Day 248 08/10/2010
Daily Stats Start: 5:30 AM - Oconto, WI Finish 2:00 PM - Green Bay, WI (Zeller’s Kayak Shop) Time: 8:30 hours Daily dist: 23 miles Total dist: 5000+ Companions: None Weather: Thick fog and steamy hot, 80’s Notes: Reached extended family in Green Bay After six hours of paddling along the last twenty miles of shore leading into Green Bay, I must say that I can only guess what it looks like. Excited to be reaching the end of Lake Michigan and the beginning of the next phase of this trip, (not to mention loads of family in town) I hardly slept a wink on the beach of the town park where I spent the night. Finally giving up on trying to sleep, I broke camp at 5:00 AM and launched into thick fog by 5:30.  Not just a picture of the fog. If you look close you can see two lake sturgeon playing catch with an unfortunate perch. Although it was one of only a handful of flat calm mornings I’ve seen in the last few weeks, which was a relief, the fog added a whole new element to navigating my way down the coast. One can only wish it was as simple as staying within sight of shore and following it south to Green Bay. However, shallow water and weeds tend to steer a kayaker off shore in search of deeper water. Consequently the shoreline quickly vanishes into the fog leaving you staring blankly into a featureless grey cloud in every direction. At times like these you could be a quarter mile from shore or twenty miles from shore and you wouldn’t know the difference. Rather than fuss with my GPS, I simply worked with my map and compass. Those tools, combined with a watch and the knowledge that I cruise at a fairly consistent rate of 3.5 knots, allowed me to know (with a fair amount of certainty) where I was at all times. It was actually a fun challenge to try to hit the ends of the two long narrow peninsulas that project from the west shore of the bay. After finding and rounding the end of the second point, I continued on toward town by steering a little extra west to avoid the mouth of the Fox River by a wide margin. This maneuver helped me avoid any boat traffic coming and going out of the harbor who could not have seen me with they‘re eyes or radar. After another hour of paddling I hit land (at what I believed was a point west of the river) then turned left and headed in. A mile further I discovered that I was indeed correct and at 12:00 noon I entered the Fox River thus ending the Great Lakes leg of this trip and beginning the last push toward Portage.  My cousin Lydia waving hello from shore Along with a TV reporter from a local news station, waiting for me a the city boat ramps at the end of the river were my Cousin Jenny and her daughter Lydia. Soon after I landed we were joined by another cousin Carolyn and her husband John. My parents had planned to be there to see me arrive but got lost on their way in to town as they followed the directions from their GPS… go figure. After a bunch of big hugs and handshakes I answered a few questions for the reporter and hopped back on the water so he could get a little more video of me paddling around.  Captain Mitch on the Foxy Lady From the boat ramp I continued up the river passing by my cousin John and Carolyn’s dinner boat the Foxy Lady where John was already there checking on the boat. Another mile of paddling brought me to Zellers Kayak shop where I pulled off the water and ended my day. By early evening more family had rallied including my uncle Jim and cousin Brenda and my older brother Aaron and his wife Aurise along with their two boys who I couldn’t wait to see. The whole mob of us descended on a local restaurant and had a great evening. From there I rode home with Aaron to his place in Manitowoc, Wisconsin to take a couple days off with the chance to hang out with the younger two of my four nephews whom I barely know and am looking forward to making up for lost time. 3 Comments Day 247 08/09/2010
Happy Anniversary Mom and DadDaily Stats Start: 5:30 AM - Marinette, WI (Seagull Bar) Finish 11:00 AM - Oconto, WI Time: 5:30 hours Daily dist: 21 miles Total dist: 5000+ Companions: None Weather: Partly cloudy, wind light and variable, 80’s Notes: Considered running all the way to Green Bay but decided not to. Ahh… Today was a very good day for paddling, partly cloudy, warm, and very little wind. With such nice conditions the miles were flying by and before I knew it I was poised offshore from the Oconto breakwater. Oconto was my destination for the day but it was only 10:00 AM when I made it there. With only about 24 more miles to go, I seriously considered staying on the water another seven hours to make it all the way to Green Bay today. The hitch was that all the family that had planned on me arriving tomorrow (many driving in from out of town) would be completely unprepared for an early arrival.  