HOPE FLOATS: CANOEING AND KAYAKING ON THE ROAD

Picture this: You’ve just spent the day driving along roads that wind through dense deciduous forests full of trees that spread their branches across the road, providing that perfect mix of dappled sunshine and glimpses of deep-blue skies. You’re listening to your favorite road-trip playlist, and you’re just about to stop driving for the day, the sun sinking lower on the horizon. It’s one of those summer days that’s comfortably warm, with a light, refreshing breeze that smells like childhood memories of summer camp and nights spent cooking out under the stars. You notice there’s a lake coming up in a few miles, and you want to check it out. There’s nothing wrong with just stretching your legs by the water’s edge, but you could make the experience endlessly more memorable by being out there in the middle of the lake, away from the people and the chatter of the road.

Once I started