Sunny Days on the Rainy - RAINY RIVER - Day Fifty One

We were welcomed to the Rainy River by a headwind (an old friend), brown waters (thanks to recent storms), and the eye holding stares of twenty silent cows. We have left behind the shield rocks and are surrounded now by farms, homes, towns, and businesses on the gently sloping grass riverbanks. As I type this we are kept awake by the incessant mooing of our neighbours. We likely have cattle residing on either side of the park we are camped in.

The wind on day one out of Fort Frances ruined our attempt to paddle 50km straight to Emo, and in desperation to crash for the day we spent the night in a gravel parking lot. An unwelcoming pink sky and thunder (though the latter may have been trucks zipping by our tent) got us moving quickly the next morning. Despite the ominous sky, the clouds cleared and we were left with blue in all directions and a pleasant wind to push us onwards.

Turkey vultures and bald eagles swept out of their trees as we passed. We got to Emo and having already eaten breakfast while floating downstream, Erik decided he just had to buy another hot breakfast. We explored the Main Street, looked at the view up the river we had paddled that morning, and investigated the stadium in such a small town.

We have also found a new hobby to make use of the prolific grasslands we are paddling and have taken to weaving grass into twine. It's surprisingly strong and has lead Erik to believe he would win on a survival show.

The few sets of rapids on the Rainy are nothing more than fast current and small waves. With no need to stop and scout, it makes for a fast and effortless passage. Marsh and private properties dominate a majority of the land on the river banks. I joked with Erik that we should bet about whether each distant patch of green was swampy or perfectly mowed - either way not a place we could camp. In the end we have found a perfect destination to rest our heads - a park complete with fire pits, picnic tables, bathrooms, and a pavilion. We hit the jackpot today after making our way 48km downstream.