My canoeՉs name is Journey. I have many ambitions and dreams for my little canoe. I hope she will someday reach Sequim Bay in Washington. When I launch Journey from Fargo in May of 2023, I hope the summer weather will be nice and warm with a light breeze. I hope there will be lots of sunshine and a peaceful current. I hope that below her in the water, she will watch tadpoles swim around playfully nudging each other and dancing in the current. I hope my canoe will soon enter Moorhead, Minnesota. I hope Journey will see fields of sugar beets and some squirrels up in oak trees collecting acorns and chasing each other. I hope that now, Journey, will be traveling up through Norman County looking at dwarf birch trees and a beautiful sunset. I hope that the next morning there will be a gentle rain and that Journey will get to see a great blue heron. I hope that later that day a dazzling rainbow will reach across the sky. The next thing I hope for Journey to see is a small group of white tail deer including a fawn. I wish for her to also see a male pheasant flying over the river in the warm afternoon sunlight. I hope she will be by the city 0f Grand Forks when she sees the pheasant. Soon after seeing the pheasant I hope for Journey to see a river sturgeon in the water below her. He will come up and nudge the bottom of the canoe with his nose before entering back into the muddy depths. Soon after her encounter with the river sturgeon I hope for her to enter Walsh County. She will, I hope, see a muskrat swim right in front of her and send her spinning into the maple tree covered banks. I wish for her to watch the current flow before her before she is knocked loose back into the river by a bunny wandering along the banks. I hope that now Journey will enter the city of Pembina and see a beaver. The beaver will sit on the edge of the river staring at her curiously. I wish that on her way out of Pembina, Journey will see a carp below her in the water.
I hope that now, Journey will be entering Canada! The first animal I wish for her to see is a small chipmunk racing along the banks up and down oak trees. I also hope she will see a flock of partridges walking hurriedly along the ground, fluttering their wings, then scurringing off into the forest. Soon after I wish for Journey to be nearing Winnipeg but before she does she will watch a catfish stir in the waters before her. When she enters Winnipeg I hope she will see a skunk. The skunk will waddle along the banks sniffing the ground for food. Journey will continue her peaceful voyage and, I hope, soon enter Lake Winnipeg. She will float across the lake and I hope she will pass a mouse sitting on a lily pad at the edge of the lake. I wish for her to also see a kingfisher in a pine tree along the shore. I hope that soon now Journey will be exiting Lake Winnipeg and entering Nelson River. I hope that one night that she is traveling along the river, she will watch the moon and stars drift across the sky. She will hear the howl of wolves and watch them race the edge of the river; their silky fur glinting with moonlight. The next day I hope she will see a herd of caribou trotting across snowy ground. Soon I wish for Journey to enter Hudson Bay. She will see a wide range of wildlife. I hope for her to see a walrus sleeping on a piece of ice. She will see a pod of Orcas swim through the icy water searching for fish to eat. They will knock Journey out of the water and continue on their way unknowingly. Journey, I hope, will not be frightened by being flung into the air but I hope she will enjoy flying. Her flight will be brief and she will land safely. A little while later I hope for her to see a polar bear with two cubs walking along the edge of the ice. Before Journey leaves Hudson Bay I also wish for her to see a pod of Beluga whales.
I hope now, Journey will exit Hudson Bay and go through the Foxe Basin. Then I hope she will turn north west through the islands and travel through the Beaufort Sea and the Pacific ocean around Alaska. On the coast of Alaska I hope she will see sea otters and reindeer. She will encounter many more animals and see many exciting sights. Eventually I wish for Journey to travel down part of the coast of Washington and enter Sequim Bay. This is where Journey will end her voyage. She will enjoy a peaceful life in Sequim Bay. I hope she will get to watch the wildlife live and play together. She will get to relax, but still have lots of fun. I want her to see elk and deer in the woods, seals on the rocks, clams, sea cucumbers, jellyfish, anemones, starfish, crabs and barnacles in the water and many other species of wildlife. I wish for her to watch many beautiful sunsets and sunrises, see lots of rainbows, and have lots of nice weather. These are my dreams for Journey.