River and his owner, Addylyne, have a dream to travel to the Hudson Bay. River is so excited to be released at Icelandic State Park into the Tongue River. Addylyne carries River to the bridge. River braces himself to hit the water. SPLASH! River has begun his journey.
River is swimming with the current as Addylyne is saying her good-bys. River will miss her but he is excited for what is ahead. River soon finds that he is going through the town Cavalier. He is surprised to see a mother Snapping Turtle bathing in the sun with her children. Before he knows it, he is out of town and the sun is setting. River thought to himself, ՉThe journey is just beginning,Չ then fell silently asleep.
In the morning River wakes up early with the sun. He soon notices that he is still on the Tongue River. He also notices that this is no longer the town of Cavalier, it is the small town of Bathgate. He soon looks what is ahead of him. ՉTURN! TURN!Չ River yells as he is headed towards the roots of an Ash Tree growing along the river. ՉTURN!Չ he yells again. Before he knew it, River had gotten stuck.
Night passes by and no one notices River struggling to get out. He then thinks, ՉIՉll try again in the morning.Չ With a little hope maybe River will get unstuck. He soon falls asleep. In the morning he finds that he is no longer stuck! A friendly River Otter has chewed through the roots of the tree and freed River. ՉThanks River Otters,Չ River says to himself. Then he silently thanks Addylyne for teaching him what River Otters look like and their habitat from the book Riparian Areas before the launch.
River is most excited for what he sees next, the confluence between the Tongue and Pembina Rivers. ՉYes!Չ ՉThe most exciting thing yet!Չ River says. He is excited but then as he got closer he got nervous. ՉI didnՉt know about the rapids,Չ River thought to himself nervously. He then remembered the heart that Addylyne had painted on his side. ՉIՉm going to be OK,Չ he thought as he approached the rapids. ՉHere we go!Չ yelled River as he went into the treacherous rapids.
Before he knew it, he was through the rapids. He then exclaimed, ՉIՉm OK!Չ as he looked at the scary rapids behind him. He then looked ahead and realized he was about to go through the town Pembina. He also noticed that beside him crawling in the Dandelions were the animals that he was the most excited to see, baby Mink learning how to hunt. The sun was now setting and River noticed the croaking of the Western Chorus Frog in the grass. ՉGood night,Չ he thought to himself as he drifted off to sleep.
When he woke up in the morning he thought, ՉHuh, the current must have been fast last night, IՉm already in the Red River.Չ There was lots of Poison Ivy along the river. River could identify it because it had 3 leaves and the base of it was purple. He knew he had a long day ahead of him so he enjoyed the smooth ride through the river, but not for long. There were lots of rapids coming up soon so River got ready for the ride through them once again. ՉBrace yourself,Չ he thought as he started the rapids. Once again he was OK.
Soon he was going into the country of Canada. ՉHuh, this is what it looks like, pretty much the same as ND,Չ he thought. Not much later he was floating by the city of Morris where he soon saw the Orange Spotted Sunfish laying harmlessly in its home. ՉIՉm almost there,Չ he thought to himself. ՉWinnipeg's only a half hour away.Չ Before he knew it he was entering the city of Winnipeg then Lake Winnipeg.
He was now floating across the lake and hoping to get to the Nelson River. The last river that his path would take. ՉI wish Addylyne could see me right now.Չ River thought. Getting across the lake took longer than he expected. After 3 days and nights traveling across it, he was finally in the Nelson River. He knew he could make it now. Although the Nelson was shorter than the Red River it felt so much longer to get through. After a long trip, River had pursued his dream, There he was, at Hudson Bay. Even though Addylyne wasnՉt there at the time, River knew that Addylyne knew he had made it. ՉBest Journey Ever,Չ River thought. ՉThanks Addylyne I never could have done it without you.Չ
River and his owner, Addylyne had a dream to travel to the Hudson Bay. THE END.