AILSA CHANG, HOST:
We may be in the final stretch of summer, but there is still time to get outdoors and, if you're lucky, find a place to swim. NPR's Brian Mann spent a day paddling a wild river in northern New York searching for the perfect sand beach.
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BRIAN MANN, BYLINE: It is a scorching hot August day, and I am drifting with the current down the Ausable River.
(SOUNDBITE OF WATER BURBLING)
MANN: The Ausable River in far upstate New York winds through forest, then a delta wetland lush with birds. A woodpecker knocks in the trees.
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MANN: Then a kingfisher flits past, bobbing and chattering just above the water.
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MANN: There's a great blue heron that just lifted off over the marsh.
Most of the paddle, I'm by myself, but just shy of where the river opens onto Lake Champlain, a woman in a bright yellow kayak paddles up to me. Bonnie Powers grew up in this area. She's 65 years old. I ask if she paddles a lot by herself, and she grins and nods.
BONNIE POWERS: It's just in me to do it. I just love it.
MANN: She says this river is a favorite with its silver maple trees and the lipstick-red cardinal flowers blossoming along the bank.
POWERS: It's like a fix for me to be out in nature, be peaceful and think and not have clutter in your head.
MANN: After chatting a while, we paddle our separate ways, and soon the river changes.
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MANN: It's like a curtain opening, and there's the big lake and the green mountains of Vermont on the far side, just this huge, sweeping view - blue sky and kind of a summer shimmer to everything.
(SOUNDBITE OF WATER BURBLING)
MANN: I make my way along the shore where the lake shallows.
(SOUNDBITE OF WATER SLOSHING)
MANN: The sand is the color of amber, feels amazing on my bare feet.
(SOUNDBITE OF CANOE DRAGGING ON SAND)
MANN: After beaching the canoe, it's finally time to dive in.
(SOUNDBITE OF WATER SPLASHING)
MANN: (Laughter).
The water is the perfect kind of cold. It rinses away the heat and the sweat of the paddle. So I linger, swimming and sunbathing in this sweet, final part of summer. Brian Mann, NPR News on Lake Champlain, New York.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SUE ME")
AUDREY HOBERT: (Singing) I knew you'd be at the party, drinking a coke and Bacardi. Not that it matters, but I'm breaking patterns and getting so good at Pilates. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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