Getting Ready

[Kayak Jack]

Friday night, Jimmie the Mad Eye-tal-yun and his sidekick Camper Dave will pull in my drive. We'll go to dinner, come back and drink some Dago red wine, and they'll sack out in the living room while I lounge luxuriously in my king sized bed upstairs.

At 06:00 Saturday morning, it's "RISE AND SHINE, MAGGOTS - IT'S DAYLIGHT IN THE SWAMPS AND TIME'S A WASTIN'!!!" By 06:30 we'll be only tracks in the driveway.

We'll meet Bear's Buddy and Dapper Al at the straits of Michigan in da UP, and head for Canada.

Right now, though, I'm still plodding along trying to get my duties here at home and the Lodge fulfilled, get some repair work done on the van, and get some food and gear packed. And - I'm still not fully unpacked from the last two trips on the Au Sable! What a klutz.

 

[islandpiper]

just testing.......piper

 

[oldsparkey]

I sure hope they took some rain gear and warm jackets with them. :lol:

The National Weather has the temps up there (during the trip) at the lower 50's and upper 40's during the day time highs with it dropping into the upper 30's at night.
All but one day has showers forcasted and that one day is only scattered sunshine or should it say , scattered showers.

They can't blame the weather on me , I'm over 1,500 or more miles away. I was ticked off because I could not make it but now I am happy , that is just to dang cold for this southern boy. To me that is Motel or at home camping weather with the heater going full blast. Those Yankees that did make it probably think it is summer time weather. :roll:

Chuck.

 

[islandpiper]

hey CHUCKSTER, I have the following on good authority.......based on my residence in the Upper Penninsula for twenty years.:

A friend of mine from Flaorida told me that when they looked out on the beach and it was about forty-degrees and there were people sitting there, "enjoying" it they were almost without exception FROM MICHIGAN. Yup, forty degrees is a nice day in the UP.....so they would just love the beach life.....just above the frost level.......ya, boy....let's see now, WHY DID I MOVE TO LOUISIANA???

Jack'll be OK, he has hair like a bear, i.e. everywhere, like a lot of Michiganders and can take that cold air. Hell, the rainbow trout up there have fur!!

Piper

 

[bearridge]

I like a sunny day, no wind, then cold weather at nite. I like sushi fer supper, but so far I aint run across a sushi MRE. However, I now have three boxes of new MREs. Hopefully, the new army will have some sushi fer the troops.....the ones who never leave the office. :wink:

regards
bearridge

Roscoe:  Howdy, my name's Roscoe Brown.   Is this Texas?   I'm frum Arkansaw.
Ole Sam:  Got any whiskey?
Roscoe:  Yes sir, I got a bottle rite here in my poke.  I'd be glad ta share it with you.  Havin' possum for yer supper are ya?
Ole Sam:  Yeah, but you aint.

 

[oldsparkey]

A friend of mine from Flaorida told me that when they looked out on the beach and it was about forty-degrees and there were people sitting there, "enjoying" it they were almost without exception FROM MICHIGAN. Yup, forty degrees is a nice day in the UP.....so they would just love the beach life.....just above the frost level.......ya, boy....let's see now, WHY DID I MOVE TO LOUISIANA???

Piper

I see you are one of the smarter ones like my neighbors. They are down here most of the time and then up there in the UP at a lake side cottage they have but never in the winter.

I was fussing at them about the roads and how a person has to be a chuck hole dodger or get a front end alignment on there vehicle every other day and all they could do was agree with me. My guess is that it is the reason they can run over the curb and not notice it , not that bad of a bump. Jezzeee , they might consider that a smooth road.

Yep , I sure don't see me moving up there in this life time or all of the other ones. I will stay south of that MD Line where they know what good roads are like , Grits and Southern Fried Chicken with gravy is. Not even thinking about chicken fried steak , fresh tea , biscuits and gravy , a mess "O" Greens , sweet potato (tater) pie or Hush Puppies and Corn Fritters with fried catfish.

Just as I thought , it's coming up to lunch time. :lol:

Chuck.
PS. There last day of camping , Friday , 48 high , 37 low .... with showers.

 

[oldyaker]

I have to say, it was cold, it was windy, and boy did it rain!!! :shock:
You can dress for cold and you can handle a little wind, throw that kind of rain into the mix and it's ugly. Our last night in camp, Jack did make a kick arse pot of soup. Damn it was good stuff. Just what weary bones need in a cold wet windy camp. It would have made a great Campbells soup commercial. I don't know if I ever had hot soup taste that good. Thanks Jack!

On a positive note.....listening to loons in the morning and night. WOW!**** Two clear nights of seeing every star in the universe.....Jeez we sure are small and not really here too long on this planet.....really think about it....and our planet hasn't been here to long when you stare into endless space.****A hot cup of soup on cold windy rainy night, how much more comforting can something be?****Standing on an Island with total silence except for wind in the trees and the call of the loon, send chills up your spine. Wonderful!

 

[oldsparkey]

I am confused , I know it does not take a lot to confuse me but I am having trouble figuring out this. :?

Canada has some good Weather God's , they know what a person likes.

I leave Florida ( the Sunshine State ) and all the time going up to Canada , there and returning all I have is blue skies , sunlight and warm to hot weather ( shorts and "T" shirts ) , just like at home. In fact I think it was cooler in Florida during the trip.

A bunch of folks (Yankees) take out a week later and go paddling an camping so what do they have , what they are use to , wet , overcast , gray skies and cold weather ( dressed in layers) with lots of wind.

I sure wish someone would tell me how the Weather God's in Canada knew what to do about the weather and how to make a person feel at home. :roll:

Chuck.
PS. Honestly I was wishing for some cold or cool weather , not something in the 90's during the day.

 

[oldyaker]

Chuckles....the weather was so bad, it felt like you was there. :roll:

 

[Kayak Jack]

WX was similar to three years ago. Wind and rain. Were it not for rain flies and picnic tables, we would have gone all the way insane. As it was, I sunk no lower than Jimmie's average.

Charlie & I took these savages to the North Arm of Miji. Much granite, much clear water (you can see into it, and see more granite down there), many many beaver sticks & logs, many loons. Jimmie said he saw a bald eagle and an osprey; I missed them.

We took several other soirees out for fire wood - beaver wood and drift wood. Explored nearby islands, and returned.

The soup is a dehydrated "gourmet soup" package. Several brands out; I got some that didn't require 20 minutes of simmering. Just boil, stir, & simmer a few minutes. Had 5-6 different kinds. Jimmie had good soup with me several other nights, but the Dago red may have dulled his taste senses a bit. We had lots of good, shared tasties.

A highlight of the trip was Dapper Al's time at the restaurant. He now has a new name - Smooth Al. The only way I could have beaten him out is to have laid a $10,000 bill on the table. He was slicker'n snot on a door knob. Unbe$%*kinglievable! Paddlers will be singing songs of praise about him for a couple centuries to come.