You have to love this kind of calm Figuring a few hours of rest is a good thing too, I landed at a small community park (the only sand beach for miles actually) and found a picnic table in the shade on which to kill time and go over maps planning my run up the Fox River. First I made a call to my mother to let her know that, in fact, I wouldn’t be arriving in Green Bay today. Just as I was hanging up a van rolled up, and what do you know, it was my mom’s cousin Ann and her husband Tom. Apparently Tom had the day off of work so they decided to take a road trip to see if they could catch me. It was a long shot, but amazingly (at the last spot they thought would be worth checking) they managed to find me. We had a nice visit getting caught up on a bunch of family happenings before they had to get back on the road for home.  Mom's cousin Ann and her husband Tom managed to find me today. The rest of the afternoon was spent ironing out the logistics of rendezvous with family in Green Bay. Now all there is left to do is get some rest and wake up ready to make it happen tomorrow. Day 246 (Back in Wisconsin at last!) 08/08/2010
Daily Stats Start: 6:50 AM EST - J.W. Wells State Park, MI Break: 1:00 PM - 5:30 PM EST - Menomonie, MI (Waterfront Festival) Finish 6:30 PM EST - Marinette, WI (Seagull Bar) Time: 7:10 hours Daily dist: 24 miles Total dist: 5000+ Companions: None Weather: Mostly sunny turned cloudy, SW wind 5-10mph 80’s Notes: Entered Wisconsin at 5:50 PM EST (4:50 local time) My father served in the Navy during the Vietnam War. Along with a few stories about marching through the jungle with the marines as a corpsman, I remember my dad talking about how, after weeks out at sea, you could smell cities long before you could see them. While I’ve never exactly been out to sea, I do know exactly what he means by being able to smell cities. On this trip I’ve only been away from civilization at most a couple days. But in that time my nose quickly became so accustomed to fresh air that when I did near a town I could almost always pick up the faint smell of civilization. Unless there is some sort of industry producing a smell that overshadows it, they all smell much the same… like cooking meat mixed with car exhaust… think Mc Donalds on a busy street on a muggy day.  I bring this rather unusual topic up because today, beyond the normal smell of town, my nose led me to something I haven’t had in years. Something so rare outside of Wisconsin that when you mention it’s existence to outsiders they look at you like you have two heads. That something is… deep fried cheesecurds. Overnight a storm passed slowly through the area producing so much lightning my tent was light up like a disco for three hours. In that entire time a heavy rain poured down but thankfully I stayed dry. -I do love my tent.- Waiting for the lightning to finally subside, I ended up getting a later start than I was hoping to. Fortunately, the wind never got up so I was spared another all day slog and ultimately the weather was wonderful and I had a great time heading the twenty miles into the Menomonie/Marinette area. With finally entering my home state of Wisconsin on my mind, I was all set to bypass Menomonie altogether and just hop across the river into Wisconsin. However, as I paddled along the Menomonie waterfront (about a quarter mile off shore) I could see Jolly Jumpers and several white tents set up along the road above. My curiosity was already peaked but right then (even though it was downwind of me) my nose detected the unmistakable scent of hot grease and molten cheese… Cheesecurds! The border crossing could wait, I had to see what those tents were about and track down the source of that smell.  It turns out that I managed to arrive in town on the final day of the four day Menomonie Waterfront Festival, and just in time for the parade. After the parade I did find the cheese curd stand as well as the hot dog stand, the cheeseburger stand, the corn on the cob stand, and of course (that carnival favorite) the elephant ear stand. It suffices to say I didn’t have to cook dinner in camp tonight. Instead I used the spare time to listen to my arteries clogging up.  While I was eating my way through the festival, rain clouds were building in the west. So, to avoid having to set up camp in the rain, I hustled back to my boat and headed south where one mile further and at 5:50 EST (4:50 local time - it’s time to change my watch) I crossed the Menomonie river into the town of Marinette and my home state of Wisconsin. From there it was just one mile further to the beautiful sand spit where I set up camp for the night.  Looking back at the Michigan Side of the rver from Wisconsin. It feels good to be back! Day 245 08/07/2010
