Day 238 (Happy Birthday Dad!)

Daily Stats
Start: 6:00 AM - Zela Point (Bois Blanc Island)
Break: 7:30 AM - 2:30 PM Mackinac Island (includes 2 hr Circumnavigation)
Finish 6:00 PM - St. Ignas, MI
Time: 5:00 hours
Daily dist: 15 miles
Total dist: 4500+
Companions: Donna and Steve Bassett
Weather: ENE then E winds up to 10 mph, mostly cloudy, some rain 70’s
Notes: Did two hour circumnavigation of the island to wait for it to come alive.

If my memory is correct, it was exactly one year ago today that I first mentioned this trip to my parents. First it was, “hello and happy birthday Dad” followed by “hey I’m going to be moving home” then “but first I’ve got a little trip planned.” From the day I announced the trip, and for the next several months, any mention of my intent to spend the better part of a year paddling around half our country was met with stunned and strained silence from both my parents. It was almost remarkable to witness the variety of ways my mother found to change the subject when I brought it up. It suffices to say that they came around and are now two of my biggest supporters. Today when I called home to wish Dad a happy birthday I did so at a milestone point in this trip where I entered Lake Michigan and began what many are calling the home stretch of this trip. It may be the home stretch but with over 700 miles to go I’m being cautious to not look too far ahead at the finish line and concentrate on the next day and week instead.

Passing the Mackinac Bridge

Thankfully what lies within the week ahead is a rendezvous with my parents who aren’t inclined to wait another two weeks for me to reach Wisconsin. Instead they’re going to be driving six hours up into Michigan to catch up with me in a town called Manistique on Tuesday. After that they will be following along with the trip for a few days by leaping from campground to campground as I continue south. After eight months on the trail it is going to be great to see them, and after paddling a heavily loaded boat for the same amount of time, it will be nice to leave my gear in their truck and paddle light for a change.

My dad and I had a somewhat hurried conversation when I called home today, with the sound of his four grandsons calling in the background, I had just enough time to wish him a Happy Birthday before he was pulled back into the hubub of activity in a home full of family. The pain of wishing I was there was dampened some by knowing that this would be the last of his birthdays I would miss. It was dampened more with the fact that tonight I was staying with the Bassett family who had invited me to stay just a week or so ago and who showed me the kind of generosity and kindness that never ceases to amaze me.

Steve and his mom Donna escorted me to their lakeside home.

Steve Bassett had heard about my trip via the Detroit newspaper article that was written a few weeks ago. He called his parents who live on Lake Michigan just west of St. Ignas and filled them in. Long story short today I received a hearty “Welcome to Lake Michigan” from both Steve (who had driven up from Detroit) and Donna (his mom) when I met up with them on the west side of the Mackinac bridge. After an interview with a reporter at a park near the bridge, I paddled with Steve and Donna the remaining two miles to their home. Once again I was treated to the kindness and generosity of strangers turned new friends as they treated me to a home cooked dinner and a drive into town for an ice cream cone and a viewing of the fireworks which are a weekly Saturday night feature at the waterfront in town.

Before I passed under the bridge and met up with the Bassetts, I had spent the better part of the day touring Mackinac Island. The famous tourist destination was everything everyone had warned in the way of fudge shops, T-shirt stores, and crowds of tourists on bicycles and horse drawn wagons. The gleaming white Fort Mackinac high on the limestone bluff above town and equally impressive Grand Hotel were definitely sites worth seeing. You can’t get on the lane in front of the hotel without paying $10 (which I decided isn’t worth it) but I still got close enough to admire the white giant that helped turn the island into what it is today.

Hey buddy! you have to pay to get that close.

Original Quick Post

This is just a quick update until I have more time to do a full post. 

After spending half the day visiting Mackinac Island, I paddled under the Mackinac Bridge and finally entered Lake Michigan at 4:00 PM.  There I met up with the Basset family a with whom I spent the night.