Now I’m basically a river paddler, but last summer I spent a good portion of my paddling hours canoe fishing on Lake Nockamixon at the Nockamixon State Park. Most of that canoe fishing occurred at night and turned out to be some awesome times spent on the water. Putting a canoe on a lake usually isn’t very thrilling to me. But do it at night and suddenly things change. Things come to life at night. Things that you normally won’t see or hear during the daylight hours. The night offers quiet water, wildlife sights and sounds, fireflies, cooler weather, moonlight and bright stars.

Tonight’s paddle started out at around 7:00pm and lasted until 10:30pm. That’s not long at all compared to last summers canoe fishing trips, but I wasn’t fishing tonight. I was just taking my Mad River Legend out for a paddle in the dark. And I almost always take my camera with me when I go paddling, but I’ve probably taken my camera out to Nockamixon a dozen times and never captured a decent moment yet, so tonight I decided to let the camera at home and just go for that paddle. What a mistake that was. First thing, a hot air balloon floats over Lake Nockamixon for around an hour, several times decending to just feet above the waters surface offering the perfect camera subject so near to me. It would’ve been the first real photo opportunity I ever had on Nockamixon. Only a few minutes after this balloon faded over the hillside I decided to paddle along the shoreline and spot something interesting, and I did. There was a muskrat swimming to shore and within 20 ft of my canoe. This was actually my first sighting on a live muskrat and would’ve been another great photo opportunity, if I had brought my camera.

Aside from the missed photos, everything else went well, bright stars, sounds of wildlife, cool temperatures, and plenty of fish jumping around my canoe, but no photos for this boring blog post. From tonight forward, the camera goes everywhere I go. I think a waterproof camera might be in the future.

Camping first aid kits are very important but we often overlook them when we go out. Read some good information on camping first aid kits at the Moshannon falls canoeing website.

Learn how to j stroke video. The j stroke is one of the most useful canoe strokes yet many paddlers don’t really know how to properly do it.

Learn how to cook pork ribs in a Dutch Oven and a grill. This recipe is great at the campsite and is much easier than you might think. Prepare it in the late morning and you’ll have delicious ribs by early afternoon.

The MoshannonFalls.com Website is having a free to enter sweepstakes. You can sign up for the free giveaway at their Website. No purchase necessary. No contest to enter. Just enter your correct contact information in the sweepstakes registration entry form here.

Giveaways are fun to promote, fun to enter and very interesting to follow because you never know what’s going to be given away next. Check back often for more free giveaways. They have lots of cool things to give away.

Are you in need of a new camping stove? Want to enter a giveaway for a single burner camping stove? Go on over to Moshannonfalls.com and register to win a free Coleman One Burner Camping Stove. I have one of these stoves; it’s not the greatest camping stove but it is very handy for short canoe trip or hike or as an additional cook stove for a large group. And the best part it’s free to win.

While you are there don’t forget to check out the blog postings and canoeing articles. And leave a comment stating that the Mad Canoeist sent you.

Good Luck.