Blog Posts

Day 255 A Post From Noah (and a follow up by Uncle Jake)

8/17/2010

This is a post from Jake's nephew, Noah who spent the day following Jake through the Appleton area.

Me helping Jake portage his kayak

Today we drove to Kaukauna and I took a little walk with Uncle Jake and his kayak. Then we went to play at my Nana and Papa's house while Uncle Jake was paddling.

Me and Ty in Kaukauna

Me and Ty waiting for Jake at a park.

Then we met Jake at a park then went to Tom's Drive In to eat lunch. We brought Jake lunch from Tom's Drive In.

I liked Uncle Jake's lunch too!

Then I opened the locks and bridge for Uncle Jake.

Me opening the lock.

Me opening the bridge.

When I was done helping Uncle Jake I let this man take over!

We then brought Uncle Jake back to Nana and Papa's house. This morning we had scrambled eggs and sausages and then we went to the water and we saw Uncle Jake paddling away. Then we went home.

Day 255 (Followup post from Uncle Jake)

Daily Stats
Start: 9:00 AM - Kaukauna, WI
Finish 6:30 PM - Menasha, WI
Time: 9:30 hours
Daily dist: 15 miles
Total dist: 5000+
Companions: Mark, Terry, Tim, Jeff
Weather: Mostly clear skies, 70’s, SW wind 15-20
Notes: Seven portages in fifteen miles.

If someone told me that they had fun portaging their boat around seven lock and dam facilities in one day I would think they were nuts. Yet I must admit, that despite all the carrying, I had a great time today.

However, if things had been different… if I still had my boat full of eighty pounds of gear, if I hadn’t been able to pre scout the portages in my friend’s car, if I had camped on the hard ground the last few nights, if my cousin and her daughter hadn’t seen me off in the morning, if my brother and his family hadn’t met me along the way even with a burger for lunch, and (most importantly) if I hadn’t had three friends join me on the water and another to help carry at the last four portages… without a doubt, I wouldn’t have had as much fun.

A rough way to start a day of paddling

Forget about enjoying any day of portaging, how crazy do you have to be to start your day by taking your kayak off the top of a perfectly good truck to place it on a portage cart in order to begin a mile long walk down a paved road. Throughout this trip the only rule I’ve had is that I can’t be conveyed forward along the route by automobile. You can pick me up and take me half way around the world, but you must drop me off to resume the trip right where you found me. Implied or not, the rule was never specifically applied to the kayak and gear as well. It is my trip, and my one and only rule, so I have interpreted it as I pleased. That being said the gear I don’t care about. If someone is willing to lighten my load by hauling my gear ahead for me, they are more than welcome. The kayak however, is a different story.

This may sound strange, but after eight months and 5000 miles I have developed a sort of connection to my boat, almost to the point where we have become partners in the effort to complete this loop. After so much time spent looking after the kayak, I feel a sort of separation anxiety every time I leave it behind and travel into a town. It would be unimaginable for me to have the Ikkuma hauled ahead of me around an obstacle, such as a mile long portage, while I walked empty handed. Or at the finish line for me to leave the Ikkuma at the end of the Fox River while I walk the last two miles across town to where I started on the Wisconsin last December. We’ve done the entire route together so far so I intend to make sure that we do every inch together all the way back to where we started.

It is with that spirit that I passed on the opportunity to do the sensible thing and start the day by driving around the non-operating lock and paper mill that blocked the river this morning. Instead I rolled my kayak for a mile around the facility on the wheels I’ve carried on the entire route. My gear however, I was very grateful to have hauled around in my brother’s Jeep.

Jenny and Lydia saying goodbye from the road rather than the dock

It was my cousin Jenny and her daughter Lydia that dropped me off this morning. I’ve been staying with them for the last three nights getting the chance to get caught up, at least a little, after I’ve been away for ten years. About a half hour after I parted ways with Jenny and Lydia, my brother and his family (including his father in law Vern) caught up with me while took my kayak for a walk. His wife Amy is from the Appleton area and her parents still live here so it gave them enough reason to drive over to see me as I passed through her old stomping grounds. After taking a few photographs they checked in on me throughout the day at parks and bridges I passed along the way. A mile up the river from my third portage they even brought down a burger, cheese curds, and fries for lunch. Thank goodness it was a busy day to burn off a meal like that.

At the third portage local paddlers Mark and Terry jumped on the water to join me. Then a mile later Tim joined in on the fun. Any thoughts I had that I was crazy were diluted when I considered the fact that these guys came out to do all the portages with me, regardless of how many carry free paddling destinations there are in the area. Even more crazy still may be Jeff who came out straight from work to see us through the last four carries of the day. He mostly came to say hello and take pictures but was quickly recruited into hauling boats. They may be a little nuts for coming along today but I sure did appreciate the company and help along the way.

With Jeff's help we were able to make a train and carry all the boats thru in one go.

With all the help and company the day was more fun than it should have been. The first few portages were a bit challenging but the longest of those three was made much easier by the Fox River Lock and Canal workers when they unlocked a gate allowing me to use a service road that parallels the canal. Without that shortcut I would have had to roll a lot further, up a hill through city streets. The last four portages made about as convenient as they could be by the recent addition of stairs, ramps, and signs to help people off and on the water as they carry around the many dams in town.

The last lock I would come to is actually still in operation so Luke and I carefully planned to have his family there when I finally locked through rather than carry around. This lock was the end of the road for my paddling partners so I bid them farewell before entering the lock chamber. I figured my nephew Noah would get a kick out of just seeing the lock operate. However, the lockmaster made Noah’s day when he let Noah push the crank bar to open the lock gate himself. He then topped that off by letting Noah open the adjacent draw bridge as well. What a thrill for a five year old.