Daily Stats Start: 9:45 AM - Park Place of the North Campground (Escanaba, MI) Finish 4:15 PM - J.W. Wells State Park, MI Time: 6:30 hours Daily dist: 19 miles Total dist: 5000+ Companions: None Weather: Partly cloudy, south wind 10mph (headwind), 70’s Notes: Headwind had me in a foul mood but Wisconsin is near! There is no denying that today I was in a bit of a funk. Perhaps I was coming down off the cloud of being with family over the last four days, or perhaps it was the reality of paddling into a brisk headwind, yet again. The day actually was beautiful with partly cloudy skies and temps in the 70’s. It even started out great with breakfast with my parents and warm hugs (with “See you in four days” promises) before I launched from the beach at the end of the muddy boardwalk near camp. It was the wind. That being said, I made fairly slow progress covering only 19 miles in six and a half hours before I spotted a rare undeveloped beach just a mile shy of the state park I had planned on stopping at. Compared to state park campgrounds with flushing toilets, grassy campsites, and vending machines, I vastly prefer to set up camp on a brushy beach in the middle of nowhere. The reason is simple... gear handling. On an undeveloped beach all I have to do is pull my kayak above the surf zone then pull out just what I need for camp and carry it mere feet to where I set up. A state park generally requires a fairly long walk to the ranger station to check in. Another walk back to the boat for all of the gear which then needs to be carried (usually way off the beach) to the campsite. Depending on how frequently visited the beach is I can either lock the kayak up to a tree or transport it up to camp as well. Of course, in the morning the whole process (sans check in) gets reversed. All told it commonly takes at least two hours extra effort to set up in a state, or county, campground.  A little strip of expedition camping heaven After a long day of slogging into the wind I wasn’t exactly excited about the promise of all that gear handling. That’s exactly why I got down right excited when I spotted the beach I’m on tonight. In the time it took me to completely set up today I would have still been in the ranger’s hut dolling over $20 for a campsite at the stat park. The site itself would have undoubtedly been wedged between two gigantic RV’s with air conditioners and TV’s running. These weedy, driftwood filled beaches I end up on may not look like much but they’re heaven to me, and I’m going to miss them. A highpoint of my day was when I was able to bring in a NPR radio station rom Wisconsin. That signal (coming in loud and clear from Egg Harbor across the bay in Door County) was a sign of just how close I am to my home state. In fact, if all goes well, I should be past or near the Michigan / Wisconsin state line by mid day tomorrow. Now if only I would start hearing from some Wisconsin paddlers as well as radio stations. Day 244 08/06/2010
It took a late-night / early-morning effort, but I had to take advantage of a decent connection to finally get the blog up to date. Be sure to take a quick look at days 241 to 244 to see what's been going on. Daily Stats Start: 8:00 AM - Fayette, MI (Fayette State Park) Finish 1:30 PM - Park Place of the North Campground (Escanaba, MI) Time: 5:30 hours Daily dist: 21 miles Total dist: 4500+ Companions: None Weather: Partly cloudy, north wind, 70’s Notes: Ran an empty kayak again After the forty mile grind the other day it was nice to put in a simple twenty mile day today. The paddling wouldn’t have been all that exceptional except for the fact that by crossing Big Bay de Noc (10 miles) then Little Bay de Noc (6 miles) I put the last two major crossings of the trip behind me. Crossings (rather than coastal paddles) leave you a bit more exposed than coastal tours and as a result require a bit more attention. It’s nice to know that for the rest of the trip I can keep the relative safety of land nearby.  Quite a mob saying farewell today After waking the boys up so they could wave farewell (for now) from the dock I turned the boat west and pulled twenty miles over the next five and a half hours to the private campground where my parents had relocated camp and were waiting for me. Upon my arrival we discovered that, instead of a nice sand beach, the campground has a “boardwalk” (with a couple muddy sections missing) that leads a few hundred feet to the lake.  