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A shark-free adventure on Naperville's own "high seas"
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When my wife and I were on vacation last month in Cape Cod, I couldn't help but think back to that fearful night in the late 1970's as a child when my parents put my brother, sister and me in the car decked out in our pajama's for what, according to my father, was to be a summer evening "drive". Well, that impromptu drive was the foundation of a plot which unfolded as we unexpectedly turned into the Starlight Drive-In in my hometown of Elizabethtown, Kentucky. At first, as kids we were elated to be going to the drive-in instead of straight to bed that evening. As our little eyes scanned the marquee to determine what the main feature would be, our excitement descended into a pool of intrepid fear.
For some strange reason, my father thought it would be a fun family outing to take his children, ages 5, 8 and 10, to see the timeless epic of swashbuckling family fun.... JAWS. Needless to say, the chain of nightmares and fear of night swimming in a mere pool ruined the remainder of my summer... especially as we learned the nephew of one of our neighbors portrayed the role of Alex, the unsuspecting lad with pruned hands who persuaded his mother to let him hit the high seas one last time on his yellow raft only to find himself ripped to shreds by the great white shark in a bubbling geyser of blood.
Fortunately, since that fateful summer which remains among my most vivid memories of childhood, I have taken back to the water as a certified scuba diver who has, believe or not, gone diving with reef sharks. However, I will confess that I don't like beach dives or leisurely swims in the ocean... no, I really want to see what is swimming beneath the surface around me. Ironically, when we were in Cape Cod, where Jaws was actually filmed, there were two seperate reports of great white shark sitings. One turned out to be a fisherman having a little fun and the other was the "reel" deal. My summer of Jaws horror from my childhood was playing itself out in real life as we enjoyed our week on the New England seashore.
If you are looking for a nice safe seafaring adventure of your own this summer a little closer to home, might I suggest a trip to Naperville to enjoy a leisurely cruise in one of our Riverwalk's many fine paddle-powered vessles. My four year-old and I went for the first time last week and really had a blast. The lagoon is actually a spacious old quarry which provides a nice scenic experience, though my little guy, who was charged with the responsibility of steering, was more intersted in going in circles rather than exploring the outer reaches of the lagoon.
The price is right, life jackets are provided, each boat seats four comfortably, the scenery is wonderful, paddling is easy and most vessels feature a canopy to keep the intense summer sun from frying your scalp. Finally, I can assure you there will be no encounters with large shark fins rapidly carving its way through the water toward your boat, though those familiar menacing two-note cello and bass violin strings made famous by film composer John Williams back in the late 70's might cross your mind... dum-dum.....dum-dum.... dum-dum-dum-dum-dum-dum-dum. See you in Naperville!
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