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

Eskimo Rolls

The Hand of God Rescue

Paddle Rescue

Bow Rescue

T Rescue

Paddle Float Rescue

Free Antlers lunchies!

Wow...If I would have known that telling people we are trying to gain weight would score us some free calories, I would been doing this a long time ago. Last Thursday Dana and I dropped by the Rock 101 studios to interview with radio gurus, Scott Cook and Brian Davie for "Scott and Brian in the morning." Let me tell you, these guys were a lot of fun along with the others in the studio, and everyone was friendly and hospitable. The guys made us feel comfortable as they joked and asked questions in a nonchalant manner. After we mentioned that everything we read has told us to gain weight to sustain us through the first two weeks of shock Scott whipped out a gift card and signed for us to have a free lunch at the Antlers, here in Sault Ste. Marie. Soon we'll be feasting on emporium selections of earthly delights ; ) Thanks Scott!

Today, I was also notified that our story made the Detroit Free Press. Glad the associated press is picking it up. Hopefully, we'll get the chance to conduct some education sessions or interviews.

Blessings, Sean

One busy day

We made the front page of the Sault Evening News today! The cover was a picture of Dana and I giving a presentation to the kiddos at JKL Bahweting School yesterday. It sure was a full day of public speaking and we hope that there will be more to come before our "D Day" on May 8th.

The day began with a brief radio chat with Paul Vanwagoner or better know as Junior from Yes FM. We shared our story with him and the listeners about how we came up with the idea and what it has been like since we committed. We also talked a little about our support and how others can make pledges.

Listen to the Interview:

After that we grabbed our gear from LSSU and headed over to the JKL middle school to set up a display of our equipment. We also presented a powerpoint to the middle schoolers, educating them on the Great Lakes and about our expedition. You know...we had a captive audience for about an hour and anyone who knows kids, knows that is a long time to keep their attention, so I think it's safe to say that they were interested! Not to mention the dozens of questions we got from them afterwards. One of the students even asked what we would do if we had to go "cacca"....

They were a lot of fun and we'll see them again as we are scheduled to give them a demo and paddle with them at the Norris Center Pool on April 30th. And they been approved to help us fundraise so they will be working on getting pledges for the cause. Thanks guys!

A little later Dana and I made our way to the USCG base to present our story to the Auxiliary Coast Guard. This is a very experienced and interested group who was warm and welcoming of our trip. We brainstormed with them about the possibility of using a Coast Guard communication radio and getting clearance to use their frequency to keep in touch every hour or so on the trip just for added safety. They also thought of notifying the other auxiliary groups along the way to hopefully be "adopted" in a sense. We'll keep our fingers crossed.

It has been rather humbling to see so many people want to get involved and help out. Thank you to all of you who are helping this come together!

So that was a day in the life of the Paddle For a Purpose team. More radio interviews tomorrow- rock 101, oldies 93, and 1230 radio soo- followed by paddling in the pool.

Have a great night!

"As our "D Day" approached, it was almost as though our adrenaline flowed continuously, the clock around, day after day." -Verlen Kruger

Sunrise Rotary

beep..Beep..BEEP... this was the sound of my alarm this morning at 6:15 am. It was time to get up and get ready for our presentation with Sunrise Rotary. After introductions it was time for Dana and I to stand up and tell them what we are doing, hoping that it would move them enough to sponsor our cause.  

We described to the Rotary that we are a dedicated, motivated, and focused team looking to raise funds and awareness for the Red Cross. Being the community-service caring organization that they are, they were receptive, supportive, and interested in helping us connect with Rotary Clubs along the way. It was suggested that we could give similar presentations to other clubs to ask them for their support as well. 

Afterward we chatted it up with a few of the members as they shared wise words being experience paddlers. They all wished us luck on our upcoming adventure.

Thanks for your help, Chippewa County Rotary Club!