoe for the rest of the night rather than $10 per hour. We really were just given an extra hour, but appreciated it nonetheless.
Josh struck up a conversation with the shop keeper and found that he has traveled quite a bit and is now living a simple life. He then shows us to our mode of lake transportation. Stepping off the ramp into the canoe, my nerves shook with the thought of tipping. I’m not sure why I had a fear of toppling over, but it slowly faded away as we awkwardly paddled away. Getting a rhythm together took entire too long. I sat in back and paddled us along while Josh was entirely to enthralled with taking photos and video. Although I was feeling ecstatic to be getting an upper body workout, I felt as though we didn’t get to share the experience together.
This being the first time I’ve ever paddled a canoe and only the second time I can remember being in one, I quickly fell in love with the smooth sensation of cutting through the glassy water. It was serene to watch the ripples move away from the canoes and leave a mystic trail behind them. We passed through some lilly pads trying to get as close to a heron only to frighten it away. Not only was the lake a natural amusement, it was a fantastic to watch the interactions of Craig, Savannah, Avery, and soon to be "Baby Brother". According to Avery this was his official name.
We cruised across the lake and came to a turning point where we needed to return the canoes and head home to fill our bellies. Stepping out of the canoe and feeling as though I were walking on ripples, I felt I now understood why people enjoy paddling and have made it into a sport. I would love to return to a canoe and spend a much longer time exploring the waters. This excursion turned out to be one of my favorites during our two week stay in The Plains.
Click to share thisClick to share this
Looks serene and majestic! And your guys’ hair is getting long haha. Enjoyed the video and pictures 🙂
It was really pretty amazing. Too beautiful not to share. Ohio is full of little quaint and serene places like this. And you’re right… our hair is definitely lengthening. However, I find myself sincerely frustrated because my hair really only wants to lengthen in the back, leaving me with a gorgeous flowing mullet. At least I fit in here in Ohio 😛