Trees, Beaches, and a shop full of Weapons

Another beautiful day woke us on Friday so me and Jen decided another canoe trip was on order, a full day one. This meant we went right from near a spring all the way down to where the river became much wider. The initial areas were fast flowing, and fun, as we weaved our way through the fallen trees while the stream was narrow. After it settled down I was able to take several photographs....

Jen Kayaking downriver!

Mmm Labatt Blue

Note the inclusion of the mandatory kayaking beer, in handy beer hole on kayak (yes, they really do have a beer holder.) This river was much more peaceful (fewer drunken americans sitting in the river), and so we even saw some wildlife...

Heron Ahoy... this flew right in front of us.

 We managed to stop for lunch at a beautiful little spot... surrounded by forest without a person in sight nor sound of us... We ate subways. Always prepared to bring a bit of urban comfort to the wilderness...

Kayaks, his and hers

It is probably worth mentioning at this point that to bring you these photos I did nearly sacrefice my camera to the gods of the river. The number of times I rotated backwards or nearly capsized hitting logs was quite impressive, although I always managed to just about hang on! However, I wasn't the only one to make a fool of myself. Jen always managed to ground herself whenever she took the lead, always seeming to get the parts of the river with odd bits. As a result I was made to be the bait for the tricky rivers.

As we got lower down the river became more docile and populated, not quite as breathtakingly gorgeous. There were more people getting drunk, splashing around or just plain floating down. What's nice is that everyone is friendly on the river, always saying hi, and telling you what a lovely day it is! But despite the lovely Michigan sun, and the splashing and peace in the river the lovely day had to come to an end, and we headed home for a relaxed evening.

Relaxation and Jays Sports

Due to the increasing effects of my lack of sleep (my body clock is rather confused atm) most of the day was spent relaxing and building my catapult in the backyard...

Basic Design....

... hopefully this will be finished soon, and I'll be able to put some pictures up! However in order to finish off the catapult, we had to head into Gaylord, and headed into a hunting shop to grab some bits. The hunting shop was quite an experience. There was a whole arsenal available to purchase. Bows, crossbows and rifles (single shot, semi auto and automatic), combat knives. Although there was a sign saying it was now unfortunately illegal for anyone under 10 to use a crossbow. Sorry kids!

It was... impressive. And a bit scary. Although many people hunt in this area, the variety of ways in which to hunt surprised me. I wasn't expecting an arrow hunting season. Everyone was very friendly, and I brought a larger scale knife to assist in working with the wood for the catapult. I chose a sensible looking knife, not one of the foot long serrated blades. Hopefully I won't get stopped through customs. And naturally, I had no need of an ID to buy my meaty knife. Easier to buy weapons than to buy a beer. Yes... different to the UK indeed.

On the Beach at lake Michigan

Firstly I will say that not all insect life in the woods is nasty. Although I've been bitten and stung by a variety of insects there are also some beautiful ones, such as all the butterflies seen across Michigan.

Butterfly on a wildflower out in the garden

Today we went to the town of Petosky. Famous for its fossilised coral deposited millions of years ago, it is now a fairly upmarket town. Me and Jen however were having none of it. We played more minigolf. This time, with a cannon...

BOOM!

... followed by cool drinks at a burger king. Not exactly the classiest of afternoons. But a fun way to relax. And well, water cannons are always cool. Following that we went to the beach,...

Beautiful sunny day!

... a freshwater beach on lake Michigan. You could drink the water (in theory, depending on the presence of toddlers) The water was glorious. Clear. Still. Perfect for swimming. This was a bit of a comparison to swimming in the sea around England, where you'll both be picked up by waves and thrown about all over the place whilst you try and swim through the murky depths.

Plus this beach was 'crowded' given its labour day weekend. Much quieter than the UK. But then again, in the UK we don't have the privilege of a whole summer of sun to pick when to go! Still, when we have it, we do like to enjoy it to its fullest in the UK.

Hopefully I'll be completing the catapult today.  I'll try not to break the house....