Our drive north up I-75 from Dearborn was uneventful. We took on 77 gallons of fuel at the TA TravelCenter in Saginaw. We arrived in Wolverine MI and set up at Sturgeon Valley Campground in the late afternoon after driving 275 miles through most of Michigan's lower peninsula.
 |
| Our location: the big picture |
The campground is a bit like a farm. They had ducks, geese, rabbits and goats.
 |
| These billies were only 8 weeks old |
We are spending three nights at Sturgeon Valley. That leaves us 2 full days to do fun stuff. On our first layover day we paddled the Sturgeon River. We made a plan to put in at a public access on Trowbridge road and take out at another public access at Rondo Road. When you are not traveling with other paddlers, setting a shuttle is often a challenge. But we did have options. First, the owner of the campground can help you spot a car. Second, we are carrying a bike and the distance and route for a bike shuttle were very doable. Third, the Sturgeon River runs right by the campground, and there were a number of other camping parties that had boats. Other paddlers are usually very friendly and helpful. I struck up a conversation with a couple of guys from Kalamazoo, and they agreed to help us spot our car at the take-out. COOL!
 |
| Dorcas lounging at the put-in |
The Sturgeon River is said to be the fastest river in Michigan. It doesn't have any serious obstacles or rapids, but it does move on. It rained 1 1/2 inches the night before, so we figured there would be a lot of flow. Matilda is getting on up in years, and sometimes it is hard to get her moving and for her to get in and out of the boat. Since we had never paddled this river before, and weren't sure what to expect, we decided to leave her at home. I miss my river dog!!!!
 |
| Low bridge!!! |
 |
| Taking a break on a gravel bar |
As you can see below, we paddled 10.39 miles, taking a total of about 3 1/2 hours with about 45 minutes for breaks. It was a good day on the river.
I think tomorrow we might drive to Petoskey and be regular tourists.
1 comment:
Looks like you had beautiful weather..the wildflowers on the bank of the river are lovely.
Post a Comment