Little Muskegon River

This river was absolutely stunning.  I doubt our first run could have been more perfect.  Green heron, great blue heron, bald eagle, osprey, hawks, sandhill cranes...we saw it all.  Not another human on the river either, but of course we were paddling on a weekday in late August.

By the way, as the bald eagle left his perch, a downy little feather fell onto the water.  Still have it - even though according to Bart it's illegal to have any feathers from a bald eagle.  I doubt the DNR is coming after me.  But if the DNR is reading this,

The Paw Paw River

The Paw Paw River has a decent current for a lower peninsula river.  The banks are generally low and a bit muddy, and the water is easily clouded after rain.  This section of the Paw Paw River is not paddled by many people and is relatively remote.

In the beginning...and a statement of intentions

In the Beginning
I can't recall when we starting canoeing together.  It feels like forever, but I'm sure there was a first time.  Our camping trips soon became camping with canoeing trips on the side.  Then decisions for campgrounds were based on the proximity to canoe & kayak outfitters.  Soon the obsession set in.

We were planning on scraping together a little cash and finding a backyard special - someone's old aluminum monster that we could pick up for a song.  One Christmas, our families presented us with a gift certificate towards the purchase of a canoe through Wolf's Marine in Benton Harbor, Michigan.  After much research, we ordered an Old Town Allagash canoe - 16 feet 4 inches long.

While awaiting the delivery of our new toy, we scoured the pages of "Paddling Michigan Rivers" by Jerry Dennis and Craig Date. We cannot recommend their book highly enough. The book has become our guide for river trips, and with each trip we scribble our own notes and updates to the maps and river conditions.

Our Intentions
This blog is to serve as our own memory book of trips and river conditions, and we hope it will help others enjoy excursions throughout Michigan and the Midwest.

It is our hope that you have a safe, memorable experience without causing distress to the environment or other folks enjoying the river.