The Grand ADVENTURES I


URBAN A grand adventure from Cambridge to Paris


story by James Kenney photos by Rick Matthews


f it looks like a sea kayak, paddles like a sea kayak, but you float it down a river, is it still sea kayaking? Sure. What’s more, a river affords two shores instead of one, which makes for twice the view. And with the current to push you along, the panorama keeps mov- ing, even when you stop paddling. With a little luck you’ll enjoy the thrill of some gentle rapids and wildlife sightings surpassing most sea and lakeshore trips. Then you can celebrate the end of your odyssey with lunch in a local pub or an evening in the comfort of a historic B&B in a quaint riverside town.


Sounds grand doesn’t it? Of course—it’s


the Grand River.The Grand flows 300 kilo- metres from its northern source in Dundalk to its mouth at Lake Erie in the town of Port Maitland.Along the way, it passes through the backyard of Canada’s most densely pop- ulated region, some 100 kilometres south- west of Toronto and easily accessible from highways 401 and 403. Roughly six million people live within an easy hour’s drive of this paddling paradise but you’re unlikely to encounter any of them on this hidden jewel.


Gentle rapids are a thrill, and the view keeps changing whether you paddle or float.


22 Spring 2003


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