JLB Creatives: water

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Wednesday, October 5, 2016

From the Nose of Our Kayak: Chapter 19 "The Vast and Shallow"

Janet & Don Beasley

Hello and welcome to the JLB Creatives Blog, where you'll find an array of creative features from a hand-picked group of creative geniuses.

Wednesdays on the JLB Creatives Blog are set aside for our blog book, "From the Nose of Our Kayak." JLB Creatives CEO, Janet Beasley, and her husband, Don, have been kayaking for nearly 10 years. Together they are excited to share with you, their awesome experiences that they have encountered. In this Wednesday feature you'll find kayaking stories, scenic nature photography from their outings, and some helpful tips when it comes to maneuvering your "butt sleds" (aka kayaks) on your journeys.

So if this is a topic that interests you, you'll want to be sure and become a follower of the JLB Creatives Blog, and stop in on Wednesdays each week for the latest chapter in Don & Janet Beasley's adventure blog book, "From the Nose of Our Kayak."

Previous chapters can be found in our blog archives.

We began the series on June 1, 2016.

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From the Nose of Our Kayak

Don & Janet Beasley

Chapter 19: "The Vast and Shallow"

Don prepares for an outing

Our next adventure took place in an area of Michigan's UP known as The Shallows. The Shallows are near Naomikong River. It made for a wonderful day of hiking alongside and kayaking in the grand Lake Superior. The Shallows' shoreline actually graces the rim of Whitefish Bay which is part of Lake Superior.

We awoke to the smell of coffee brewing and bacon frying. After breakfast we were eager to get busy so we loaded up the #WildernessSystems T140 and the Sealoution and headed around the bay to our beach of choice...The Shallows.

We parked the kayaks and began our hike into the Naomikong forest. We soon found the area to be as beautiful as any "water and woods" area of the UP. We strolled along wild blueberry bushes, and found some interesting shaped trees. For me (Janet) it was a good thing we didn't see any bears...I'm not real fond of those fury man-eaters! But we did see some birds and butterflies.

View from trail

The shoreline peeked through the trees at points along the hike, and Lake Superior, once again, did not disappoint. The scenery uplifted your inner soul and the smell of the north woods played its part as calming aroma therapy.

We hiked to the Naomikong Bridge. What a cool piece of woodwork tucked away in the soft pines. It allows you to walk over the Naomikong River plus catch a glimpse of the grandest of the Great Lakes.

When we returned to The Shallows we readied the kayaks. It didn't take long to get out onto the calm, shallow water. The water remained still for the day (a rarity on any water off of Lake Superior), and the view divine!

Criss-crossing waves

At times waves come from different directions. It could be caused by wind change and the original direction of the waves has not dissolved, or it could be, in the case of The Shallow, rollers from the lake freighters that finally make it to shore crisscross with the direction of the breeze. In any form, as long as they are small (and not dangerous), crisscrossing waves can be a real treat to watch.

The Shallows is just that, shallow. We had some fun watching our friends "walk on water." Kayaking in the shallow, and thankfully clear, water became tricky at times as large boulders were barely beneath the water's top. Keeping an eye on the "buried treasures" became a routine task, but not a hassle.

Gull on a boulder in The Shallows

If you love to Geo Cache there's at least one really cool find in the The Shallows/Naomikong area.

It was a wonderful day spent on the trails and on the water. We are counting the days until we can return to the area and enjoy nature at its best once again.

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Kayak Tip of the Week: If you're kayaking in shallow, open water be sure to remain alert to your surroundings, any unstable weather that may be fast approaching, and remain at a safe distance from the shoreline in case you need to make a fast exit.

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More photos from our day's adventure at The Shallows...

On the trail

Janet in an oddly shaped tree

Approaching the Naomikong Bridge

On the Naomikong Bridge

Naomikong Bridge

View from Naomikong Bridge

On the trail

The forest by Lake Superior

Don ready to "shove off"

Don paddling in The Shallows

Our beach spot for the day

Our Wilderness T140 tandem kayak on the shoreline of
The Shallows

Our beach spot from the water

Friends preparing with Don to kayak

The Shallows sandbar

Gulls on the sandbar

Lake Superior driftwood

Gull in the early evening's sun at The Shallows

Gull in flight at The Shallows

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

From the Nose of Our Kayak: Chapter 18 "Wide Open Spaces...and a Little Stinker!"

Janet & Don Beasley

Hello and welcome to the JLB Creatives Blog, where you'll find an array of creative features from a hand-picked group of creative geniuses.

Previous chapters can be found in our blog archives. We began the series on June 1, 2016.

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Don prepares for the day

From the Nose of Our Kayak

Don & Janet Beasley

Chapter 18: "Wide Open Spaces...and a Little Stinker!"

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While in Michigan we decided to try a new outing...Munuscong River. So we loaded up the new #WildernessSystems tandem kayak and headed out for the day.

Map of Munuscong Area

Munuscong juts off to the west from Munuscong Lake, a flat prairie-style body of water with an amazing view. The St. Mary's River, southwest of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, splits around Neebish Island and empties into Munuscong Lake northeast of Munuscong River.

The Objibway
heading south (down bound) into the rock cut

The lake freighters that are traveling up river take the channel of the St. Mary's River that lies to the east of Neebish Island, and those traveling down river use the west side of the island, which locals refer to as "the rock cut," a very narrow man-made pass between the mainland of Michigan's U.P. and Neebish Island.

