From the Nose of Our Kayak Chapter 18: Wide Open Spaces...and a Little Stinker!

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 Neebish Island.

Neebish Island is only accessible by ferry if you're driving a vehicle. The ferry has a schedule and is closed for the winter as of mid January and reopens April 1.

Neebish Island Ferry
Objibway heading on down river

We found the launch site on the Munuscong River and readied ourselves for the new adventure. 

As we paddled the river we spotted some beautiful wildlife including a blue heron and a king fisher. 

When we reached the open water of the lake we stopped paddling and to take in the the beautiful sight of Munuscong Lake.

Munuscong Lake
from the mouth of the Munuscong River

It made for a very different style paddle than we were used to, but impressive nonetheless. When we returned from our outing we loaded up the kayak and headed "out of the wilderness," back to the main road...but not without stopping for one more surprise. 

As we rounded the bend of the gravel road we saw something wiggling and "playing" in the middle of the road. We cautiously approached the critter only to find it was A SKUNK! YIKES!!! STOP THE TRUCK and wait for that little stinker to remove himself from the road and back into the woods.

Le skunk! Le Pu!

Finally he decided he'd had enough of whatever it was that was so interesting in the middle of the road and scurried off into the brush. As we passed over his play area we found ourselves gagging from the stink as if rolled into the truck through the vents! 

We laughed for quite a few miles, each time inhaling the stench and coughing over and over again. In about 15 miles the truck had finally aired out and it was homeward bound. We showered off then dashed off to enjoy a campfire with friends and family. We don't know if we ended up being two little stinkers ourselves, either we weren't, or everyone was just nice enough to let it go. 

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Kayak Tip of the Week:Currents can be tricky to maneuver when going from a river mouth into an open body of water. Always stay alert to assure a safe exit and/or re-entry into a river or lake that are connected. 

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A few of the nature shots we captured on our Munuscong outing...enjoy!

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Welcome to the Kayaking Freaks blog, "From the Nose of Our Kayak:" authors/photographers Don & Janet Beasley. 

Hi, I'm Janet Beasley. My husband Don and I love to kayak. Don and I most enjoy kayaking the crystal clear, spring-fed rivers of Florida (weather permitting - it's Florida, we take lightning seriously), as well as other areas on our days off. Exploring nature and the outdoors has become an extreme passion for us.

When we're not on the water I am busy writing fiction, painting, creating BeaslePunk Steampunk Art, and serving as a KidMin Music Leader and Entertainer; I am the creator (and face) behind the children's ministry character, Lady Violet Adventures. Don on the other hand works in the entertainment industry as an audio visual specialist and planner at one of our local theme parks here in Orlando, Florida. When we're not on the water he's busy creating BeaslePunk Steampunk Art, serving as an audio visual minister at FUMC Tavares, Florida (our home church), and playing ping pong. 

We have always longed to co-author a book together about our kayaking adventures. We're happy to say that Don and I are eager to begin sharing our years of kayaking experiences with you, so that you too may discover a world filled with surprises, beauty, history, and peace right along with us From the Nose of Our Kayak.