8-25-09 Up at 6 AM, we had a great breakfast of hash browns and scrambled eggs with ham slices and tortias. So far, VNO is definitely living up to its reputation for great food! This morning was cloudy but not cold, with a bit of wind. By 9 we were on the water paddling across Lake Agnes to our first portage of 24 rods, then another short paddle to our 2nd portage of 65 rods into Boulder Bay. Along in here we enjoyed watching a family of river otters observing us. They are just as cute as their photos! Eagles and Canada geese also graced our way. We paddled across Lac La Croix to our 3rd and last portage for today--but definitely the worst. This 80 rod portage was in Canada and was total mud. It was so slippery that trying to keep out of the mud by walking on tree trunks that had been thrown into the mud was dangerous. The only way was to just walk straight through the mud! Diana actually got stuck in the mud at one point--we've walked across quick sand that was easier to negotiate than this mud. Even the portage landings were mud! I kept reminding myself that some women pay big bucks in fancy spas to get smeared with mud. Our initial plan had been to find a campsite somewhere near Rebecca Falls, but on the US side, and view Rebecca Falls tomorrow morning. We paddled through Bottle Lake and into Iron Lake without finding a vacant site. Finally, we stopped for a late lunch around 2 PM at the first vacant campsite we found. As Diana got out of the canoe, she slipped and fell into the water. Andy started to grab her, but I shouted, "Wait--I want a photo!" Diana graciously sat in the water while I grabbed my camera and took the photo. Andy leaned over her and waved--it is one of my favorite photos. We enjoyed lunch but the site was weedy and buggy, so we decided to keep paddling in hopes of finding a better campsite.

After lunch, Andy gave me the 15-second canoe steering course and I took the back of the triple canoe with Debra in front and Diana in the middle. Andy took steering in the double with Judy in front. Steering a canoe is definitely harder than it looks. Just when I thought I had it figured out, the canoe would swerve off at 90-degrees to where I wanted it. I really think I prefer paddling to steering. I can paddle forever, but steering is hard work! We paddled further into Iron Lake and finally found a decent campsite just before 4 PM. We will be able to paddle across Iron Lake between Three and Four Islands to Rebecca Falls in the morning--not as close as we'd hoped to be, but OK. Our campsite was decent, but short of trees, so we didn't put the tarp up. We were pretty tired by the time we got to camp, so we took a rest and broke out the wine to toast our 2nd day on the water. Later, Andy made Polish sausages, corn and mashed potatoes with Apples & Spice for desert. After dinner, we explored the shoreline and picked blueberries while listening to loons and watching a beautiful sunset. It wasn't long after sunset that we collapsed in our tents, sated with wild blueberries and Polish sausages.