Travel Adventures: Canoe trip to Cecil

The weather this weekend was hot and sticky. The perfect weather to get out on the water. Ryan did some quick research and found a true little hidden gem of a place to go canoeing. I almost hate to give directions to this chain of three lakes because outside of two fishing boats we had the lakes to ourselves. It was peaceful and relaxing. I will give you a slight hint that the lakes are by Cecil and close to Shawano lake. Some things I loved about this trip.

1. Loons.
I have never actually seen one in person this close. I was in the front of the canoe and was looking off to the side into the woods. I saw a flash of something in front of me and it was a loon directly in front of the canoe. If Ryan was not quick we would have run it over. These birds are large and beautiful. They have long narrow necks with a sleek tapered head. Black head and neck this one had a mostly white body with large black speckles. Which was the opposite of the one I saw later nestled on it's nest. That one was a tad smaller and almost completely black with white speckles. Silent they seem really majestic.

2. Fish.
There were not a huge amount of fish in this lake and they were not bright in color. They were fun to watch though as they sailed away quickly from our tiny wake. At some point I wanted to try to not scare them away so Ryan could see some of the bigger ones.

3. The quiet.
This maybe my favorite thing about canoeing out where not may people are. When it is quiet on the water you get to think and really get into nature. You notice each little snail on the lily pads, each branch sticking out of the woods over the water, all the little birds chirping merrily, and don't forget the dancing dragon flies.

I am really happy that we have our canoe and can take these little day trips out into nature. I hope to do it again real soon.

Until next time~
XoXo Emily