A few miles past the lock I met up with Luke and his crew one last time at a boat ramp where we loaded my boat onto his Jeep and drove out to his in-laws’ house where we spent the night. It had been quite some time since I’d visited with Nancy and Vern and it was great to see them again. They’ve been following the trip since the beginning and had noticed that a frequently mentioned underlying theme to many of my posts was food, so they did all they could to stuff me full with an awesome home cooked meal before sending me back out on the water. Before I left Nancy was sure to show me the project she has planned for finishing off their basement a project she’d like me to do and a reminder that the real world is catching up

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Day 254 (back on the trail)

8/16/2010

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Daily Stats
Start:                9:00 AM - De Pere, WI
Finish               5:30 PM - Kauakauna, WI
Time:                8:30 hours
Daily dist:         18 miles
Total dist:         5000+
Companions:    Mark
Weather:         Partly cloudy, 70’s, SW wind 15-25
Notes:              Upstream in now familiar waters.

After getting dropped off by my parents with cousin Jenny and her daughter Lydia, the plan today was to paddle as far up the river as the wind and current would allow then call Jenny for a ride back to her house, rather than camp only a few miles away. It’s always a kick to realize that an entire day of effort on the river amounts to a few minutes of driving on city streets. Getting picked up also meant that I could paddle an empty boat which would make getting around the dams that lie ahead much easier.

Dad, Mom, Jenny, and Lydia seeing me off at the landing at Zellers Sports

Most of the day was spent paddling all of the same water that I paddled over the last two days except this time I was paddling upstream. It was finally a chance to find out just what kind of time I’ll be able to make while pushing into the unusually high flow. Thankfully, even despite a brisk wind blowing downstream at times, I was able to maintain a pretty good pace. What also helped my progress was the ability to carry around the two locks that were along the route. At the first one the lock operator actually helped me carry around which was ultimately easier for him than cranking the lock gates open and closed by hand, which is how the Fox river locks are operated. At the second lock I simply pulled off the river and slid my boat on the lawn around the lock and back into the water on the upstream side.

Hand crank used to open and close the lock gates on the Fox.

The good pace had me two and around two dams and as far up as Wrightstown by 2:00. At Wrightstown I was once again found on the water by a local paddler named Mark. We had talked about meeting up on the river sometime during the week. We didn’t have a solid plan as to when or where we’d meet instead he figured he could just jump on the river in front of me and wait for me to come by. Of course the good pace I was setting almost had me by the boat launch before he ever expected me to be there. I’m always grateful to have people join me on the water and today I was exceptionally happy to have Mark along when we were faced with portaging around the third dam of the day.

Lock no longer used in order to prevent the lamprey from getting upstream. Chicago may take note.

This lock was shut down (never to be used again) a long time ago to prevent the invasive lamprey from climbing up the Fox River off the great lakes where they had already caused loads of trouble. While the previous two locks and dams were easy to portage around, this one proved to be a bit more challenging. After scouting both the end of the lock canal and the river at the base of the dam, we decided to pull out on the east side of the dam. This route meant a steep uphill climb on a narrow brushy path on very slippery clay. It was tough enough with help it would have been a bit of an ordeal without Mark’s help.

Mark helping me portage around the third dam of the day.

Our day ended a few miles further upstream at the first lock of the Kaukauna lock series. There is an effort underway to get these locks operable again, but it is easy to tell by the state of disrepair that they have not been used in years. Intertwined with a paper mill and hydroelectric plants and lying in a now dry canal that parallels the river, getting around these locks requires a bit of a carry. I had thoughts of doing some of the portage today (rather than start the day wheeling my boat) so I hopped out and began surveying the route. Just then Mark got a call from Jeff Mazanec who is one of the coordinators of the Fox River Heritage Paddle and who has given me a lot of information about what I’ll have to deal with on the river. Jeff lives in Appleton, WI only a few minutes from where we were and was on his way over to show us just how to get around the locks.

When Jeff arrived we decided to save my cousin a drive and loaded both our boats on his truck to catch a ride back to where the day started. Before we headed downstream, however, we went for a drive along the river stopping wherever we could to pre-scout all of the portages I’ll have to do tomorrow… and there are many. Jeff also gave me the phone number of a gentleman that will be able to open a gate for me that will give me access to the service road that parallels the canal which will spare me the effort of rolling the Ikkuma up hill through a city neighborhood and back down to the water. Now armed with the knowledge of where I have to go to get around all the (non-operating) locks and dams I’ll see tomorrow, it will make the day go much easier. An hour spent riding with Jeff and Mark saved me half a day of walking through brush and bramble to sort things out. Once again it is the kindness of new friends that is helping me through a sticky spot on this adventure. I will always wonder how this trip would have gone without the help of so many great people.

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Day 253

8/15/2010

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Daily Stats (side trip)
Start: 10:00 AM - Wrightstown, WI
Finish 2:00 PM - De Pere, WI
Time: 4:00 hours
Daily dist: 11 miles
Total dist: 5000+
Companions: About 30 other paddlers!
Weather: Beautiful partly cloudy skies, 70’s
Notes: A Fox River Heritage Paddle

My parents in the voyager canoe

Today brought another opportunity to paddle with the Fox River Heritage Trail group. The paddle today backtracked up the river eleven miles to Wrightstown where we put in for a run downstream to where we started our day yesterday in De Pere. Today’s group was quite a bit smaller than yesterday but we still had 17 boats on the water one of them being the very full voyager canoe. I had planned on paddling in the canoe with my parents but gave up my seat so that a woman and her daughter could enjoy the ride.

