T & L Country Canoes is a family-driven enterprise, currently managed by the husband-and-wife team of Tim and Lori Mullins. They are the longtime stewards of this nature nirvana, renting out canoes and kayaks to give visitors a leisurely and lingering glimpse of this bountiful, beautiful LaGrange County locale. The adventures will allow folks to cascade down the Fawn River, an unspoiled, largely unchanged stretch of waterway that dates back to the days when the Potawatomi Indians were residents of the region.
Tim and Lori Mullins, who recently celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary, have been the proprietors of T & L Country Canoes since 2013. They started out with ample provisions but little space, until the family pitched in to help design and build their current structure. Energized by the family’s willingness to support the business, they were able to complete the building project in just a few weeks.
Now, T & L Country Canoes not only offers primitive watercraft rental, but also carries a wide range of products for outdoor sports and recreation, including various watertight containers, flotation devices, insect repellents, beach towels and other water accessories.
Yet it is the allure of the environmental wonderland that draws guests. Tim Mullins, who was raised in the tiny LaGrange County hamlet of Ontario, is a self-described “river rat” who appreciates and respects the outdoors with an infectious spirit that he freely shares with those who visit.
“This is my passion,” he says proudly. “It’s what I’ve been doing my whole life. Why wouldn’t I want to share this with everyone?”
Despite what most might think, T & L Country Canoes is not strictly for the seasoned water traveler. There are many vessels and channels to coast along at different skill levels and time intervals. Life vests and paddles are provided, and the Mullinses will assist in selecting the kayak or canoe best suited to one’s expertise on the water.
Tour options include the one-hour trip, which runs approximately three miles, the two-hour trip, spanning about five and a half miles, and the four-hour excursion of nearly 12 miles. For the truly bold and daring challenge, there is also the seven hour, 20-mile Extreme Survival Hell Run for adults. Many a master has completed this course, including Mullins himself in formidable record time. The stretch of Fawn River that traverses the property allows certain trips to span both northernmost Indiana and southern Michigan.
There are a number of shallow passages along the route, and youngsters are free to frolic in the water and sand. There are private picnic areas where families can stop and make use of the grills for authentic country dining. One of the most exquisite parts of the trip includes the opportunity to see native foliage, florals, and woodland creatures such as otters, turtles, schools of various fish and flocks of graceful birds. In that way, each and every river run promises something new and different for everyone.
The initials in the business name can easily be decoded from the first names of its founders. But as Tim Mullins joyfully declares, it’s also meant to represent “tender love” – for their guests, for the earth and for one another.
To learn more about T & L Country Canoes, including rates, rules and how to make group reservations, visit tlcountrycanoesllc.com, or simply drop by, as they are open seven days a week until the end of September.
