All things paddling.

[Gerald Wilgus]

What are your favorite experiences on rivers, and big lakes like our Inland seas? I am an intermediate paddler in a canoe and in sea kayaks, but a novice in other kayaks. My passion is to play in river features, surfing waves and holes. Of course I have had my share of swims. The last came 3 years ago on the Green River through Desolation and Gray canyons. It was Cow Swim rapid at 29,000 cubic feet per second. I negotiated the drop nicely, but misjudged my lateral movement and went over a huge pourover into a big hole. I lost boyancy and had to swim out, followed by my boat. I had about a 1/4 mile swim before I could get out of the river. Only thing hurt was my ego.

But, normally I like some of the small lively rivers here in N Michigan. Me in my homebuilt solo canoe.

 

[RotanotNino]

Nice picture. Back in the 1970s to 1990s I used to go Whitewater Rafting on the American River and Cache Creek but I haven't done any of that since about 1996 or so. I wore a Stearns Whitewater vest while doing it to keep afloat and minimize impact on rocks if I fell out which was rare.

 

[Thinx]

I like rowing a small boat.I have canoed too, but I prefer a boat. Big wooden oars and a quiet lake or Loch. Bliss. We are by the sea now, and we see people on boards paddling while standing. Anyone do that? What's it like on the sea doing that? We are both good swimmers. Well I'm adequate maybe! But cautious.

 

[RotanotNino]

No, I have seen the pictures of the gondola taxis in Venice standing up like that but not done it. Canoes are cool, drive pretty fast. Whoever made the best canoes in the village for the Iroquois and other such groups must have had good status.

 

[Gerald Wilgus]

I like rowing a small boat.I have canoed too, but I prefer a boat. Big wooden oars and a quiet lake or Loch. Bliss. We are by the sea now, and we see people on boards paddling while standing. Anyone do that? What's it like on the sea doing that? We are both good swimmers. Well I'm adequate maybe! But cautious.

Lots of paddle-boarders on the Great Lakes.

 

[Gerald Wilgus]

No, I have seen the pictures of the gondola taxis in Venice standing up like that but not done it. Canoes are cool, drive pretty fast. Whoever made the best canoes in the village for the Iroquois and other such groups must have had good status.

Modern hull design can trace itself back to native designs. The Peterborough design is one that comes to mind. It was the first cedar strip boat that I built, though I put more volume in the bow to ride up on waves. One early solo canoe, the Wee Lassie, designed by Rushton, is still a favorite of home builders. But I think its freeboard is a little skimpy for medium standing waves on rivers.

 

[Mush]

I love kayaking. We live opposite a lake and then there’s another lake 2km away and then there’s Moreton Bay about 15km away. A short drive north there’s Pumicestine Passage. A little further you’ve got the Noosa Everglades, and further north from there is the Great Sandy Strait and Harvey Bay separating mainland Australia from K’gari, the largest sand island in the world.

I’ve kayak all of these areas and more over the years. Did a 10 day trip last year kayaking the western coast of K’gari. It was the best kayaking trip I’ve done so far.

This is my collection of kayaks (plus racks of camping gear). The kayak on the top belongs to my son. The next one down is a 2+1 we’ve had for a few years as my youngest was not always capable of paddling by herself so well. The red one is a Hobie Revo 13 that belongs to my wife. The olive coloured giant is a Hobie Revo 16 that is mine, and the bottom kayak is just for whoever wants to paddle.

 

[Mush]

Here are some pics from the K’gari trip.

 

[Gerald Wilgus]

Here are some pics from the K’gari trip.

It looks like you had great weather and conditions on the water.

Here is a pic of my spouse and I paddling out to an island in Lake Michigan on a particularly calm day. A 22 foot long stitch and glue kayak I built. A very fast boat.

 

[Alaric593]

It looks like you had great weather and conditions on the water.

Here is a pic of my spouse and I paddling out to an island in Lake Michigan on a particularly calm day. A 22 foot long stitch and glue kayak I built. A very fast boat.View attachment 80373

I think I know where you're at but don't want to ask for concern you don't want that kind of pinpoint on your location and I could be wrong regardless. The scenery looks familiar. My wife and I used to live on Lake Michigan in Northwestern Michigan

 

[Gerald Wilgus]

I think I know where you're at but don't want to ask for concern you don't want that kind of pinpoint on your location and I could be wrong regardless. The scenery looks familiar. My wife and I used to live on Lake Michigan in Northwestern Michigan

The West arm of traverse bay, headed to Power Island.

 

[Alaric593]

The West arm of traverse bay, headed to Power Island.

I knew it. We lived right across from there. Westbayshore. A blue brick house.

 

[Alaric593]

The West arm of traverse bay, headed to Power Island.

 

[Gerald Wilgus]

When conditions are good, they are very good, but when conditions deteriorate things get interesting. I've had waves rolling over the deck of that boat before.

 

[Alaric593]

When conditions are good, they are very good, but when conditions deteriorate things get interesting. I've had waves rolling over the deck of that boat before.

We miss it a great deal up there. It's changed quite a lot the last time we were up there for vacation to see friends.

 

[Alaric593]

From our wedding at The Opera House.

 

[Gerald Wilgus]

From our wedding at The Opera House.View attachment 80535 View attachment 80536

Nice. With the microbreweries andvdistilleries going in, things certainly are changing. And I see somebody burying cable out into our rural areas, so things are looking up. It is a bit idiosyncratic up here. Unfortunately the Cherry Festival will be on and the tourons will be overrunning the place.

 

[Alaric593]

Nice. With the microbreweries andvdistilleries going in, things certainly are changing. And I see somebody burying cable out into our rural areas, so things are looking up. It is a bit idiosyncratic up here. Unfortunately the Cherry Festival will be on and the tourons will be overrunning the place.

For sure. We certainly do not miss the summer congestion. I bartended out at Turtle Creek for a few years and it was brutal getting there during the festival season.

 

[Gerald Wilgus]

For sure. We certainly do not miss the summer congestion. I bartended out at Turtle Creek for a few years and it was brutal getting there during the festival season.

The only saving grace during the summer are a few rivers and many nice bike trails. Next week is my spouse's and my turn to organize a ride for the bike club and we will go from Sutton's Bay to Shady Lane winery, and back, on the Leelanau bike trail. The VI Grill in Sutton's Bay will do breakfast. There is also a beautiful trailside garden and in another month the blueberries will be ripe. I enjoy grazing in that garden, where such is encouraged. The bike trail is an economic plus for Sutton's Bay that Beulah should take note of. The troglodytes in Beulah are against improving the bike trail through their town, so Frankfort gets the bicyclist's dollars. I bike on the Heritage trail and am a Trail Ambassador for the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. I enjoy helping when I could.