Uncommon Adventures blog

Summer melted into fall this year and we now seem to be on the seamy underbelly of autumn.  It was a brilliant fall here in Sleeping Bear County…leaves the color of saffron and crimson, pumpkin and ocre–good, old fashioned colors, not the ones described in the latest Patagucci catalogs. Here along the Betsie river, the Tamaracks went from gold to saffron to cinnamon and now litter in rust on the forest floor.  Now as I nurse my shoulder after rotator-cuff surgery, I wander woodland trails enjoying the homey comfortable scents of Indian-summer warmed leaves; a warm-apple-pie nutty smell that only comes when the forest goes skeletal.  Seasonal shift, change in economy, change of regime; our time flows like a river no matter how much we drag our feet.  Water.  Always back to water.

So, considering possible trips for 2009 and waters to cover…closer to home, more accessible and reachable for the economically challenged time ahead.  New places nearby and nearby places in a new way will be this coming year’s mantra.   We live in such a fabulous place that an after work dinner cookout paddle trip might just be the breather one needs in an otherwise unremarkable week.

Winter is breathing down our necks and my thoughts have been firmly rooted in palm trees and coral reefs getting ready for my winter paddling season.  This year I’m actually driving cross country through Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and onto Honduras. Once I make it to this little drydock in La Ceiba, I’ll put this little quattro por quattro Ford with its back covered with new Valley boats on a packet freighter for the crossing to Roatan.  Not your average road trip, not a normal life.  Anyone up for a three week wander down along the Yucatan?  Drop a comment…someone with a spirit of adventure and a little time on their hands would be welcome.  Feel like chasing the sun?

Arghhhh!

I sat bolt upright at 5 am, eyes windowshading open, heart racing….”s%^, f$%^, d^&#, I’m going to miss my plane…” then tried to breathe through the forest fire smoke clogging my nose here in Sun Valley, Idaho and realized that it wasn’t yesterday, this isn’t my bed and that I’m not, in fact, Bill Murrey. Brain, re-boot. I’m in Hailey/Ketchum pumping up rafts and prepping food supplies to leave by noon (yeah, right) for a trip down the Middle Fork of the Salmon river….but I am getting way ahead of myself and way behind in journaling so….looking back over the blur of the last two weeks…

Photos to follow the river trip. Let’s see: spare oars- check, fly rods-check, PBR-check, 1000 dry flies-oh yea…..

Greenland Training Camp

For the last 7 years Qajakusa sponsors a unique Greenland style kayaking event right here in NW Michigan. It usually sells out within two weeks of opening registration in April. This year was no exception. For this event, I’m the food guy. Cooking for 70 for four days…okay, planning the menu and shopping it all also. You can’t drive to training camp…you have to paddle, or in my case, use a pontoon boat loaded with 1800 lbs of home-made soups, steaks, salmon, chicken, pies, apples, fresh peaches and a bushels of greens. This year we managed to host quite a few new folks as well as some teens. Greg Stamer joined both to teach and share stories of his recent, high speed Newfoundland circumnavigation. Others came from Walden Pond, Ontario, Vermont, Wisconsin, Minnesota and the wilds of Ohio. Thanks to the Vermont crew, Jane, John and Emmet for inspiring a new superhero…”Sphincterman”…representing the anxiety level of the populus and the bran lovers community. You just know you’re going to have a good day if you can get a good sphincter reference in before breakfast!

Weather perfection on Isle Royale

Michael C and Tom Mac met me in Copper Harbor for a trip that’s always been on their wish lists…kayak Isle Royale National Park…the biggest Island in the biggest lake in the world. Until this week, they’d never seen Lake Superior, but being from Baltimore and Chesapeake Bay, they came with some serious miles under their belts. They also came armed with carbon/kevlar kayaks and three quarts of Maker’s Mark…should travel with these lads more often! Tom managed just fine at his goal of catching a fish with about an 8 lb Steelhead from the outside of Amygdaloid Island (say that 3 times fast, I dare you). Michael C. came equipped with a nice set of Steiners to glass all sorts of birds including watching an Eagle chow on a baby loon…life is tough in the real world. All week we never had a wave over 18 inches, a raindrop, a chilly morning or a bad meal. Okay, the ferry ride back may have been a little lumpy…..

The last couple of weeks have been filled with workshops, lessons and food-focused activity getting prepped for Greenland Training Camp. This past weekend I was fortunate enough to be joined by the likes of the Campbells. Nothing like showing people Sleeping Bear’s Greatest hits to make you appreciate your own backyard. Dave and young Nathan were an absolute pleasure to paddle, explore and hang out with and they were kind enough to star in our little Sleeping Bear Snapshot video. Honestly, I didn’t pay them (blush) to say this stuff. Nate’s a total natural and has his Dad hunting all over for a Tsunami Sp for him and his twin sister. We’ve infected another family with kayaking…..enjoy the video. Next up, Isle Royale with a pair of guys who’ve driven all the way from Chesapeake Bay.

This is a video testimonial for Michael Gray and Uncommon Adventures. See video from Sleeping Bear Dunes and Point Betsie area in NW Michigan… and a picture perfect summer day.

