Kayaking Freaks

From the Nose of Our Kayak Don & Janet Beasley Chapter 20: A Beautiful Day...What Can We Say The reason you either live or travel to Michigan's U.P. is to experience days such as these. The sky was bluer than any we'd ever seen, the cloud formations were unique, and the wildlife was plenty.  We launched our kayak into the Tahquamenon River once again. We took our time flowing downriver, paddling only when we wanted to as we wanted the day to last forever.  Our first glance from the nose of our kayak on the river was awesome. The water had no ripples...it was actually a mirror. The brackish water was clear, and the sights beneath its crystal top were as beautiful as the sky. The vegetation laid in the direction of the water's flow. Lilly pads came into view and we stopped to gaze upon their serenity.  As we coasted a bit farther down river we began to see flocks of one of our favorite birds, cedar waxwings. Something about their striking appeara...

From the Nose of Our Kayak Don & Janet Beasley Chapter 19: "The Vast and Shallow" Don prepares for an outing Our next adventure took place in an area of Michigan's UP known as The Shallows. The Shallows are near Naomikong River. It made for a wonderful day of hiking alongside and kayaking in the grand Lake Superior.  The Shallows' shoreline actually graces the rim of Whitefish Bay which is part of Lake Superior. We awoke to the smell of coffee brewing and bacon frying. After breakfast we were eager to get busy so we loaded up the #WildernessSystems T140 and the Sealoution and headed around the bay to our beach of choice...The Shallows.  We parked the kayaks and began our hike into the Naomikong forest. We soon found the area to be as beautiful as any "water and woods" area of the UP. We strolled along wild blueberry bushes, and found some interesting shaped trees. For me (Janet) it was a good thing we didn't see any bears...I'm not ...

From the Nose of Our Kayak Don & Janet Beasley Chapter 18: "Wide Open Spaces...and a Little Stinker!" Don prepares for the day While in Michigan we decided to try a new outing...Munuscong River. So we loaded up the new #WildernessSystems tandem kayak and headed out for the day. Map of Munuscong Area Munuscong juts off to the west from Munuscong Lake,  a flat prairie-style body of water with an amazing view.  The St. Mary's River, southwest of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, splits around Neebish Island and empties into Munuscong Lake northeast of Munuscong River. The Objibway heading south (down bound) into the rock cut The lake freighters that are traveling up river take the channel of the St. Mary's River that lies to the east of Neebish Island, and those traveling down river use the west side of the island, which locals refer to as "the rock cut," a very narrow man-made pass between the mainland of Michigan's U.P. and N...

From the Nose of Our Kayak Don & Janet Beasley Chapter 17: "Goosed in a Kayak!" Ready to launch onto Waiskai Bay photo by Janet Beasley You know those rare, awesome moments when you happen to be in the right place at the right time to experience nature at its best? That's what this chapter is all about.  While vacationing in Michigan's U.P. we "set sail" on Waiskai Bay in Brimley, Michigan one evening and found ourselves in the midst of an evening roost! Only this wasn't a roost we paddled into but rather a roost that flew into us! Let's start with some educational goodies first. Waiskai Bay is a small back bay that is nestled off of Lake Superior. It reaches from Bay Mills Point to the Waiskai River. Canada is in plain sight from the southern half of Waiskai Bay, and the ginormous lake freighters sail the channel between Canada and Bay Mills either heading toward the open water of Lake Superior, or toward the Soo Locks, in Sault Ste....