Boardless boardwalk Beth (the TV reporter that had talked to us yesterday) had hoped to get a couple more shots of me arriving on the water but it was just not meant to be. She did get a few shots of my dad and I carrying the boat up from the lake and recommended a couple places in town where we could get a good fish fry (it was Friday after all). Just after she left a newspaper reporter arrived so we sat back down for another quick interview before we hauled the Ikkuma the rest of the way to camp on my Dad’s truck. After getting cleaned up we did run into town for dinner and to make copies of the last maps and to pick up the last of the food I’ll need to reach Green Bay and the end of the Great Lakes segment of this trip.  It works well until you come to a crowded sidewalk Personal Update! 08/06/2010
This is Jake's brother Luke who just returned to "civilization" from visiting Jake at Fayette, MI. Jake enjoyed a day off from paddling (Thursday) to visit with family and tour the Fayette Historic Townsite (pretty cool place). We saw Jake off this morning and his plan was to paddle from Fayette to just south of Escanaba. Jake is working on the full blogs and hopes to get them posted as he works toward Green Bay and better internet connections. Day 243 08/05/2010
Off the water Throughout this trip I’ve been very lucky to have what would have been weather days fall on the very same days I planned on taking a day off anyway. That was the very truth today. With my brother, Luke, his wife Amy, and their two boys camping with us I had every reason to take a day off to spend time with them. It just so happens that he wind was blowing straight out of the west at over 20 mph and the water was very rough so it would have been a no-go day anyway. 
Around lunch time we were visited by a TV reporter from a local station in Escanaba. She started by asking me a few questions then cornered my mom and asked her a few more. We did launch my boat through the rough stuff long enough to get a few video bits for the TV camera. It was fun to play in but would have been a worthless slog to try to get anywhere.  Charcoal kiln for the smelting plant After talking to the reporter we visited the nearby Fayette Historic Town site where we saw the many remaining buildings of what used to be an iron mill town. It was quite interesting to get a look at what life was like in a company town in the 1800's. It paid to have an education back then to say the least.  Grandpa and Ty swimming After the town tour we had a snack then drove to the other side of the peninsula to find a beach sheltered from the wind where we all could enjoy a swim. It turned out to be a wonderful day spent with some of my family that I’ve missed so much over the last several months.  Day 242 08/04/2010
Daily Stats Start: 7:30 AM - Manistique, MI Finish 5:30 PM - Fayette, MI (Fayette State Park) Time: 10:00 hours Daily dist: 39 miles Total dist: 4500+ Companions: None Weather: Mixed clouds, variable winds, 70’s Notes: Ran an empty kayak on one of my longer days
With my non paddling gear stored safely in my parents truck, I pushed off from the dock in Manistique this morning at 7:30 AM. Getting my boat there on time required the coordinated efforts of the city maintenance department who had stored it in one of their buildings last night and brought it back to the landing on a 20’ flatbed trailer this morning.  Mom and dad say farewell for the day. Running an empty boat (I figured) would buy me an extra half knot in my average speed. With hopes of cruising at four mph I waved goodby to my parents (and Dale) and headed toward the tip of the “Garden Peninsula”. What I’d hoped would be a cakewalk in an empty boat did turn into a bit of a slog. Despite choppy water and headwinds, I made it to the planned takeout in Fayette State Park in just over ten hours. Of course staying with my parents (and family) made the extra miles into the park worthwhile. What made the visit even better was the beautiful limestone cliffs that line the headland on the approach to the state park  Beautiful limestone cliffs on the way into Fayette State Park
After settling in at my parent’s camp and enjoying a fantastic dinner of my mom’s home cooked spaghetti, my brother Luke, his wife Amy, and their two sons Noah and Ty arrived. The boys seemed happy to see their Uncle Jake just as I was them. What a great reunion, I can’t wait to see my other two nephews in a couple weeks.  Me and the boys Day 241 08/03/2010