We once again passed through a lock as we made our way downstream, of course no where near as full as yesterday. Beyond the lock a brisk tail wind combed with a strong current helped us set a fast pace downstream on the river.

A couple of hours into the day we were in need of a break but couldn't find an open and accessable piece of shore line to accommodate everybody. Just as we resolved ourselves to staying in our boats and rafting up for a break, one of the guys in our group paddled ahead and managed to find a shore side property owner that was gracious enough to let all of us pull out on his lawn. During the break three of us played musical boats in order to open up a spot for me in the voyager canoe. The voyager was an interesting experience, somewhat like a dragon boat (sitting side by side with multiple rows of paddlers) but with a quite-a-bit more relaxed pace.

Another hour of paddling brought us to the take out in De Pere. After shuttling drivers back up to their cars at the put in and loading up our boats and gear many of us adjourned to a local pub where we celebrated a great day on the water with a burger and drink.

My mother would never be satisfied until I finally saw it in person. So after lunch my parents took me to the famous home of the Green Bay Packers, Lambeau Field.

The last two days were an amazing chance for me to join well over one hundred local paddlers on the water. In addition it gave me a chance to paddle with both my parents while they experienced some of the same things I have on my journey including locks and (even if just for a short time) the wide open water of Lake Michigan, not to mention the kindness and generosity of fellow paddlers. Thank you Heritage Paddlers for allowing us to join you for two legs of your summer long adventure on the Fox River.

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Day 252

8/14/2010

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Daily Stats (side trip)
Start: 10:00 AM - De Pere, WI
Finish 2:00 PM - Green Bay, WI
Time: 4:00 hours
Daily dist: 8 miles
Total dist: 5000+
Companions: 99 other Wisconsin paddlers!
Weather: Beautiful partly cloudy skies, 80’s
Notes: A Fox River Heritage Paddle

One of the goals for me on this trip was to join fellow paddlers along the way to share their local waters with them. This weekend is giving me an amazing opportunity to meet and paddle with literally dozens of other paddlers. The Fox River Heritage Paddle is a series of short day trips strung together on weekends over the course of the entire summer. Starting in early spring a hearty group of paddlers set out from the Indian Agency House in Portage (where I’ll be ending my paddle in a few weeks by the way) and enjoyed a run down the twisty narrow river under trees just starting to fill in with bright green sprig leaves. Over the course of the summer the adventure has taken them all the way down the river (minus a couple of sections that had to be postponed due to unusually high water) to today where we ran the last section from De Pere to Green Bay where the tall ships festival was in port.

The same SUP paddler Doug that escorted me out of Portage on launch day was with the group today.

The organizers of the event have done an incredible job of promoting the trips which themselves do a great job of highlighting the history, ecology, and beauty of the river. Throughout the summer attendance at the paddles has been good with an average of forty or more people showing up to share the water. Today, when my parents and I pulled into the launch area in De Pere, I was somewhat surprised to see the entire parking lot full of cars and every inch of the lawn lined with kayaks and canoes.

Over 70 paddlecraft and 98 paddlers crowd the lock in De Pere WI

After sorting out the shuttle and a quick orientation we launched into the Fox river and headed down stream toward Green Bay. Only a half hour into the paddle we reached the lock in De Pere where we crammed over 70 boats into the chamber and (after a few words from the mayor of De Pere) were lowered about ten feet toward Green Bay.

Mom helped lead the group up front in the voyager canoe

Once out of the gate the enormous group spread itself out along the river and I spent the rest of the day paddling from the back to the front and back again taking the chance to meet and chat with dozens of people. All the while I checked in on my mom in the voyager canoe up front and my dad paddling a kayak, for the second time in his life, somewhere in the middle of the pack.

Dad and the wide open horizon of Lake Michigan behind him

A few hours of paddling brought us to the downtown waterfront of Green Bay where we viewed the tall ship fleet which was in town for the weekend. After another half hour of paddling we reached the end of the Fox River and the open water of Green Bay. Many of the paddlers seized the opportunity to venture out into the open water then returned to the city boat ramp where we ended the day.

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Day 251(off the water)

8/13/2010

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Off the water

Green Bay, WI

With a ride back to town last night from my brother Aaron I spent the day today hanging out in Green Bay. The day started with breakfast at the Black Stone diner with my aunt Lois and cousin Ben. From there they dropped me off downtown so I could see a bit of the downtown area. My first stop was at the waterfront to have a look at the old and replica sailing ships that are in port for the tall ships festival. Many of the boats are the same ones I saw when we crossed paths in Cleveland Ohio last month. What was interesting too was that the ship called the Lynx is the same ship I saw moored out in Mission Bay in San Diego two summers ago. They do get around. Just as I left the tall ships to explore deeper into downtown Green Bay, the skies opened and it began to rain. Not being the best day to see the town I decided instead to hustle back to my cousins house to do some map work for the run up the Fox River.

Dad waving to the Foxy Lady dinner boat.

Along the way I stopped in at Zellers outdoor store to check in on my boat. There (shopping for a paddle) I met Dave (who is an organizer for the Fox River Heritage Paddle). As luck would have it, Dave actually had a few maps of the river that he had printed out to give to me when we crossed paths on the river tomorrow during one of the organizations group paddles on river that I was going to join. Dave was gracious enough to give me a ride back to my cousins house which I really appreciated as it was a few miles and my lazy under worked legs were already complaining.

After a little break at Jenny’s house my parents arrived back over from Wausau. We had planned on heading over to a little local lake to do a bit of a paddling lesson before they joined the group with me on the river tomorrow. However, at that point the wind was blowing hard with intermittent showers enough to make any time on the water quite unpleasant, my parents would have to wing it a bit paddling on the river tomorrow. There was no worry, with Dave’s help we’d procured a spot for my mom in the 28 foot Voyager Canoe that was going to be with the group, and I was sure my dad would pick things up fast enough that he’d be just fine.

