Homecoming

This weekend Dana and I headed to the western end of the U. P. to visit with family, friends, and supporters. Friday, after a meeting with Brain, Dana and I strapped our kayaks to the roof of his car, loaded our gear, and jumped on M-28 for a drive to Dana's hometown of Michigamme. Once we arrived we met Dana's brother (Matt) and his fiance (Jackie) for pizza and catching up....mmmmm! Thanks guys!

Saturday began early with breaky at Dana's parents ...mmmm again.... Once we got powered up we headed to Marquette to meet area kayaking guru, Sam Crowley, to learn a few things about navigation in open waters and how to determine what to expect from different weather patterns. Sam is a world class kayaker, among other things, and we soaked up his lessons and words as much as time would allow. After meeting in his office at the YMCA we headed to Presque Isle to paddle in Lake Superior. While in the water we discussed various rescue scenarios that would require specific responses and why. No paddling session would be complete without some fun so we practiced rescuing each other, completed a few rolls, and took pictures. We gave our thanks to Sam before scurrying to gather our gear and headed back to Michgamme for our benefit dinner.

We arrived at the community building in Michigamme with welcoming smiles and warm hugs from family and friends. The aroma of marinara led our nostrils straight to the kitchen where we found a group of diligent volunteers, most of which were Dana's relatives, working to keep things flowing and to keep people happy and full. Before filling our faces with the colorful and plentiful spread, we met and greeted people who came to support the cause. Many people from Dana's hometown were there to encourage and wish us luck. We took pictures, told stories, and socialized until we were summoned to dinning room to eat. And eat we did.... spaghetti, salad, garlic bread, cheesecake, ice cream, assorted baked goods, and punch. Yum! I think I am still full!

Sunday we had a delicious breaky and Dana's parents and said our goodbyes as we we on our way to Marquette to interview with tv 6. It was cold and rainy, but we were looking forward to getting back in our boats and on the water. We drove back to Presque Isle and just as we finished putting on our gear Dana's parents showed up followed by the news anchor. We we eager to get in the water and paddle, but before we did so we were interviewed on the beach. Then, we made our way into the water and played around for a bit. The clip can be viewed by clicking the link to the right. Once we got out of the water we changed, loaded the gear and rushed to the Big Boy for a hot lunch. We said our goodbyes and made our way back to the soo.

Thank you to all of the supporters at the fundraiser and all of those who helped make it a success. Special thanks to the Skytta family for all of their loving care and hard work!

Sean