July 9th Paddling

At this time the stretch of the Huron from Kent Lake Dam to Huron Meadows MetroPark is too shallow for swimming. So I was in a kayak the whole way. And just to be sure I didn't try to swim, I left my swimsuit at home. The paddlers were Jim, Bob, Carole, and me.

This beautiful section of the river was difficult due to so many downed trees. It was one long obstacle course. But it did keep us from going too fast--we had a chance to see some fabulous flora and fauna. This stretch has lots of button bush, a water loving shrub that is distinguished by its show of round pincushion like white, fuzzy ball flowers. We had a close up encounter with a pair of sandhill cranes that were dining on lovely morsels in the sand flats. They kept an eye on us but continued to feed while we paddled quietly by.

Shortly after the sandhill crane treat, we arrived at the riverside home of Val and Mary Jo who had a greeting party assembled on their lawn by the river. They welcomed us with open arms, photo ops, and shared their bathroom and water with us. We shared the bounty of food provided each day by the Ann Arbor Whole Foods store.

After the respite, we all got back in our kayaks and now we were six traveling the rest of the way to Huron Meadows. Once there, Val and Mary Jo helped Jim and I get back to our cars and just generally were wonderful supporters. They love the river, especially since they live on it, but they are active with the HRWC and the Green Oak township initiatives to protect the river and its tributaries.

Thanks for another terrific day!