Instead of the paddling lesson we drove down to Zellers to get my kayak out of their way. My mother had brought my truck over from Wausau so we’d have a vehicle with proper racks to transport kayaks for the next couple days. It was strange to drive anything (much less my own truck) after having not driven in almost a month. My unpracticed driving, on unfamiliar streets, made my parents a bit nervous to say the least.

- A question for kayakers - Am I the only person, after spending a lot of time in a kayak, that finds himself unconsciously trying to edge turns while driving? I have to ask because that’s exactly what I found myself doing. And, let me tell you, it doesn’t work.

After loading my boat on the truck we stopped at a nearby restaurant for an early dinner and to meet up with a gentleman named Jeff. Jeff is the coordinator for the Fox River Heritage Paddle and was driving over from Appleton to check on the river to be sure the higher than normal water level wouldn’t trouble people too much during tomorrows paddle. Jeff was also coming over with a few more maps so we could discuss what I have to expect when I start making my way back up the river on Monday.

As we chatted my cousin’s dinner boat, The Foxy Lady, went by and we walked out on the dock to give them a wave. With fear of deafening the guests on the bow of the boat, Captain Mitch couldn’t blow his horn in reply, but he did give me a call on my cell to invite us to join them for their cocktail cruise later in the evening.

Amanda challenged me to a hula contest

I lost a shoe doing it but managed to match all of Amanda's trick moves

You’d have to be crazy to pass up on that invite so before the night was over we enjoyed a great time on the boat on a balmy warm and calm evening. Somehow, even though I was the only one not drinking, I ended up in a hula-hoop competition with a young woman named Amanda. During the show down I managed to match all of her tricks (although not as gracefully) and ended up being the only person to not have to bow out to her superior hula-hooping skills.

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Day 249-250

8/12/2010

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Off the water

Manitowoc, WI

The last two days were spent with my brother Aaron’s family in Manitowoc, WI (about 45 miles SE of Green Bay). The better part of the day yesterday was spent on the dining room floor playing crash up derby with my nephew’s match box cars. I was having a great time then Aurise reminded me that the boys would probably like to play too. Micah, the older of the two, knew me a little from past visits and warmed up to me fairly quickly. I’m essentially unknown to fourteen month old Jonas (who is a little shy) and am having to earn his trust before he lets this funny looking, long haired, stranger get too close.

During a break from the toy car action, my nephews Jonas (left) and Micah staying cool with their water table on one of the hottest days of the year.

The turned over cars from the many crashes we experienced while playing yesterday revealed the need for a Match Box tow truck. A stop at Wal Mart, after Aaron's rained out softball game, didn’t provide a tow truck but I did find a fire truck (apparently one of Micah’s favorites) to come to the rescue to the many crashed cars. That new truck, as well as a bright yellow Jeep, put me up a couple notches in the “Favorite Uncle” race this morning (sorry Luke).

Another purchase I made last night was a “Sportsmans” hunting and fishing license. This set of licenses includes fishing, small game, and deer and cost only $70. Of course $70 is not chump change but for the last ten years of spending over $200 for out of state licenses (that allowed me to only hunt deer) $70 for three licenses was a bargain. I felt just like I do when I buy tacos for ten pesos in Mexico… “Shoot only a dollar... Cinco mas por favor!” What can I say it’s great to be back.

Part of today’s adventures included lunch with Hugh McCracken who rode his Harley motorcycle all the way around from the Detroit area to help welcome me to Green Bay. He is the gentleman I camped next to way back on the shores of Saginaw Bay at Sleeper State Park who let me borrow his bicycle to ride to town. Always looking for an excuse to go for a ride, he left Lower Michigan yesterday afternoon, spent the night in Manistique, MI and made it to Green Bay late this morning. When he called to check in and discovered I was in Manitowoc he rode down here and we met at a local pizza place for lunch and a visit. Then he was back on the road to see more of the sights on his way back to Michigan.

Hugh and his Harley

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Day 248

8/10/2010

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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.

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Day 247

8/9/2010

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Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad

Daily 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.

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Day 246 (Back in Wisconsin at last!)

8/8/2010

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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!

13 Comments

Day 245

8/7/2010

10 Comments

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.

10 Comments

Day 244

8/6/2010

2 Comments

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

2 Comments

Personal Update!

8/6/2010

1 Comment

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.

1 Comment

Day 243

8/5/2010

1 Comment

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.

1 Comment

Day 242

8/4/2010

0 Comments

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

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Day 241

8/3/2010

4 Comments

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.

4 Comments

Day 240

8/2/2010

1 Comment

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.

1 Comment

Day 239

8/1/2010

9 Comments

Daily Stats
Start: 7:30 AM - St. Ignas, MI
Finish 4:00 PM - Naubinway, MI (3 miles east)
Time: 8:30 hours
Daily dist: 31 miles
Total dist: 4500+
Companions: Lisa joined me on the water for about two hours
Weather: Calm and partly cloudy becoming mostly clear w/ south wind 10 mph.
Notes: Reached northern most point of the trip.

With only about 72 miles to go between St. Ignas and Manistique, where I have to be in three days, I could have plotted three 24 mile days. However, the light and variable winds I had for most of the day were not predicted to stay around. Instead the forecast is showing south and southwest winds up to 10 mph for the next two days which will be blowing right in my face as the shore bends to the southwest. With that in mind, I figured I’d put in a few extra miles today to shorten the distance I’d have to travel in the wind over the next two.

