Tippy Canoe and me too!

The rain was torrential. It rained so hard that the drops were pinging a couple of inches off the water, rocks and ground. This rain was accompanied by continuous rolling thunder, and flashes of lighting. I had a front row seat to this spectacular display of Mother Nature's.  I can tell you exactly from what wonderful vantage point I observed this sudden extravaganza that descended upon me with very little warning.

Never mind that the weather forecast had said there was a possibility of a major thunderstorm later in the day. Who pays attention to that? My friend TT and I had decided we were going caneoing, and that was it!  TT supplied the canoe and great outdoor expertise, and I supplied a delicious picnic lunch.  We headed out in mid afternoon on what turned out to be a fabulously HOT day in northern NB, a scorching 32 degrees Celsius.

We did have to contend with the wake of numerous pleasure speed boats, as we paddled along the beautiful Nepisiguit River, but nothing TT couldn't handle. Most tried to minimize their wake. I tried to mellow out. Not an easy thing for me to do.  We stopped to take a dip in the river's cool waters. Refreshed, we continued on our way to our destination picnic spot, a huge flat outcropping of rock, another half a mile up river.

We had no sooner resumed paddling, when the dark clouds started rolling in, and thunder rumbled in the distance. We paddled pretty damn quick, let me tell you, to get to our destination. TT had already advised me what we would do, should we get caught in a thunderstorm. I had been a Girl Guide, but let me tell you again, nothing had prepared me for what followed.

I had just opened a beer (TT doesn't drink), wanting to enjoy it after my hard paddling and my dip in the river.  Oh well!  I hadn't had time to finish it, so I placed it carefully on the large, flat rock surface, a surface which has deep wells, here and there, where stagnant, dirty and putrid water accumulates.

We had very little time to drag the canoe out of the water, and haul it up onto the rocks, before flashes of lighting close by made us scurry to tilt the canoe on its side, the bottom facing the lightening. We stored our belongings under it, in the middle. I, being quite tiny and SHORT, squeezed myself in under the bow section, with my life jacket as my pillow, my towel as my under blanket, my picnic cooler as my footrest and my waterproof MEC bag as a cushion under my calves.

I managed to finish my beer, half propped up like that, nestled under the canoe, when the deluge started.  I lay there and watched it, in total A-W-E.   I have never, E-V-E-R seen or been in a thunderstorm like that day, seen from the vantage point of lying on the ground, and LOOKING UP! It gives you a totally different perspective.  MOTHER NATURE actually put on QUITE a show!

I mused out loud about wishing I had brought another beer with me, when TT added, "Never mind the beer. An Ativan and a joint would do nicely right now!" Well, that set me off in gales of laughter, and I laughed my way through that entire thunderstorm, which lasted a good twenty minutes.  I could see TT huddled under the stern, one hand gripping the thwart and the other the port of the canoe, with his backside nicely nestled into one of those putrid,"wells in the rocks" type pools.  That sight just made me laugh all the harder.  I guess, when I get a little nervous, I get silly.  Whatever the reason, I laughed until my belly ached, and the thunderstorm passed.

When the thunder had waned and the lightening ceased, we crawled out, none the worse for wear. TT was absolutely filthy, from having lain partly in that stagnant pool.  I wasn't in much better shape ,even though  my refuge had been solid rock. We took another dip to clean off. Then I spread the tablecloth on the flat rock and we had a wonderful picnic lunch of pasta salad, broccoli salad, French bread, and cold chicken. It was so delicious! Rhubarb cobbler for dessert to boot.

We paddled back down river, as the sun shone again brightly, and we were none the worse for wear. All my clothing was soaking wet, except for a T-shirt, hoodie, and my bathing suit bottom. We had left our cell phones behind, so NO pictures as proof of our EXCELLENT adventure. You will just have to believe me.  I couldn't come up with this stuff in my wildest dreams.  As for tipping OVER in a canoe, into the water? I have already done THAT, way back in my younger days.