It is the morning of August 12th, and it feels like the middle of September. Everything about it feels like a fall paddle. We put an extra layer on and discuss investing in paddling gloves (or just comfy winter mitts with no fingers) for the next trip out.
This canoe has been on our “must-do again” list for a while and with the heavy rainfall over the past month, making the water higher, it was the perfect time to revisit. Our first and only paddle on this route was in September 2020. What made that trip even more memorable, than the incredible scenery and history, was the key blunder. It was the first time we were trying to leave a vehicle at one location and launch from another, avoiding the doubling back paddle. Well, it didn’t go as planned. The said keys for the vehicle we paddled to, were in the vehicle we launched from…”I’m putting my keys in your glove box.”…didn’t register till it was too late. 😜😂 This made for good laughs and an extra 6km of canoeing.
Today it is overcast and as we arrived to put the canoe in the water, it had just finished a good, hard rain. With the15km wind coming from the west and launching at Bayview Beach would have the wind behind us on our way back (in case it decided to pick up we would be in good shape). Much arm power was needed for the first bit, till we got to through the bay and into where the creek begins. There were only a couple of photos taken, a few sips of coffee and a lot of chit-chat. “Are there different classes of Seagulls? The ones that sit on the long docks stretched out into the lake, the ones that hang out in Lac La Biche at V&H and the dump Seagulls?” Yes…conversation squirrels.
Once at the edge of the bay we found our way through the maze of reeds into the creek and canal. Canal??? Yes, the Plamondon Canal was started in 1922. The plan was to dredge about 5km from the Plamondon Bay to Plamondon to deliver their harvest to the grain elevator build in Lac La Biche. As you can see it is very obvious from the aerial pictures, but the canal did not quite make it to Plamondon. You can read more about it in the write-up in the Lac La Biche Chronicles. (WOW, that is over 100years now!!)
There were only a couple of groups of birds out today, which is odd for this area, but it may be the weather.
Our first big group was a pod of young Pelicans with visible white fluff on their heads. They didn’t seem to be very concerned about our quiet little clipper, and we got quite close before they set off.
The other group was a group of Blue–winged Teal ducklings. They boogied along in front of us down the canal most of the way, till they managed to branch off in another channel…only to be back in front of us again on our way out. By this time, we are trying to coax them to the shore, so we can pass them and they can relax. The poor little straggler had lots of encouraging words tossed at him. 🏅
The scenery is just amazing! We were hoping to make it as far (if not farther) than our last trip here, but you’ve gotta’ love beavers! Not even half the distance to the last turn around, we can hear water rushing. As we get closer you can see the beavers have dammed across the channel. The water level is so high, it is also gushing in several spots before we get to the dam. We even try another meander that may go around to the other side and…no go…beavers made a horse shoe dam across the whole thing! Gotta’ love beavers! 💚
That’s the end of the line, we turn around and let the current push us along back to the bay. To our surprise, the forecast was incorrect! 😲 The wind had in fact died down a bit, and it was a nice paddle back to the launch.
Lots of pretty flowers and plants seen along the way. 🌿
Our trip in 2020 had us a little farther down the channel. It would be awesome if you could paddle all the way to Plamondon on this historic little canal.
Upcoming canoe trips; Crow Lake, Lac La Biche (from Whitesands down part Lac La Biche River), & Blackett in Lakeland Provincial Park. (Not necessarily in that order). 😉
#greenbeancanoeadventures #sillysisters #missawawi #canoe #birding #albertabirds #laclabicheandarea #laclabichecounty
