I can't see a thing!

The day of paddling towards Manistee brought more rain and fog. The fog was especially thick when we were about two miles from the pier head. It rolled in so thick that before long we couldn't see a thing and had a hard time seeing each other. So, we hooked up to turn on our strobes and checked the GPS to turn and head to shore. Once we reached the shoreline we paddled South again until we approached the break wall. At this point the wind was strong from the NW and the waves were smashing into the wall and violently rushing back out. We struggled to paddle into the harbor. At times the waves from the wall and the waves from the lake would collide and we were in the middle of it causing our boats to shoot up and splash back down. The visibility was poor and our sense of sound was altered tremendously by the wind and splashing water in our faces. There was nothing to do, but to keep paddling on. We knew that relief would be on the other side of the break wall. Finally, we made it and took a rest.

Then, we paddled through the river to the "Shipwatch Marina" where we would stow our boats for the evening. We checked our messages and called our friend Luke Allen to pick us up. We also called Dave Yarnell from the papers to come and interview us. He showed up right after Luke and asked us all sorts of questions. After a photo of all three of us we were on our way to the Allen's, but not before picking up two orders of the best stromboli ever!

We gorged ourselves once we arrived at Luke's. Just as we were finishing his parents came home. We introduced ourselves, chatted for a bit, and decided to take a tour around their property. It was a pleasant walk with lots of laughs, sunshine, and great scenery. The Allen's fed us well and took good care of us. The shower was rejuvenating and the sleep was refreshing.

The next morning, after breakfast, we headed back to the marina and finished our interview with Dave. After goodbyes we paddled on. Dave met us at the pier to shoot pictures and videos of us leaving.

Thank you Allen's for your hospitality and great company!