The Reward . . .

The Great Circumnavigation Adventure!

OMG! Who knew we were playing a Reward Challenge today!?

If you watch "Survivor" you know exactly what I am talking about. If you don't just know that my reference comes from the long running reality show called "Survivor". In Reward Challenges, the contestants compete for luxuries that are not essential for survival but make their lives easier and/or more enjoyable. Examples of rewards have included food, flint, matches, rain gear, and even short trips away from camp.

Our *reward* came in the form of a very unexpected, very exciting visit from Sturgeon Bay Charters Capt. Meade Gable -sent on a mission by David and Paula Bardsley of the DeTour Reef Lighthouse Preservation Society.

His task? To locate our camp, pick us up and whisk us off to the Light for our reward - which was to include a private tour, use of the modern *facilities* and a glass of wine to be sipped leisurely at the top of this impressive beacon.

To say we were GEEKED would be an understatement!

Not only were we treated to an amazing ride out to the Light BUT Capt. Meade had a cell phone fully charged and I was able to share this experience with my husband Barry! A conversation that did not have to be limited in its length for battery conservation. That, in and of itself, was a HUGE reward for me.

If you have never been to the Light PLEASE put it on your shortlist of *Must Dos*. Each time I go out I am overwhelmed. Majestically rising above the waters of the Saint Mary's the Light is an architectual wonder.

My previous trips have all been as a volunteer - either cleaning or serving cookies to visitors. Today we are the visitors being treated. Do you see the grin on my face that I can't wipe off?!

Rising 83' above water with its 63' tall Classic-Revival-style architecture, this Lighthouse has been a fixture in Michigan's Upper Peninsula since 1931. In January 1998, civic leaders from DeTour Village and Drummond Island, Michigan, met to form the DeTour Reef Light Preservation Society (DRLPS), a non-profit volunteer (501C3) organization. In 2003-2004 the Society restored the Light to its 1931 appearance and now offer day tours along with weekend stays. 

We sip our wine. Goof for pictures - "Where have your Keens been"? And marvel at the Light in its present restored state. All too soon our reward comes to a close.

And we head back to our campsite - restored, renewed and REWARDED!

Back at camp I relax in my jammies on the beach to reflect on the events of the day. Settling in for the evening. Settling down from the events of the day.

"Happiness is excitement that has

found a settling down place.

But there is always a little corner that

keeps flapping around". 

~E.L. Konigsburg

Want to learn more about the DeTour Reef Lighthouse?

Simply go to their website found at http://www.drlps.com/

The Second Day . . .

The Great Circumnavigation Adventure!

"The grand show is eternal. It is always sunrise somewhere; the dew is never dried all at once; a shower is forever falling; vapor is ever rising. Eternal sunrise, eternal dawn and gloaming, on sea and continents and islands, each in its turn, as the round earth rolls".

- John Muir

We wake to the most amazing sunrise and begin what would become a daily morning routine. Boil water, start breakfast, drink coffee, and leisurely go about our morning hygiene regimen. Each of us caught up in our own thoughts breaking the shared silence only to express the obvious  - words like "stunning", "amazing", "blessed" and "content" punctuating our comments.



There is no need or desire to rush. A lone Loon floats by, her haunting call completing the scene.

Loons are unique and beautiful birds, yet sometimes they are tricky to identify. They hold their bodies lower in the water than most ducks, but one group of ducks—mergansers—swim low and are even shaped like loons. Cormorants also have a similar profile in the water - we often mistook nasty Cormorants for Loons on our voyage until right on top of them.

After making sure we had left *No Trace* we headed out, plotting a course close to the shore and heading north, northwest towards Fossil Ledges open to any and all possibilites for the day.

We were both surprised to discover the *Ledges* actually start miles before the State identified *Fossil Ledges* and dominate the shoreline, rising from dramatic drop offs easily visible from our low riding cockpits. The feeling of floating in mid-air was hard to dismiss and we purposely paddled the grey area between ledge and drop-off until reaching the official *Ledges*.

Our original plan called for making the Ledges our second campsite of the voyage. But the weather and wind have combined to bring us here just in time for lunch on our second day. We beach our kayaks, break out our lunch, wander the shoreline and SWIM! The water has never been warmer thanks to unusually high temps for most of the summer.

There is even time to goof for a portrait photo shoot!

Not wanting to waste such awesome paddling conditions we make the decision to continue further  west. Thinking we will camp on State owned land in the area of Chippewa Point we set out to enjoy the sun and calm waters.

As we close on the Point we are greeted by an omen in the sky. My name clearly written out by the clouds. You can just make out the *C-a-n* here - we sat watching these fluffy alphabet letters float by without thinking to photograph them until they had almost disappeared! Coincidence or blessing from my father? My eyes stuing with tears and we decide to take a break on a small shoal to regroup.

Again we decide to travel further than planned. Who could resist the call of the water under these conditions?!

On entering Potagannissing Bay we find ourselves back in the hustle and bustle of boating society. The traffic coming and going to the North Channel is fierce on such a beautiful day. We are quickly and rudely awaken to the fact that not all vessel captains understand or honor the pecking order in the *Overtaken Vessel* rule as a southbound trawler not only cuts us off - threatening to swamp our cockpits - BUT sounds its horn and greets us with a single-finger wave as they pass under full throttle. WHOA!



We decide, after this experience, to get as far away from other humans as possible and push on to Mare Island.

We set up camp and enjoy appetizers while sitting on rocks in our tiny cove. Triscuits, cheese and wine have never tasted so good!

Later that night we sat and watched our campfire until each separate, dying ember wrought its ghost upon the island floor. The perfect end to a perfect day.