The very favorable weather in store today allowed me to take my time a bit this morning and enjoy a nice meal of eggs, sausage, and toast with the Bassett family who afterward came to the shore to see me off this morning.

Only about fifteen minutes into the day I caught a glimpse of a yellow kayak headed toward me from a bay to my right. Over the last two weeks I’d been corresponding with Lisa who lives in the Detroit area and has a cabin north of St. Ignas. We had hatched a plan to try to meet up on the water today so I was on the lookout for other kayaks but didn’t expect to see her so soon. It was great though as Lisa was pleasant company for the two hours she paddled with me before she had to drop off and return back to her car that was waiting at a park behind us. She didn’t leave, however, before she had a chance to give me a huge bag of dried Michigan cherries that she thought would be an appropriate gift for someone paddling a big chunk of Michigan. If you’ve never tried dried cherries before they‘re worth a shot, they are amazing.

Interestingly, eight and a half hours and thirty one miles of paddling put me at what I determined will be the northernmost point I will visit on this trip. Just like I did down on Low Key in Florida last February, I preserved the moment with a photograph and by taking a leaf of a nearby plant. This time it’s a sprig from a hearty little cedar tree growing amongst the rocks on a wind blown point of land that juts into the lake. After crawling my way north for the last five months (the exception being Lake Erie of course) I will now be on a south and southwest track pretty much all the way to the finish line. Now if only the wind would cooperate and stop blowing from the south and southwest.

Northernmost Point of the trip

Original phone in update - posted by Jake's brother Luke

Today Jake reached the northern most part of the trip. He enjoyed a day of calm weather but the wind has already started building from the south. Jake is expecting two days of headwinds as he heads to Manistique by Tuesday where he will see his Mommy and Daddy for the first time since December 5th.

9 Comments

Day 238 (Happy Birthday Dad!)

7/31/2010

4 Comments

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.

4 Comments

Day 237

7/30/2010

5 Comments

Daily Stats
Start: 5:45 AM - P.H. Hoeft State Park
Finish 3:00 PM - Zela Point (Bois Blanc Island)
Time: 9:15 hours
Daily dist: 36 miles
Total dist: 4500+
Companions: None
Weather: NNE then E winds up to 10 mph, partly cloudy, 70’s
Notes: The 40 Mile Light park was closed so we went back to the State Park to put in.

Keep land on your left for 4000 miles, then...

From the very first time I mentioned this trip, my brother Luke has cued up his best Forest Gump impersonation and teased me in a slow ramble “Hi.. my name is Jake… I’m goin paddlin. It’s easy… I just keep land on my left.” Remaining ever so clever, Luke even suggested a very simple approach to navigation when he signed my boat on launch day last December. He summed it up in two words and added an arrow for good measure… <-- TURN LEFT.

Well, today with my crossing of The Straights of Mackinac the rules have changed. For the first time in this trip (on open water) I now have land on my right as I will until I reach Green Bay. Honestly, it feels strange.

When Tom and I arrived at the Forty Mile Point Lighthouse park at 5:30 this morning we discovered a pair of locked gates with a sign stating that the park opens at 10:00 AM. Undeterred, and not wanting to wait five hours to launch, we drove back three miles to the nearby state park and launched there. With a quick farewell Tom headed home and I loaded my boat and launched into slightly choppy water with an already favorable breeze out of the northeast. With the wind slightly at my back I made up the three miles I lost in just a few minutes and continued on my way toward the Mackinac Straights. At noon, with a slight chop on the water and the Mackinac bridge on the horizon, I crossed from the lower peninsula of Michigan across the straights to Bois Blanc Island. I don’t know if the island pledges its allegiance with the upper or lower peninsula all I do know is that at camp tonight I’m only about ten miles from the bridge and Lake Michigan.

Look closely there is a very big bridge on the horizon

5 Comments

Day 236

7/29/2010

2 Comments

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.

2 Comments

Day 234 and 235

7/28/2010

7 Comments

Daily Stats
Start: 5:45 AM - Ferron Point (Two miles north of Rockport, MI)
Finish 2:45 PM - Forty Mile Point (Seven miles north of Rogers City, MI)
Time: 9:00 hours
Daily dist: 31 miles
Total dist: 4600+
Companions: None
Weather: W and SW winds 10mph clear skies and 80’s
Notes: Some of the most georgous shore I've seen so far... anywhere

Yesterday I only had about twenty five miles to go to reach Rogers City where I would be staying with Tom Odgen whom had heard about me via his son out in Westfield, WI. When I had talked to Tom a couple nights before about where to catch up with each other he had mentioned Forty Mile Point Lighthouse which is seven miles past Rogers City and would have meant a 30 mile day. At first I shunned the idea and suggested that I’d meet him on the beach in town. However, that was before I woke to another amazing day on Lake Huron and had yet another great day on the water. By noon when I rounded the point south of town I had certainly not had enough of the amazing scenery. So, I called Tom and asked if he’d still be OK with driving up to the lighthouse to pick me up. It was a short drive for him so that became my ultimate destination for the day and I got to enjoy three more hours on the water.

Wild and empty shore line. I can never get enough of this.

Waiting for me on shore when I arrived was Tom and a reporter from the local newspaper. Tom, who has done several long distance bicycle tours, knew exactly what a person would be craving when they got off the trail on a warm day like today and had a thermos full of ice water for me. It hit the spot. After a quick interview with the reporter, Tom and I loaded my gear and boat into and on to his truck and headed back to his house to meet his wife Elaine. After dinner we headed down to town for some ice cream and to see some of the sights.

