Many people live on the water, or wish they did, for the calm that it offers. They appreciate simply looking at it. It calms me, too — but some of us need to experience it with more than our eyes. We want to feel it under us, and around us. We want to play with it. Here, in photos and captions, are several ways I did that this summer–sometimes with the cat named Boo.
Paddling just after sunset on a very calm Lake Superior…
…was almost as special as Boo’s first kayak outing. Remember, she did 5,000 miles under way with me by boat — and fell overboard once — so she knows water. She wasn’t thrilled but also didn’t panic. I took her for several short swims, over a few weeks, to help orient her.
Paddleboarding is one of the easiest ways to get on the water…like with my sis, in the midst of wildfire haze. These are inflatables, which work great and are easy to inflate with a pump. I’ve owned four of them over 10+ years, because they eventually have problems. But the convenience (and price) is worth the occasional replacement.
I prefer human-powered craft, but motors have their place. You certainly can see more that way, as long as you’re not moving too fast to look. And I admit I like speed once in a while. But this little boat didn’t get much use, partly because I couldn’t handle the finicky motor or launch it by myself, so…
…I sold it a few weeks ago. It looked cute on the dock, and reminded me of…
…Jeff’s boat Many Moons, alongside the same dock about five years ago. This is the boat that carried him 6,000 miles on The Great Loop. It sits on land now, which is one reason I got the little boat…for him to play with while working on the house. It was a poor replacement, though. (You can read all about this boat by selecting “Many Moons-The Boat” from the home page.)
One reason to use shallow-draft craft is the ability to get up close…like this “low tide” directly across the bay from Camp Many Moons. Those look like stumps but are actually the remains of an old dock that was part of the short-lived Iron Range and Huron Bay Railroad
The rowboat got lots of use this summer, too. Here, the mouth of the Ravine River across the bay from Camp Many Moons.
I’m usually on the water alone, but on this day he joined me in his canoe. I’m standing in the water here so you can see how shallow it is during “low tide!” (As you may have read previously in this blog, the incoming and outgoing water on Huron Bay acts like a tide but is actually called a seiche, or bathtub effect, as water sloshes back and forth in the big lake and into its bays. Because this bay is long and narrow, this happens a lot.)
The sit-on-top kayak was my new addition to the human-powered fleet at Camp Many Moons. I looked for one light enough to get onto my car roof by myself. (It also fits inside, but a rooftop arrangement proved easier once I got used to ratchet straps.)
It traveled to Sturgeon River Sloughs, between Camp Many Moons and my hometown…
…where I got very close-up views of water lillies…
…and to this picturesque inland lake about 30 miles to the east…
..and to Portage Canal in my hometown, about 45 miles to the northwest…
…and the board traveled too (once I figured out how to attach it to the roof), to the Huron River, about 30 miles to the northeast.
I’m not always on the water. Sometimes I like to just look at it — especially rivers. The Sturgeon River is 100 miles long, and there are many places to access it.
The Sunday hiking group did several walks along the Lake Superior shoreline, where I picked rocks for a home project (which I’ll share in an upcoming post).
I picked most of my rocks right off the shore of Camp Many Moons. I’ve hauled about 30 buckets of rocks this summer, and when I ran out of the right size & color, explored other beaches.
Sometimes, friends make a beach visit even more special. Here, a few hiking friends encountered me by chance after their hike and posed on my paddleboard. They reminded me…
…of so many fun water outings with girlfriends, like this one about 10 years ago. Susan and I somehow managed to ride on the wake-surf board together for a few minutes before falling off. Why? Just for fun! (We also did actually surf. And wake-board, water ski, and sail. Some of my best water play was with this fun and kind woman.)
Then again, water is also lovely to just look at, especially on a recent morning.
And those moonrises! You can see the mooring ball just outside the moonbeam. Mainship Many Moons was tied there a few summer ago, but now it’s a resting stop for a kayak or board.
Finally, one more shot of my favorite water adventure this year…Boo under way! She jumped off the board as soon as we neared shore. Maybe she’ll be up for longer excursions next year. Then again, she’s 16 years old and I’m 67, so…we’ll go for it as long as we can!
For Many Moons 