I find myself with a short break in the early morning hours in the midst of 10 days of teaching programs. We’ve just had two 3 day workshops back to back, then to Grand Marais to join in the paddling festivities at The Great Lakes Sea Kayak Symposium. During the first workshop we were joined by Rob “Rooster” Taylor to offer Linda B. a little two instructor to one student ratio for a very highly tuned introduction to paddling. Linda was celebrating her birthday with this trip and we plied her with fresh whitefish, local strawberries and white wine as part of her paddling education. Like all of us, Linda learned that like life, kayaking isn’t a ride…you have to do it. She finished her weekend very handily on the lower Betsie by maneuvering around various river obstacles under the gaze of Herons and Martin Pescadors (Kingfishers).

Last Monday we were joined by Karen and Donovan for another B&B workshop. Karen is sister to my old roommate at MSU and came to enjoy a couple of days learning about kayaking and enjoying the breezes and diamond sparkles off the waves of Lake Michigan. We were also lucky enough to be joined by the talents of Bonnie Perry as guest instructor. Karen and Donovan helped us develop some new rescue ideas and blessed us with terrific positive spirits and some good laughs. I hope that we’ve infected them with the paddling bug because water seemed to suit them very well as a medium for relaxation.

This weekend’s services at “Our Lady of Perpetual Gear Drying” at the Grand Marais symposium had the usual cast of characters for paddling family reunion. Tiffany, Patrick, Rob and various Saras and Danielles were on hand to make this event work and we all owe them for keeping it alive. Sleep as not in attendance this weekend, but we were graced by the likes of Justine Curgenven and Barry, Gail Green, The Lori/e’s, Doug VanDoren, Bonnie Perry, Robin Cook, Kelly Blades, Danny Mongo, the entire B-Family (special thanks to Jeremy for his Billy Barker talents on stage with the Woody), and a guest fly tackle visitation from Adrienne Levknecht resting her shoulder before heading off to the World Cup. Lots of sand, water, fog, sun, cute dogs and perhaps a bit of libation involved….trust me, this is a family reunion you WANT to go to.

Usually the July 4 holiday finds me in cold waters guiding with Tom Pogson in Alaska. This year found me near home hosting a lovely couple from Columbus and a client from the Chicago area tuning up his skills before joining his wife on our Georgian Bay trip. This long weekend was what we call, “Sleeping Bear Sampler” which means we get to hang out here, gorge on fresh local strawberries and sample all of the great paddling venues we have in the area. Nathan and Anne learned to wear their kayaks rather well during the weekend, sample a number of different hulls and began to learn the water dance that is kayaking. We finished off this incredible weather weekend with a gentle float down the lower Betsie River in Sea kayaks to put their new skills to the test…t’was fun to watch them glide around trees and snags with total comfort. Art managed to easily get by fears of capsize and grow some serious confidence in handling his boat. I’m thinking his wife, Linnell, may just be in for a rather pleasant surprise when she sees how Art can now pilot a Valley Aquanaut. Ahhhhh…the infection spreads…..

Now for a day off…may be just the right time to get out with my little fishing buddy and paddle an open boat for a change…..

“Mmmmm coffee, I’m shaking….it’s great!” Monica says after downing one cup past her limit.  Jonathon and Monica could have been tough critics since they also roast their own beans, but we managed to slurp our way through two pots each morning for this last weekend’s paddling skills clinics.  Blessed by nice weather, local strawberries and asparagus, we sampled a half dozen boat designs through a variety of paddling technique, safety and boat handling classes this past weekend.  Sunday’s day trip was broken up with a sun-drenched Mediterranean picnic out on a Lake Michigan beach that we had to ourselves before the post lunch crowd started to wander out into the waves.  I hope next weekend’s Sleeping Bear sampler has as good weather and enthusiastic students as Monica and Jonathon proved to be.  Ahh…guys, you left a nice Spanish red behind….well, it won’t go to waste here.

A couple of weeks back I had a weekend workshop attended by a couple from Interlochen. They had met one another through a club that focused on non-motorized outdoor recreation, primarily backpacking. A common theme came up during the weekend. We like backpacking; there’s nothing like the freedom and independence of having your home on your back. The downside? As we, ahem, grow toward adulthood, that very same “having your home on your back” isn’t quite as comfortable anymore. Steve was hoping to infect his dear mate Lucy with the idea of packing that very same house, with a few added comforts, into kayaks for that same freedom in a more liquid environment. Well, it seems to be working now that Lucy has found a boat that fits her well, she’s plying the waters with grace and style that leaves some of us almost feeling, well, clunky. Might be one of those slow but long lasting infections.

As some of you well know, kayak touring can be a very comfortable way to travel in the wilderness. With water supporting the load of your traveling home the pain component is largely taken out of the picture. And talk about accessories! Forget sawing the handle off your toothbrush! Thick luxurious sleeping pads, roomy tents, fresh foods, wines to match, a clean shirt…add to that a solar shower and plenty of surrounding water for bathing and you’ve got a recipe for bliss. Does Steve know that he may be enabling an addiction for Lucy that involves all things carbon fiber and oodles of reward miles? Stay tuned. Schroeder, cue the piano…..

This is sort of a dress rehearsal on the blog thing. I’ve heard and said a number of things about our current sluggish economy and its effect on tourism, but I’ve been discovering an unforeseen benefit. For the first time in remembrance I can actually spend a little summer time with some of my dearest friends doing things during their time off. Making a business out of other people’s holiday time usually results in you having time off when your friends are working. I’ve chosen to embrace this little window of quiet business time this year and focus on new marketing projects, like this blog and learning how to make video media. Oh, and just as importantly, to spend time outside with dear friends.