Day 242

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