Although I’ve missed a few posts on our monthly dates (okay, most of the posts on our monthly dates), we’ve still been going on them. And that is really what’s most important, right? September might just have been our favorite date yet. Can you guess what we did from the clues? Moonlight canoeing on the Charles River! Mike was so confused when he first pulled out the clues. He didn’t even know it existed. Charles River Canoe & Kayak offers moonlight trips around the full moon. You have to book in advance, as they do fill up. I’m still beaming when I think about this date.
The starting point is at the boathouse which holds the Charles River Canoe & Kayak. We learned about the history of the area. I learned that this was a really popular canoe site back in the 1920’s. Guys would take their girls out on the river. There’s a small island nearby that used to have a bandstand. People would row up and listen to music until the wee hours of the night. Some old photographs showed how popular an activity it was – the river was bank to bank canoes! Canoeing was the place to see and be seen back in the day. Our group had less than 10 participants, so crowds weren’t a problem.
After some canoe safety and steering tutorials we got in our boats. I of course took the back seat as I wanted to do the steering. There were two guides with our group, both were excellent instructors and guides. You could tell how much they love the river and canoeing. We paddled for about an hour or so. Even though it was a full moon, the sky was completely covered in clouds. Despite this, it was surprisingly bright out. The reflection of the moonlight combined with houses and the occasional road and streetlights made it bright enough to see. There were plenty of birds that shared the evening with us. We paddled upstream to the Waltham Watch and Clock factory building. This historic factory was right on the water and is a really impressive building.
We rested a bit before turning around. About halfway back to the boathouse, we pulled our boats together and tied them up, creating a floating raft. Then the snacks came out – plates of cheese, crackers, and fruit were followed by mini sandwiches, quesadillas and finally a dessert tray. We all enjoyed a feast right out there on the Charles. In less than half an hour, we were back at the boathouse and trying out our land legs. The whole evening was magical, I was sad when it ended (although happy to be back inside where it was warm).
If you’re in the Boston area, I highly recommend checking out the Charles River Canoe & Kayak company and signing up for a canoe trip. I can’t wait to do it again next year! If you do go, I recommend dressing warmly. It’s a bit windy out there on the open water.