Day Five: South Entry through the Portage to Churning Rapids (our home)

Libby took this picture of the sunrise from our quarters at the Julien's house this morning:

We gave each other some ominous looks and recited simultaneously:  "Red sky at night, sailors' delight; red sky in the morning, sailors take warning."   "But we're not sailing!" said Libby.  Okay!  We're good! 

Connie and her little dog Morkie bade us goodbye and we headed into the calm waters of the channel, checking out cottages, houses and barns (see below) that we'd not seen before.

The coast guard boat slowed so as not to rock us with their wake and we called out to them that we'd come all the way from Copper Harbor! and to check out our blog!  

We checked out Princess Point, hoping for a place to pee, but the shore is very swampy and tag aldery.  Finally found a spot and then headed out into Portage Lake.  I had had the idea that because it wasn't the Big Lake, it would be calm and easy.  It wasn't.  First of all, Portage Lake is much farther end to end than I thought, and also the wind was shifting from east to northeast (we were paddling north) and kicking up some substantial waves with whitecaps even.  Then it started to rain.  I had neglected to put on my rain gear, and by the time we reached the corner near Dollar Bay I was cold and soaked.  

But the rain stopped as we headed through Houghton/Hancock, some friends hailed us from the shore and the sight of the bridge restored our spirits.  Yeay!  

Nathan Miller of the KLT positioned himself on the bridge and took this shot of our approach

and going under the bridge.

Libby caught us from behind.

It was exciting to be so close to the bridge and so wonderful to be greeted by friends as we beached our boat behind the Ramada and dragged ourselves over to the Copper Island Beach Club for some spicy jambalaya.  Yum.  I hung my wet stuff all over the ladies room while we ate so I wasn't quite as wet when we embarked yet again for the final stretch --our home stretch!--of the day.

The water was calm with just a bit of northbound waves pushing us along and we were observing all the places that we see from the road so frequently.  The houses that seem so small on the road side look huge when seen from the water side, and we discovered some tiny cottages tucked under the level of the road that we didn't even know were there!

I was feeling tired and fairly relaxed--Terry said it was okay if I needed to just rest my arms for a while--when near High Point, right across from Don Arkin and Sharon Emley's house we heard some thunder.  Well, for sure I didn't want to be out on the water if there was gonna be lightening, so my arms forgot their fatigue and poured on the steam.  Even so, we didn't beat the rain, and we were pretty well soaked when we finally landed at our neighbor's house across the road from Churning Rapids.

Repeatedly on this trip we've seen eagles.  They always feel like such good omens, and just as we neared the shore we came upon an immature eagle perched on a piling and watching our approach from just yards away.  Thanks, eagles.

It's so great to see our dog Chester and Nick the cat, and so hard thinking about leaving them again tomorrow morning.  But we will.  We've come well over halfway on our circumnavigation; Terry estimates we've come 90 miles!  and we want to complete the loop.  So we're hoping to make it to the mouth of the Gratiot tomorrow.

Onward!

Steve Brimm's photos

Thank you, Steve!  See you in Copper Harbor!

Terry writes....

We're a bit over halfway in our trip now. Sue Ellen is carrying the main load of blogging. I will do a more detailed thank you at the end, but our trip so far reminds me of a line from the movie Gandhi. One of his assistants was talking with an American reporter: "You wouldn't believe how much money and effort it takes to allow the Mahatma to live simply." I feel a little like that. Sue Ellen and I have paddled every inch of the way, but have been minded and tended and protected throughout, staying with friends three of the first 4 nights and always having at least one skilled kayaker near us to make sure we stayed safe.

This morning as we paddled across Little Traverse Bay, the just barely undulating flat water reflected the early morning sun in a slight haze. To the east across miles of water were the Huron Mountains, to the north some of the Keweenaw, and to the south Rabbit Island. It was perfectly still and quiet, the only noise, the gentle dipping of our paddles in the water. It was, well I'm just out of superlatives.

 Terry

Day Four: Louis Point to South Entry

It was cold again when we got up, but by the time we got our kayaks loaded I had worked up a sweat and had to take off some of my woolens.  I'd decided I really need to keep a wet suit on all the time while in the boat and it gets pretty warm in there when we're paddling.  

We coulda stayed here happily for days, such a sweet cottage and lovely view, but the fact that the lake was smooth and glassy made it very inviting, so off we went, now with our new escort, Libby Meyer, Kayak Goddess, see below.

Oh man, the day could not have been more lovely and we passed more of the sandstone bluffs that are such a prominent feature of this part of the south coast.  Our destination was Sunrise Beach (also called Bare Butt Beach by the locals) where we were looking forward to a lunch supplied by Linda and Jim Belote.