Our first stop was out to the limestone quarry to which Rogers City owes its existence. Tom warned me that it was a very big hole but, nothing aside from a comparison to the Grand Canyon could have prepared me for the enormity of the gap in the earth’s crust that man and machinery have created. It was huge, miles across, and quite deep. Monster size dump trucks zoomed back and forth across the bottom looking like Tonka trucks compared to the barren hole itself. In the distance we could see the piles of crushed stone and towers at the loading port that I had paddled by on my approach to town earlier in the day.

That is one BIG hole in the ground

From the quarry we went down to the marina where I recognized a couple of sailboats that had passed me in a long string of sailboats coming out of the marina in Presque Isle about 15 miles to the south. We stopped and I called down to a few guys standing on the nearest boat if it was indeed the same group I’d seen earlier in the day. Sure enough it was, we got to talking about their race, which came up from Detroit over the last couple days, and my tour (which came up from Detroit over the last week or more) and ended up all walking over to a nearby snack bar to get an ice cream cone.

Me and Tom (on right) with three of the guys from the sailing race.

--- I have developed a sort of hierarchy of boaters that I see on the water. Ranked in regards to politeness, seamanship skills, and overall good people; (after other paddlers) sail boaters are on the top of my list. Cigarette boats and jet skis share space on the very bottom. Actually… I have dreams of cigarette boats and jet skis on the bottom. ---

While we chatted one of the sailors warned of what he called “thickening” weather that was on its way in. We could already see the leading edge of the front that he said was due to hit us in the early morning hours trailing behind it more wind than we’ve seen in a while. I hadn’t looked at the weather beyond today so when we got back to the house we pulled up the weather and, sure enough, a few showers were due to pass in the morning. But, more importantly, the wind was due to be blowing strong out of the NW all day. My general rule is that if the wind is at or above 15mph and is blowing right from the direction I want to go, it’s just not worth going out. That is exactly what was being predicted. Tom and Elaine said they didn’t mind if I stayed another day and Tom even suggested that we could drive down to Alpina to see the maritime museum so it became an easy decision to take today off.

Tom and Elaine on the windy beach.

I did harbor a small thought that if the winds magically didn’t build I could still get back on the water in the morning, however when I woke to falling rain and the wind rustling the trees outside the bedroom window, I knew it’d be a good day to stay off the water. After a wonderful breakfast of blueberry pancakes prepared by Tom, we drove down to Alpina and toured the museum. It is a great place chronicling the history of the great lakes shipping industry via the stories of the many, many shipwrecks that have occurred in the lakes. Complete with a mock up of a great lakes schooner that “is floundering in a storm” which you can go inside to see what the cramped quarters of one of those sailing ships was like. They do such a good job of convincing you that the ship is in a storm with flashing lights simulating lightning and lamps swinging on the walls inside the ship that you find yourself swaying on your feet to keep your balance.

Pretty to look at... but would have been a rough go.

Later in the evening the three of us drove down to the shore to get a look at what I had missed by not being on the water for the day. All I can say is that as we looked at the torn up whitecapping water with the wind straight out of the NW blowing spray way up the beach, that I made the right decision to stay off the water. Once again, luck (or divine intervention) put me with folks like Tom and Elaine on a day when I would have otherwise been stuck on a beach by myself.

Now we’re watching the winds predicted for tomorrow (only slightly better) to see if it will be worth getting back on the lake or just waiting until Friday when NOAA weather is predicting what they call “nearly ideal boating conditions.” That sounds good to me.

Elaine admiring the wind swept water

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Day 233 (Happy Anniversary Amy & Luke)

7/26/2010

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Daily Stats
Start:        5:15 AM - South Point (near Negwegon State Park)
Finish        12:15 PM - Ferron Point (Two miles north of Rockport, MI)
Time:        7:00 hours
Daily dist:    22 miles
Total dist:    4200+
Companions:    None
Weather:    Started out breezy out of NW then W clear skies and 80’s
Notes:        Perfect weather and an all around great day! Also, Happy Anniversary Amy & Luke! (7 years)

One would assume, perhaps for reasons of security or safety, that it would be the difficult days that I would feel like I’d like to have somebody along with me on this trip. Strangely the opposite is true. It’s the very nice days when everything seems to fall in place to make this endeavor seem like a pleasant vacation that I wish I had somebody along for the ride. Today was one of those days.

Last night, with only fifty miles to go to Rogers City where I’ll be staying with a host for the night, I decided to run two (somewhat shorter than my recent average) twenty five mile days on my way in. Today started with a somewhat bumpy crossing of Thunder Bay with ten mph northwest winds blowing down the length of the bay. After three hours of rolling water things calmed dramatically as I rounded North Point on the north side of the bay. There I started down what turned out to be one of the most beautiful sections of shore line I’ve seen on the Great Lakes so far. Few paved roads access this somewhat remote shore line meaning the cabins (which are spaced shoulder to shoulder everywhere else) are spaced up to a half mile apart leaving long stretches of unbroken and undeveloped shore line in between. The trees, as I continue north, are changing from broad leaf hardwoods to thicker pines and cedars which form a dense green backdrop to the gin clear water that seems to glow from within with a dozen shades of blue. Because it was a Monday, and because there just aren’t that many people around, I only saw two boats while I was on the water and both of those were small commercial fishing boats on their way in after tending their nets. The scenery combined with the peace and quiet of no boat traffic made for a wonderful day of paddling.

All cleaned up and feeling great

With twenty five miles as my goal for the day I was figuring on about an eight hour day. However, when I saw the completely undeveloped beach on Ferron point I decided to call it a day an hour and three miles early. This unbroken mile long beach, without a house, dock, or sign of human influence is a rare find, and I didn’t want to pass up the chance to stay here for just a few more miles. So, at noon, I landed and set about taking advantage of a dry breeze and bright sunshine to air out and dry all of my gear. Because I break camp so early, most mornings by tent (and other gear) is still wet with dew when I roll it up. Consequently all of my stuff rarely gets a chance to completely dry and was starting to smell like it. While my gear airing out I grabbed a bar of soap and got myself cleaned up (including a shave).

