I just added another item to the camping gear collection. I grew up 50 miles south of Chicago and we had a state park near where I lived and a river goes through our town past the state park. I spent a lot of time canoeing and always loved it. Now living in Arizona, there are a few lakes within 2 hours from my home and always wanted a canoe. A coworker has a canoe that I have been wanting to buy for the past 2 years. He came up to me 2 weeks ago and said he was taking the week off between Christmas and New Years and he wanted to give the canoe to me as a gift from his family to mine and I could pick it up when he returned from his vacation.
I went and picked it up today. It's a 1979 Grumman, 17 feet long, all aluminum, and it has mounts for a rudder and a sail which my coworker has but needs to get out of storage. I can't wait to take it out with my kids. I am taking them on their first camping adventure this spring. I have eveything I need except a family tent and sleeping bags for the kids which I am going to get next month
