First Canoe Outing of the Year

It was sunny, 80 degrees and windy.  We decided to take the solo canoes to Wildwood Lake and have our first paddle of the year.  The air smelled of spring.  There were many fisher-people on the lake.

I love the rust colors in the landscape left over from winter.

Rusty looked good in his wood and canvas canoe.

We always keep our eyes open for the gorgeous blue herons that frequent this lake.  No luck this time, but what we did see was a little surprising.

A young man pulling another saddled horse across the dam.

I assume the trailing horse was getting some lessons about the environment.  Later we saw them take several tries at the wooden bridge.  Eventually, both horses and rider made it across.  Then they turned around and did it again.

The horses hooves were pretty noisy on the wooden bridge.  It must have been a little spooky for them, but they made it.

Yes, the red on my ears is protection from the wind.  Looks a little goofy, but keeps me from having ear problems.

This is just the first paddle of many this year.  We are planning to take our solos to The Boundary Waters this May.