Michigan:
"Left Coast Swing- Unsalted" (06/10/17)
Thailand had invaded the US and Michigan was the tip of the spear. Amy's family was in town for a week and they wanted to go to Niagara Falls for a few days. I said that was a stupid idea. Nothing against The Falls, it is cool for 1 hour and Niagara on The Lake can extend the trip to a full day but I felt their time could be better spent appreciating the great state of Michigan. I put my foot down (Their visa for Canada was not approved) Continue Reading
Michigan:
"2 Male Nurses on Fall Color Tour" (10/21/13)
Michigan Trying to get one more good kayak trip in before the freeze-out. I chose to do the Ausable river. It runs West to East across half the state near the city of GraylingBelow is the Itinerary. The plan was basically to head up about 11am and kayak 2 hours to campsite. Kayak 5 hours the second day then camp at rainbow Bend and close out the final day with 2 hours to Parmalee Bridge. Continue Reading
Michigan: Cadillac
"Raging River" (07/25/13)
Bought kayak this spring. I did not go all out but bought a fairly cheap OldTown Vapor 10 from Dunhams for $275. I did a fair amount of research on the matter but did not really have an expert to consult. So by the time my friend Rob was in the market a month later I knew a bit more. He ended up getting a little nicer one on sale as well at Dunhams. I love that place. They have the cheapest stuff. I would have gone to my REI faithful but they were asking a couple hundred more for the same yaks. Continue Reading
Michigan: Manitou to Traverse City
"Island Life" (07/15/13)
A quick reunion weekend trip with a friend from Notre Dame. He was coming from Chicago and I from Ann Arbor. We were to meet in Grand Rapids drop a car then drive up near Traverse city for a day of Floating down the Platte River. That night we would catch up in Traverse City before heading out for a couple days of hiking on North Manitou island (reached by ferry from Leland MI). Continue Reading
Michigan:
"Cats in the Cradle and the Silver Spoon " (08/21/12)
A short trip up north to break up the monotony of daily life. I am about 2 weeks from a couple weeks in Montana, and had all my gear strewn across the floor just begging to be utilized. I had not been hiking with my father for a couple years, and the 2 previous adventures together had been a bit more rocky then necessary.Continue Reading
Michigan: Port Austin
"The Sea Was Angry My Friends" (07/06/10)
It was 4th of July weekend and I had to work Friday/Saturday, so was itching to make the most of Sunday. I sometimes check in on this guy's blog (Lars Jensen): Random Spaces, Like me he seems to enjoy backpacking, photography and getting outdoors every possible free moment. I was impressed by his images of this jewel in my backyard that I had not heard of, more specifically a very small island called Turnip Rock. Continue Reading
Michigan: Manistee
"Fall Color Tour" (10/11/09)
This was a short trip, but was still able to experience all the 4 seasons. I had a pretty light weekend and I wanted to hike while the fall colors were still in effect so I headed up to northern Michigan to the Manistee National Forest. Below is a map of the trail. I started at Seaton Creek Campground on the upper right corner and made the loop south across Red Bridge and back up the other side, back to Seaton Creek Campground. Continue Reading
Michigan: Munising
"Pictured Rocks Upper Peninsula" (05/15/09)
This was to be a grand week-long trip to the Upper Peninsula. I was to hit Pictured Rocks National Park and then scoot over to the Porcupine forest for a 3 day, 40 mile hike through bear infested wilderness. That was the plan; the reality was that I only made it through phase I before heading home due to inclement weather and being a little bit of a Sally. Continue Reading
Michigan:
"CrossCountry Skiing" (12/25/08)
Winter is in full force here in Michigan and I need to get out outside as I am going stir crazy. Yesterday I tried skiing around the golf course after we got dumped with 8 inches of snow. Unfortunately I did not understand the concept of groomed trails. So instead of cross-country skiing I ended up cross-country walking. So I headed out again, you know that whole, "When at first you don't succeed ..." crap. Continue Reading
Michigan:
"Winter Survival" (11/25/08)
Thanksgiving weekend and we had some time on our hands so my brother and I decided to test out our luck at winter camping. We headed to Northern Michigan and to our surprise the day before the area got dumped with about a foot of snow...a true test.Here is the directions we followed from Detroit. Continue Reading
Michigan:
"American Indian Camping Weekend" (09/07/08)
Last Weekend I had the opportunity to participate in a camping weekend with a local Detroit nonprofit:American Indian Health and Family Services. We met up on Friday night at Island Lake Recreational areas Organizational campground. First order of business was gathering firewood, setting up our tents and getting water.
Michigan:
"Outdoor Adventures" (09/01/07)
This Summer I had the opportunity to work with a great groups of kids. Once a week we headed out into the wild and engaged in various outdoor activities. We spent our time Orienteering, Mountain Biking, and Canoeing. We had new volunteers every week and we had a great core group of 5 or 6 kids. We all learned a lot about pushing our limits and achieving extraordinary heights. Continue Reading
Michigan:
"Hiking the Poto" (06/01/07)
When Starting the outdoor company I was about 10 years removed from hanging out in the woods. On an impulsive decision on a late afternoon in 2007 I decided to go camping. I live in Detroit so the closest trail of substance was the Potawatomi trail in Pinckney State Recreational Area. Home to some great mountain biking trails as well. Continue Reading
Michigan: Silver Lake
"Off Road Jeep Adventure" (05/30/06)
I picked up this great Jeep Grand Wagoneer ('86) with wood panels, and bought a hammock, thinking I could use it in place of a tent when hiking (hammock , not the Jeep). So, I got a space along Lake Michigan, tied my hammock from a tree to my Jeep and settled in for the night. At about 3am it starting pouring, which gave me a valid excuse to climb into the jeep. I say excuse because I could not sleep in the hammock, but was not going to let it beat me. Continue Reading