Canoeing & Beach Time

August 20, 2008

Last year Margaret & I decided to find a place to canoe that was out of the way, sort of backwoods. Instead of driving all the way to upper Michigan, we found the livery near Milford, Michigan called Havners that filled the bill. It's near I96 and US23. We liked it so much that we went back this year. They have both canoes and 1 &2 people kayaks. I wanted to try the kayaks this time, but after checking them out, we decided they were less stable than the canoes.

We had a very soggy early summer, but when August came the rain clouds never show up. With no significant rain for almost a month, the level of the Huron river was very low. Fortunately our canoe sat high in the water and hardly drag our collective ass on the bottom. Some spots the water wasn't more than ankle deep. As we ventured up stream, there's a point where you have to portage(cool word) over a small waterfall. At that point we stopped for lunch. Some college kids on their last outing before going back to school, were playing the water above the water fall which was about waist deep. After lunch we paddled upstream to a lake that was formed from the dam. Coming back downstraem was pure pleasure, hardly any paddling. It was a beautiful sunny day that we'll remember for a long time.

On August 24th Margaret & I visited the girls in Cleveland. We met at Elaine's apartment. The plan was to go a beach on Lake Erie near Elaine's, have a picnic and relax on the beach. We got there early enough to find a nice table overlooking the lake. As we eating our chicken from the clear plastic box( you know what I mean, the kind you get from the grocery store) and assorted salads, we heard thunder off in the distance. After finishing we walked down the 50+ steps from the upper park to the lower beach. Margaret and the girls talked for awhile, I sat and read my book. Wouldn't know it, within minutes the sun disappeared behind some ominous clouds. Then one at a time the drip-drops started. At this point not enough to get you wet. I knew there was only one way up to the park and that was that 50+ stairs. It had to be at least a 50° angle. Mom's knees would blow out if we had to do this monumental climb being pushed from behind by all the beach goers wanting to flee the rain.
After getting to the car it was decided to go shopping at the 1/2 price book store. I took a well deserved nap waiting for the ladies.

August 26, 2008
Early in the year we had decided to check out Seneca Caverns near Bellevue, Ohio. The caves were formed by fracturing of the limestone, not by underground rivers wearing away the rock.

For some reason we never went. I suggested it to Margaret now while she was on her last week of vacation. The caves have 7-8 levels that the tour explores. No stalgmites or stalagtites because the caves must not be that old in geological time to have formed any. There are some tiny drippings less than a half inch.

Early in the summer the area where the caves are located had some major flooding. The water level in the cave is dependent on the aquafer or river that slowly flows through the caves. Because of the local flooding, the water level in the caves had risen about a 100 feet, nearly to the top of the cave. So if we would have went earlier in the summer, we would have been disappointed with all the water in the cave.

Considering all the problems Margaret has had in recent years with her knees, all the exercising she done lately has strengthen her legs to a point that she was able to manipulate her body up & down the gaggid rocks without any pain. Congrats Margaret!

Across the parking lot from the caverns was a old cemetry, and I mean old. Some of the tombstones were for people that died in the early 1800s. Notice the date on the picture. The person was born 1793 and died 1867.