This long broad beach also gave me a rare opportunity to go for a bit of a hike. So often I’m on such a tiny bit of a beach that I don’t have room to explore, it was a treat to get out and see some of the natural surroundings. A few hundred yards down the beach I found a trail that led into the woods which I followed a quarter mile back to a logging road that paralleled the beach through thick cedars that covered sand dunes that were blown up a long long time ago. The road seemed to continue on endlessly, so I turned around after reaching a small shallow pond that flanked the road.

small pond behind the beach dunes

Once back on the beach I found a nice shady spot and lay down on the golf ball size stones there and took a nice nap. Napping comfortably on golf ball size stones may sound strange but, I was that tired, and the stones pressing into my back felt great, like a massage. The nap was followed by a hour or so spent reading a book then dinner with a view of Middle Island floating on multi hued blue water…

Like I said it’s days like today that I feel a little guilty about being out here alone. At least if there was somebody else along I wouldn’t feel like I was the only one having this much fun.

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Day 232

7/25/2010

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        Double Post! Be sure to check out Day 231 post below...
Daily Stats
Start:        5:30 AM - Au Sable Point (Between East Tawas and Oscoda)
Break:        12:00-4:00 PM - Harrisville State Park
Finish        3:15 PM - South Point (near Negwegon State Park)
Time:        10:15 hours
Daily dist:    33 miles
Total dist:    4200+
Companions:    Jerry (friend of Randy from Port Huron)
Weather:    Started out breezy out of NNW then windy from NE then calm
Notes:        Once again the wind ran almost the entire compass

Jerry joined me for about an hour this morning

Now would be a very bad time for me to commit a crime. I’d simply have no place to hide. At about 8:00 AM this morning a half mile from shore miles from anybody I know I came upon Jerry (who is a Friend of Randy Orchard who I stayed with last week). Jerry was in the area helping his mother move and figured he’d see if he could catch up with me. He checked the lake at a little park in Au Sable and sure enough there I was paddling by. So he jumped in his truck and leap frogged ahead of me then paddled south to meet up with me on the water. We paddled together for about a hour during which time I think I talked his poor ear off. I’ve come to realize that I get a bit… chatty when I’ve been solo for a couple days. Later in the day I pulled out at Harrisville State Park to take a break and was set up on a picnic table cooking lunch when up came a man I’d never seen before who said “hi Jake.” Apparently he is a member of a Michigan paddling club who had seen on of the e-mails that my friend Steve had sent getting the word out about this trip. Like I said, I can’t hide.

Today was a pretty good day overall. The wind was already up when I launched early this morning and by 11:00 AM it was blowing out of the NE hard enough to make paddling north almost not worth it. So I pulled out at the state park to take a break and let the wind hopefully die down. After lunch while I was enjoying a nice nap on the beach the wind did drop to almost nothing. Not being one to waist good paddling weather I jumped back in the kayak and pulled out 12 more miles before the day was through.

The view from my tent tonight

The scenery around here, I must say, is amazing. Lush tree lined shores, sandy beaches, rolling green hills in the distance, and for me the most notable thing lately has been the sky. With all the storm fronts that have been passing through lately the clouds and sky have been incredible. On lake Erie the skies were mostly clear as I passed through and the most memorable thing was the flat calm water that ended almost every evening. On Lake Huron it has most definitely been the sky I‘ve never seen so many textures and colors amongst the clouds, and I‘ll never forget it.

I've said it before but, WOW!

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Day 231 Saginaw Bay Crossing

7/24/2010

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Daily Stats
Start:        5:30 AM - Caseville, MI (Sleeper State Park)
Finish        3:15 PM - Au Sable Point (Between East Tawas and Oscoda)
Time:        8:45 hours
Daily dist:    35 miles
Total dist:    4200+
Companions:    None
Weather:    Mixed weather everything from windy and grey to fog to calm and rain to sunshine.
Notes:        Almost scrubbed crossing attempt because of early winds but they diminished and I made great time all day.

Even though I had to move all my gear from camp, across the highway, down to the beach, and into the hatches of the Ikkuma it was still an early 5:30 AM when I pushed off from the beach at Sleeper State Park this morning. The morning calm I had hoped (and was predicted) was not to be. Instead a brisk 10-15mph NW wind was already licking up one foot waves that were tumbling onto the beach. One of the rules I adhere to for crossings is no winds over 15 mph especially starting out. For a long while I considered scrubbing my crossing attempt for today.   Yet, when I checked the weather radio it still predicted winds of only 5-10 mph. As I launched into that wind I realized that a cloud bank was passing overhead replacing the partly cloudy skies with grey overcast. There was a chance that once that front passed over head the winds could diminish. Also, because Charity Island sits only 10 miles from shore a bit more than half way across the 17 mile crossing, I had a safety stop if things should get worse. With a safety stop and a favorable prediction, I decided to at least give it a go. Thankfully I did.

After bouncing along in choppy seas for about two hours I was sliding into the lea of the island about three miles out when the wind started to drop. By the time I reached Charity Island the lake had calmed to a moderate chop and I could see no threat of thunderstorms on the horizon. At that the decision was easy to press on the next seven miles toward the other side putting Saginaw Bay behind me. An hour further still the lake became flat calm. It was great. For the rest of the day the lake remained calm and the paddling great as the weather changed from overcast, to foggy, to foggy and drizzly, to light rain, and back to just overcast.

