River Camping
My grandfather loved to canoe. And his favorite river was the Current River in the Missouri Ozarks.
He introduced my family and I to canoeing and to the Current on our frequent trips to his home near St. Louis from our home near Chicago. And he shared his passion with our good family friends as well. We still talk about those trips, and others we made over the years. Often, even though I’m in the stories, I don’t remember the events, but I do remember the feeling of being near a river, of being really away from the stresses and tensions of our lives back home, of sharing a bond with those I was with that exists to this day.
So I am thrilled to have been able to take my daughter on an overnight paddle down the nearby Gallatin River last week. No TV, no Internet, no telephone (well, we turned it off at least), and we had the luxury of time. Time to watch the sun’s reflection fade and disappear on the river that always moves past, time to watch the fire slowly and surely consume a log, time to talk, and time to be silent. It was wonderful.
Thomas Lee True West 
So good to get unplugged — esp. with family! Good for you guys. (And nice work building a rip-roaring fire…) Guessing you’re getting handy at paddling as well.