Retirement paddle

A bunch of us met at the Grosse Ile bakery last Friday to celebrate Bill's retirement. We had cake (Thank you Frank--what a good idea!) and coffee and good company at 7:00 AM.

Then we headed to our house and 5 of us (Bill, me, Fred, Otis and Dick) launched our kayaks and headed south on the Detroit River. Notice the slick way Bill invented for getting the kayaks from the barn to the dock--he put wheels and a tongue on the rack--no more hauling boats by hand the 400 feet from the barn to the river. And with the submersible launching dock we don't even get our feet wet any more!

After 4 miles or so, we pulled out at Gibraltar and walked up to the Mirage for breakfast. Frank and Chris and Tom met us there, arriving by car. After more coffee and more food, we got back in the boats and headed out into Lake Erie where we got a bit wet--there were rolling waves and the occasional larger whitecap, one of which soaked me, but we all stayed upright.

We pulled out at Point Mouillee, where we saw this heron and a bald eagle sitting on its nest up in the trees. We loaded the boats and headed for the root beer stand (when you paddle, just like when you pedal, you have to eat a lot). Total mileage: 8.75 according to Bill's GPS. It was a sweet way for Bill to start his retirement.