As I neared point Au Sable I could see development about a quarter mile inland behind the beach. Yet, the beach was mostly disserted with dune grass and short trees providing a way to hide my tent and not attract too much attention. Thankfully I landed and managed to set up camp just as a heavy downpour passed through. The rain, keeping to the mixed bag of weather, was followed by broken blue skies and warm sunshine.

What a difference a day of rest can make. It was a great day of paddling and I felt better both physically and mentally than I have in the last several days. It certainly does feel good to have Saginaw Bay behind me. Now Mackinaw is clearly on my radar.

old shipping terminal

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Day 229 and 230

7/23/2010

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Daily Stats
Start: 5:30 AM - Port Hope, MI (Huron County Campground)
Finish 1:15 PM - Caseville, MI (Sleeper State Park)
Time: 7:45 hours
Daily dist: 29 miles
Total dist: 4200+
Companions: None
Weather: Partly cloudy with highs in the 80’s wind light and variable.
Notes: Had considered crossing the bay but went with plan B

Anybody who has been reading this blog for a while, or who is a kayaker themselves, knows that the weather is the force that steers me more than anything. Today held weather that was about as perfect for paddling as you can find. Calm winds, moderate temperatures, and a few clouds. With that I was making great time rounding the top of the thumb of Michigan. -- Everybody around here calls it “The Thumb” even the NOAA marine weather forecasts -- I knew from the marine radio that the weather was supposed to turn for the worst tomorrow, meaning that for the next couple days this may be the best weather to do the crossing. With that in mind I was considering crossing Saginaw Bay (a crossing of about 15 miles or so) today. However, I wanted to get far enough into the bay to make the crossing a bit shorter before I started across. That would mean about 30 miles of paddling BEFORE starting a 15 mile crossing. That’s a lot of paddling.

The thought of crossing today depended totally on if the weather would hold out long enough to pull it off. To see more detail of what the weather held for the rest of the day I phoned Amy back home and she got on the computer to get an hour by hour of what the weather was supposed to do. Sure enough there was big weather on the way but it looked like things were supposed to remain calm until 7:00 PM. That was just enough time to pull it off… just enough.

Perfect day to put in big miles

So “Plan B” was hatched. My map showed Sleeper State Park very near the jumping off point to cross the bay. It was the perfect spot to spend a day off resting up before getting back on the water (with renewed energy) to do the crossing. I landed there and checked into a site then called Amy to let her know that I wasn’t going to do anything crazy. She was relieved because she had just re-checked the weather and found that the front was moving much faster than was originally predicted and my weather window was about to close. It was a smart move and I thoroughly enjoyed a hot shower and cozy camp when the rain started falling in the early evening.

One thing I have to say is that the staff at Sleeper State Park are amazing people. Being in civilization I had hoped to get my electronics charged up. Unfortunately my extension cord was too short to reach from my tent which was set up in the only high spot on my site. When I checked back in to the office I learned that it was too late to move sites so I’d have to figure something out. Amazingly the woman that checked me in (Caitlin thank you so much) asked her manager if an extension cord could be loaned to me. A few hours later, to my surprise, the manager set me up with a cord that would allow me to plug in and get my equipment charged before I set back out on the water. They made my day.

Day 230 (off the water - a much needed break)

If I thought Caitlin made my day yesterday you could have imagined my surprise when she showed up at my camp site early this morning with cupcakes (from her mom) and a note with words of encouragement to send me on my way. She and her mother had checked out my web site and thought the trip was remarkable and thought the cupcakes would be appreciated. Boy… were they right!

The card and cupcakes from Caitlin and her mom. Thank you so much

My big plan for the day was to sort through my gear to purge out any items I haven’t used in a while to be sent home. A general rule is that if I haven’t used it in two weeks (excluding first aid and repair items) I probably don’t need it. Today I removed a couple souvenir items, used maps, and a couple things I realized I haven’t used in the last 3000 miles. If I haven’t used it in 3000 I’m sure I won’t need it in the 400 odd miles between here and Wisconsin. Of course sending the stuff home required a visit to the post office which was four miles away in Caseville. As luck would have it my neighbor in camp offered up his bicycle to make the run into town, saving me a long walk.

It's not top shelf but way better than walking.

My experience with that neighbor, Hugh, is a story in it’s own. When he arrived I helped him get backed into his spot (not that he needed the help) and we got to talking. He noticed my kayak and asked if I’d heard about the guy that was paddling 5000 miles around the country. I replied “I AM that guy.” He just about fell over, he actually had heard about me on the radio. Go figure. Hugh rides a Harley and is always looking for a place to ride. After showing him some of the beautiful rides I know of in California I also showed him where Portage WI is and he may just ride over to see me reach the finish line next month.

Can you believe it… next month. Put August 28th on your calendar there is going to be a celebration for sure.

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Day 255 A Post From Noah (and a follow up by Uncle Jake)

Day 255 (Followup post from Uncle Jake)

Day 254 (back on the trail)

Day 253

Day 252

Day 251(off the water)

Day 249-250

Day 248

Day 247

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad

Day 246 (Back in Wisconsin at last!)

Day 245

Day 244

Personal Update!

Day 243

Day 242

Day 241

Day 240

Day 239

Original phone in update - posted by Jake's brother Luke

Day 238 (Happy Birthday Dad!)

Original Quick Post

Day 237

Day 236

Day 234 and 235

Day 233 (Happy Anniversary Amy & Luke)

Day 232

Day 231 Saginaw Bay Crossing

Day 229 and 230

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Day 255 (Followup post from Uncle Jake)

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad

Original phone in update - posted by Jake's brother Luke

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Aqua Adventures

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