Late season on the Assiniboine

[Iskweo]

I got out for a nice paddle this week on the Assiniboine River just west of Winnipeg. We put in at the Baie St Paul bridge and came out at the trans canada highway overpass. The original plan was to go past there to Beaudry Park where my truck was. More on that later.

I coerced my friend Jaclyn into another trip with me,and my friend Laurel into doing a shuttle on a Tuesday afternoon. A late picnic, construction, and complacency got us on the water @ 2.30 which went south on us later. The launch was easy and the current was running at a nice pace so this was a float trip for the most part. I figure we did a steady 5 mph. Unfortunatley it is a 6.5 hour trip. That put us still on the river well after dark, which occasioned our baling out early.
It was still a beautiful day, with lots of yellow leaves and stone banks, occasional buildings, eagles, geese, herons, and a good number of tail slapping beaver also. A fun paddle to be sure.

After we baled at the highway, we called for a ride and then waited under a street light with a bag of jerky, sitting on our life jackets and sharing a beer that I happened to find just laying in the parking lot...lol. After a short wait we were loaded up by 10.15, they were eastbound and down while I was bookin northwards. Another epic trip with Aunties crazy old friend ( me).

 

[Iskweo]

And of course this...just the way I found it.

 

[memaquay]

That beer looks like it's from the 1970's. How did it taste?

 

[Odyssey]

Real nice late autumn paddle, thanks Iskweo. I'll show my darling M these pics, they'll bring back fond memories for her of playing on the banks of that river as a child.

 

[Iskweo]

That is a bottle that Coors uses on this type of beer ...but yes it looks like a stubby from the old days. And it tasted like a free beer after a long paddle...you can picture it.

I have this crazy idea to paddle the Assiniboine from start to finish...a more civilized trip that my family might actually be ok with me doing.

This morning it looks pretty bleak out there though...a good foot of blowing snow.

 

[PaddlingPitt]

If you start at the headwaters of the Assiniboine, you’ll pass by very near to our house!

 

[Churchwarden]

If you start at the headwaters of the Assiniboine, you’ll pass by very near to our house!

My family (well my dad and his family) is from Sturgis!! I canoed that river as a kid. I live in Winnipeg and was thinking it would be awesome (but probably very slow) to canoe from sturgis to winnipeg!