Neebish Island is only accessible by ferry if you're driving a vehicle. The ferry has a schedule and is closed for the winter as of mid January and reopens April 1.

Neebish Island Ferry
Objibway heading on down river

We found the launch site on the Munuscong River and readied ourselves for the new adventure.

As we paddled the river we spotted some beautiful wildlife including a blue heron and a king fisher.

When we reached the open water of the lake we stopped paddling and to take in the the beautiful sight of Munuscong Lake.

Munuscong Lake
from the mouth of the Munuscong River

It made for a very different style paddle than we were used to, but impressive nonetheless. When we returned from our outing we loaded up the kayak and headed "out of the wilderness," back to the main road...but not without stopping for one more surprise.

As we rounded the bend of the gravel road we saw something wiggling and "playing" in the middle of the road. We cautiously approached the critter only to find it was A SKUNK! YIKES!!! STOP THE TRUCK and wait for that little stinker to remove himself from the road and back into the woods.

Le skunk! Le Pu!

Finally he decided he'd had enough of whatever it was that was so interesting in the middle of the road and scurried off into the brush. As we passed over his play area we found ourselves gagging from the stink as if rolled into the truck through the vents!

We laughed for quite a few miles, each time inhaling the stench and coughing over and over again. In about 15 miles the truck had finally aired out and it was homeward bound. We showered off then dashed off to enjoy a campfire with friends and family. We don't know if we ended up being two little stinkers ourselves, either we weren't, or everyone was just nice enough to let it go.

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Kayak Tip of the Week: Currents can be tricky to maneuver when going from a river mouth into an open body of water. Always stay alert to assure a safe exit and/or re-entry into a river or lake that are connected.

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A few of the nature shots we captured on our Munuscong outing...enjoy!

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

From the Nose of Our Kayak: Chapter 17 "Goosed in a Kayak!"

Janet & Don Beasley

Hello and welcome to the JLB Creatives Blog, where you'll find an array of creative features from a hand-picked group of creative geniuses.

Previous chapters can be found in our blog archives. We began the series on June 1, 2016.

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From the Nose of Our Kayak

Don & Janet Beasley

Chapter 17: "Goosed in a Kayak!"

Ready to launch onto Waiskai Bay
photo by Janet Beasley

You know those rare, awesome moments when you happen to be in the right place at the right time to experience nature at its best? That's what this chapter is all about. While vacationing in Michigan's U.P. we "set sail" on Waiskai Bay in Brimley, Michigan one evening and found ourselves in the midst of an evening roost! Only this wasn't a roost we paddled into but rather a roost that flew into us!

Let's start with some educational goodies first. Waiskai Bay is a small back bay that is nestled off of Lake Superior. It reaches from Bay Mills Point to the Waiskai River. Canada is in plain sight from the southern half of Waiskai Bay, and the ginormous lake freighters sail the channel between Canada and Bay Mills either heading toward the open water of Lake Superior, or toward the Soo Locks, in Sault Ste. Marie, that lead to the St. Mary's River and on into Lake Huron.

The name of "Waiskai" has been spelled differently throughout the years. You'll find Waiskai, Waiska, and currently it appears on road signs, designating the river, as Waishkey River. No matter how it's spelled the pronunciations are about the same, way-shkee, or wish-kee for the most part.

Waiskai Bay is home to much wildlife including bear, fox, raccoon, and several bird species. From gulls to bald eagles, and from great blue herons to Canada (not Canadian) geese birds are the wildlife most commonly seen on and around the water.

We're going to focus on the Canada Geese for this chapter.

Canada Geese Using the Water Top as Their Runway
photo by Janet Beasley

Canada geese are among some of the best known birds in North America. These particular type geese are marvelous creatures to observe both in-flight and on the ground. When they fly in flocks, such as during migration times, they will travel across the sky in the well-known "V" formation, and if the winds are cooperating they can cover up to 1500 miles in 24 hours. Their markings are stunning, and their honking sounds are just this side of haunting. They prefer to feed on grains, berries, and/or grasses, and are able to adapt to a wide range of habitats.

Don on Waiskai Bay at Sunset
photo by Janet Beasley

It was in August of 2011 that we headed down to the water's edge of Waiskai Bay. For the first part of the day our friends joined us for a sunny afternoon paddle. We enjoyed seeing the bald eagles and a couple of passing freighters just off Bay Mills point.

That evening Don and I took turns kayaking out to view the gorgeous sunset. Don took his turn and paddled out about 100 yards off shore. I grabbed the camera to begin photographing his silhouette in the evening's pinks and velvety blacks...

...I quickly changed to video when I heard the haunting sounds of the Canada geese, but had no idea what they were up to until...

It was a cool opportunity to be able to capture, on video, the sight and sounds of the geese coming in for a landing on the water. We are looking very forward to the day we can return to the north woods of Michigan's U.P. and kayak Waiskai Bay once again...this time with hopes of seeing a moose!

We've compiled a few more photos below for you to enjoy.

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Kayak Tip of the Week: Be camera ready while kayaking. When you hear the sounds of non-threatening wildlife in the distance, remain still and you may just catch a rare glimpse of something absolutely stunning to photograph! But if you aren't sure if the sound is threatening treat it as though it probably is. Be cautious and know basic wildlife rules of how to remove yourself from danger should it arise. No photograph is worth your life.

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More photos from that day for you to enjoy.