Off the route but still on the water
Ok, I have to admit that this morning the wind wasn't blowing so hard that I couldn't have launched and slugged out a few miles before it would have blown me off the water. However, last night when I was checking the weather and was on the fence about making a go/no-go decision, Tom suggested that if I stayed another day we could go for a paddle on the Black River one of his local favorites. That was all I needed to help me make up my mind. One of the things I wanted to do on this trip was see and experience the paddling destinations that the locals enjoyed (on and off my route) and this would be one of those rare opporunities.
So, today Elaine helped Tom and I set up a shuttle on the Black River which is about 30 miles from their home in Rogers City. The Ikkuma enjoyed the day off while I paddled a 12 foot plastic "recreational" kayak that wouldn't normally been my first choice but that I soon discovered was ideally suited to the shallow twisty water and relaxed pace we set on the river. During our four hour float down only a few miles of river we enjoyed awesome northwoods scenery around every bend while being treated to sightings of ducks, herons, muskrats, and even a doe with her (still with spots) fawn. By the end of the day any doubt that I had thinking I'd made the wrong decison by taking the day off was long gone. We had a great time on a fantastic little river.
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