Collocations: Outdoors in Indiana 4: Canoe Country

It was through a serendipitous turn of events during my previous camping trip (see "Outdoors in Indiana," September 28, 2007) that I heard about Canoe Country in Daleville, IN. Although it primarily focuses on canoe and kayak rental and tours, they also have a few primitive campsites that are available for rental at a mere $4 per person per night. These sites have easy access to the White River, and can be reached by kayak as well as by car.

My trip to Canoe Country was the first of my trips thus far this semester that I had someone else along. My friend and fellow student Russell Holl not only provided two kayaks but also pleasant company and conversation for the ride down.

This was much appreciated, in fact… the directions that we got from Mapquest had left out a few turns, and it took us quite awhile to find the site. All is well that ends well, though, and it wasn’t even midnight by the time we got our tent set up and a fire going.

We were the only campers there; actually, I got the sense that the campsites were not used very often. The solitude and silence were much appreciated; the sounds of wind blowing through the dry corn stalks and dogs barking in the distance lulled me to sleep, and I had the best night of sleep that I can remember.

The following morning, after a simple breakfast of coffee and peaches n’cream oatmeal, we carried the kayaks down to the river and went exploring.

The weather was perfect for the excursion. The water reflected the multihued blush of the trees and the golden glow of the sun, while a slight breeze prevented us from getting uncomfortably hot.

Unfortunately, the water level was quite low. There were a few instances when Russell determined that it was easier to simply push himself along down the river with his hands; he would bend forward, after finding a rock with each hand, push himself along. Although I tried valiantly, I was simply not as effective at this system as he was; I had to jump out of the kayak and, with mud squishing between my toes and laughter bursting forth from my smile, push my intrepid sea vessel along until I reached deeper water.

The most breathtaking occurrence during our outing was when we were accompanied by a blue heron for 10 or 15 minutes. He would be perched proudly on a fallen tree trunk and, when we got close, swoop away to another limb 200 yards or so further down the river. He repeated this dance five or six times before disappearing around a bend.

Somewhat less poetic, but equally as amusing, was the impromptu race we had with a friendly duck family. We definitely had them when it came to speed of paddling down the river; however, they used their trump card and, like the heron, took off and flew away. Sadly, our kayaks were not equipped for flight, and we had to acknowledge that we had been beaten.

Ultimately, my trip to Canoe Country couldn’t have been better; I only wish that I could have stayed there longer. Perhaps another time. After all, the world is right outside your door… let’s go!