Portruding Pictured Rocks to Galevanting Grand Marais

By the end of week three, or is it four now?
We are beginning to realize that Fridays are filled with a knackering amount of miles, the heavier parts of the day occur right at the end after we've thrown down a marathon of miles, and once we reach land- it usually hits the fan...

So here we are, fiddly-faddling about some intermitent internet connection, logisiticizing the next portion of the journey. What can we say? We made a haul from Marquette to Grand Marais betwixt the days of Tuesday and Friday. Near the weeks entrance we parused away from the S. side of Marqutte's Ore dock district, just kidding, I can't remember what the name of the beach was, but it was near the Co-op and by some rowing shells... Feeling the need for closed spaces we pitched the tent in a bramble of alders some 20 miles or so away from the swank city on Superior. The next day took us to Christmas in July, where we met the Reverend John Dopper and his Pitsburg people- thanks for the stories, socialization and rocking perspective on stuff (we would run into these folks yet again near Chappel Rock in Pictured Roks National Lakeshore) Those days became a blurr of iridescent shoreline, tucked away beaches and the frigging sand stone allstars... Great GOOGALLY MOOGALLY!!

From somewhere in the pictured rock realm we made the marathon+ four or five miles to G. Marais, which has been described to me on a T shirt as two miles from the end of the earth... It's easy to fall into that perception, but it is also hard to fall away from it, as G town is a hop, skip and gallop away from the Au Sable Dunes, 12 mile beach (pretty sure they got the mileage on this one right) and as previously mentioned the righteous rocks of picturesque persuasion - photos can not do justice, but we'll try with a little teaser...









After kicking around the Au Sable light the sky became blanketed in darkness as thunder bore down upon the land and through our boats... (sound. it's a moving experience) An experience which induced a melee-ic paddle (arse hauling, as it were) into the G. Marais break wall- did you know, little piping plover birds nest on that beach and it is filled with AMAZING rocks? Well we didn't either, but outsmarting a severe thunderstorm watch brought us into town, suited up to paddle ( locals love that type of stuff) and found our safe keeping abode. (MUCHISIMO GRACIAS DAVE + PAT!!!) *(there is a more hilarious story which will entail through this experience, but due to the time of day, and limited usage we have here, it will have to wait)

Friday evening brought familiar faces (Family and Friends) as we hauled our boats into safety in the wee hours after eating some great grub at Sportsmans (is that right?) We get by with a little help from our friends...

Saturday the wind beefed up and we continued to retrofit our boats, padding, minor glass work, reflective tape, you know the drill. Haute Dog, wild to have a day of no paddling, but a day of intensified labor - Que Sera, Sera

All in all we'd have to say, cool town, cool folks, great sites, magical beaches and more... *stay tuned...