Daily Stats Start: 5:45 AM - Port Inland, MI (1 mile east) Finish 12:00 PM - Manistique, MI Time: 6:15 hours Daily dist: 19 miles Total dist: 4500+ Companions: None Weather: Partly cloudy highs in the 80’s and humid Notes: Amazing reception in Manistuque and caught up w/ Mom and Dad My sincerest thanks must go out to Rick Schwartz who went through no small effort to make sure my visit to Manistique was a good one. After serving on the police force in the Detroit area for several years, Rick was a bit disturbed by the callous welcome I received when my friend Ed got a parking ticket (and comment from the police officer that we were lucky he didn’t cite us for landing my kayak without a permit) while he was picking me up on Bell Island in Detroit. In response to that Rick wanted to make sure my Manistique visit was a good as it could be. So Rick (with the help of his girlfriend’s father Dale) brought out the City Manager to welcome me to town and helped me find a place to keep my boat overnight while I camped with my parents at a state park just outside of town. On top of that Rick even bought lunch for me, and my parents, at his favorite The Upper Crust Deli right on the waterfront in Manistique.  Rick and his crew with my parents and I Today was to be a relatively short run into Manistique Michigan where I was due to meet up with my parents who were driving five hours up from Central Wisconsin. Rick and I had talked on the phone in the preceding days trying to script my arrival time so that my parents would be there along with the local press and a reception committee from town. Unfortunately, my desire to not spend another afternoon pushing into strong headwinds had me on the water pushing west early to avoid just that. I’d called and left a message on Rick’s phone that I was due to be in town a few hours early but the message was never heard. So, despite Rick’s efforts to organize a crew to see me at my arrival, I managed to glide in to an empty and silent boat ramp just after noon today.  At frist it was a quiet arrival in Manistique I hadn’t even begun to empty my boat however, when Dale (Rick’s girlfriend’s father) arrived at the boat landing and gave me a hearty welcome. A few phone calls on his cell summoned the City Manager, Sheila, and a crew to haul my boat over to the city garage for safe keeping overnight. A few minutes later Rick and his girlfriend arrived and we all went to the nearby deli for lunch. While we chatted about the town and my trip I kept careful watch out the glass doors for my parents who were due to arrive within an hour or so. Sure enough, right on schedule, my parents walked into the café. Of course many hugs and hellos followed then we all sat down to get caught up on all that has happened in the last eight months since they last saw me.  The Ikkuma got a nice ride on a 20' flatbed trailer to the city garage where it was kept for the night. Original Quick Update The winds held off and I had a great day paddling in to Manistique where I got a very warm welcome from what felt like half the town. In addition my parent's caught up with me after driving all the way up from Wausau, WI. I hadn't seen them since paddling away from the boat landing on the Mississippi River above St. Louis last December. As you might imagine we had a very busy evening getting re-united so I didn't have much time to write up the blog post. I'll try to fill in with more details of the day when I have time. Day 240 08/02/2010
Daily Stats Start: 5:15 AM - Naubinway, MI (3 miles east) Finish 1:30 PM - Port Inland, MI (1 mile east) Time: 8:15 hours Daily dist: 23 miles Total dist: 4500+ Companions: None Weather: Overcast / rainy - SW then S winds 10-15mph (headwinds) 60’s Notes: Rough day with steady headwinds and choppy waves 2-3’
My strategy of putting in a few extra miles yesterday is paying off. Today in just about the same amount of time on the water as yesterday I logged eight fewer miles. All that distance was lost working hard against a persistent head wind from the southwest. There was barely a dull moment with two to three foot waves moving toward shore in a steady but fast step march. Through rain and fog my eyes became sore from constantly scanning for sneaker waves breaking far from shore over large rocks. It suffices to say that alone, with a loaded boat, and not being in a race, today was about as rough of conditions as I’d care to try to make miles in. To go out and play or do a day trip is another thing, but for the long haul a day like today can wear you out.  Grey and gloomy day Thankfully the rains subsided just before I called it a day and I was able to set up camp without dodging rain drops and even enjoyed some sunshine this afternoon. Now with only about twenty miles between here and Manistique, I just have to slog out one more day into more predicted head winds from the south before I catch up with my parents. I’m pretty excited to say the least. | Best of the Blog
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