The other side of Little Traverse Bay.

There they were!  All of us right on time!  Linda and Jim came out to meet us in their canoe, and then they served us one of the most luxurious lunches ever!  Warm lasagna made with kale and chard from the farmers market, fresh green salad with sweet pea vines and pecans and pear, fresh bread and butter, tangerines and cookies.  Good Grief!  I was so excited I forgot to take a picture.  Jim was taking pictures so maybe he'll send some.

Jim and Linda joined us for part of the next leg, along the most picturesque sandstone cliffs of all.  Three years ago, Bill Rose, the world-famous geologist/vulcanologist had brought a group of us out here to do what I came to call red-rock-water-walking.  We waded in to walk slowly along the ledge at the base of the cliffs, where the water at that time was only up to our thighs or sometimes our waists, and it was even warm enough to stay in for nearly two hours.  It was such an adventure that I took other friends and family there in subsequentl summers whenever the seas were calm and the sun was out.  Now, not only is Lake Superior much higher than it has been for years, but also it's much colder, having been completely covered by ice for a good part of the past winter.  So I think it may be a while till we do water walking again, but being there in a kayak was just as good.

Linda and Jim left us and we went on towards White City and South Entry, past more and higher cliffs and some lovely little hidden sandy beaches.  We got to South Entry two hours ahead of schedule, riding on a trailing wind.  There were Linda and Jim again, waiting for us at the end of the long long breakwall!

As we rounded the breakwall we could see Larry and Connie Julien waiting for us!  

Approacing the Juliens, with the South Entry breakwall behind us.

Arrival!  Yeay!

We were treated royally, staying in an apartment over the garage, eating a wonderful chicken andf dressing supper, joined by Susan Hooker who brought out some treats for breakfast.  Larry showed us a video from his white water canoeing in Canada, and I slept the longest night I've slept yet on this trip.

Here we are right now, eating breakfast with Connie.  Check out their view!

We're heading out this morning, up through the Portage, under the bridge on to Churning Rapids, where we hope to sleep in our own beds tonight.

Day Three: Brunette Park--Gay--Louis Point

It rained in the night, but the sun shone on Brunette Park in the morning.

We're up, Evan's sleeping in.

Packing up at Brunette Park--it was cold that morning!

Here we are leaving Brunette early--great clouds.

We left Brunette Park with coffee and tea  in thermoses strapped on our kayak, heading to Gay.  We could see the Gay Stack tiny on the horizon and it was farther off than we thought.  So even though the sea was flat and the clouds were lovely, we didn't get to Gay until noon so we had breakfast and called it lunch.

Approaching the Gay Stack.  For those of you who aren't from around here, the Gay Stack is a massive chimney leftover from the copper mining days, I think it was a smelter.  

Gettin' closer

And here is where Evan caught up with us in Gay.

Packing up to leave the little Gay park, heading out and around the stamp sands, which are the residue from the copper smelting and which were dumped into Lake Superior in those years, leaving the coarse, hard, fine rock there for posterity. 

We thought we would be around the stamp sands in just a few minutes, but no!  The stamp sands go on and on and on!  I didn't get any pictures cause I kept thinking well, everybody's seen the stamp sands, but you don't realize how massive the deposit is until you kayak by and it just doesn't stop.  Grand Traverse Bay is big, too.  We checked out the little township park just outside of town, and when we got back in our boats, discovered that we had a trailing wind!  Oh man, was that fun!  

We made it to Louis Point in no time.  And here was a surprise.  Louis Point is a blunt, vaguely mushroom-shaped peninsula sticking out into Lake Superior and the end is a stretch of spectacular sandstone bluff.  

Evan inspecting a curvy line of red sandstone along the bluff.

Our destination was on around the point and facing Little Traverse Bay, a humble and enchanting little cottage belonging to our friend Jane Pallin's brother, and I gotta say, this photo, taken the next mornning, doesn't do it justice at all!  

The view is stunning; here you can see it behind me as I'm sipping something, wine, probably.  The trailing wind had gotten us here ahead of schedule, but not long after we arrived we were greeted by our friends Sharon Emley and Don Arkin, who spend their winters on a sailboat and wanted to hear every detail of our adventures thus far.  Then came our hosts, Jane and Dave Pallin with a delicious supper of fresh lake trout.  What a treat!  

The lake was so so calm and the reflected sunset so so lovely that I couldn't resist going for a swim.  Besides I'd started to stink.  Not sure the cold water took away the stink, but it certainly was refreshing. 

Libby Meyer arrived also to replace her husband Evan as our escort.  We said good bye to Evan and the rest and bedded down at last under clear skies and Ursa Major.