And....we're off !!!

The 2 kayaks were loaded. WE DON'T NEED NO STINKIN $130.00 DOLLAR CARRIER!! All we need is a couple pieces of 2x6's. We got a few comments on our (my) setup. I think if we could have added a couple chairs...it would have looked like the Clampetts from the Beverly Hillbillies.

My son Jeff and I were headed 400 miles due north. In order to get there you have to stop at every sporting goods store on the way. Places with he-man names like Franks and Jays. Places with animal heads with no bodies on the walls. Jeff bought some flashlight batteries that he wouldn't tell me how much they cost. (But...I'll find out.)

238 miles landed us at the Mackinac Bridge. The locals call us tourists "fudgies." We bought 2 slabs of fudge, and 2 pasties (meat pies.) Yes...Tookie...they were delicious. This lighthouse is near the 5 mile bridge that connects the lower and upper peninsulas in Michigan. You can see it on the left.

After a strenuous hike at Cut River, we ended up at Kitch-iti-kipi, a cold water spring that Jeff had been to when he was just a wee lad. When we got there...he said..."Is this it?" Things always seem bigger when you're younger. Giant brown trout can be seen in the crystal clear water.

We arrived in Munising, Michigan around 6 p.m. I thought it would be deserted. The city campground was full. The federal campground was full. A private campground had 3 sites left. $49.00 dollars!! We headed out to the sticks.

Island Lake primitive campground. $16.oo bucks. Forget about not having the internet. We had no water...no electricity...and pit toilets. Nothing quite like the smell of those.

Jeff helped his new friend "Bill" carry his fancy canoe up the steep hill, then built us a rip-snorting fire. Nothing quite like the silence of the north woods. I got a little cold...but slept well.

Except for the NO VACANCY problem...a good day.

Please visit my flickr page for many other pictures.