[Rhodes22-list] High Adventure Pictured Rocks Sea Kayaking Trip

Sat Sep 12 10:05:07 EDT 2020

Hi Tom,

Originally, the kayak towing harness for S/V Dynamic Equilibrium was to facilitate a Sailing/Kayaking High Adventure Trip wherein we were going circumnavigate Isle Royale in western Lake Superior.  This trip was going to be in the summer of 2002 using S/V Dynamic Equilibrium as a mother ship.  Unfortunately, 9/11 happened and the US economy went into a deep recession.  I got laid off in the spring of 2002 and the trip had to be postponed.  Between going back to school to get another degree in mechanical engineering, searching for a new job, and the boys going off to college and starting their own careers; the Isle Royale trip never happened.  Since then, we have started including my brother-in-law, Ken, in our High Adventure trips.  There is a story in the R-22 archives about a voyage to Garden Island in northern Lake Michigan aboard S/V Dynamic Equilibrium.  It was Ken’s 1st blue water sailing experience and we kind of scared him on the return trip.  I haven’t suggested any sailing High Adventure Trips since then.

The word around the campfire on the Pictured Rocks High Adventure Trip was everyone was interested in going back to the Apostle Islands in western Lake Superior by sea kayak in the summer of 2021.  We only visited 4 islands out of 22 in the archipelago the last time we were there.  I may explore how Ken would feel about using S/V Dynamic Equilibrium as a mother ship for the kayaks.  We would definitely be able to cover more water.

Roger Pihlaja
S/V Dynamic Equilibrium

Sent from my iPhone

> On Sep 11, 2020, at 8:12 PM, Tom Van Heule <tom.vanheule at intrinsicprograms.com> wrote:
> 
> We're in northwest Waukesha county.
> Probably an hour or so from you son.
> Absolutely on your way via 94, maybe 10 minutes off course.
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> IMG_20200730_204146.jpg
> <https://drive.google.com/file/d/19_hhNDm1YrRJA14JZsWkxeDbks_khaZh/view?usp=drivesdk>
> 
> 
> 
>>> On Fri, Sep 11, 2020, 7:04 PM ROGER PIHLAJA <roger_pihlaja at msn.com> wrote:
>> Hi Tom,
>> My younger son, Gary & family, live in Wyocena, WI, which is a northern
>> suburb of Madison, WI.  Gary is a police detective on the Madison Police
>> Dept.  Driving around Chicago, IL, it’s about a 500 mile drive from my
>> house.  Where in Wisconsin do you live?
>> Roger Pihlaja
>> S/V Dynamic Equilibrium
>> Sent from Mail<https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986> for
>> Windows 10
>> From: Tom Van Heule<mailto:tom.vanheule at intrinsicprograms.com>
>> Sent: Friday, September 11, 2020 7:58 PM
>> To: The Rhodes 22 Email List<mailto:rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
>> Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] High Adventure Pictured Rocks Sea Kayaking
>> Trip
>> Superb Roger.
>> I spent 20 years north of muskegon, west of 131...
>> Coming " home" twice a year for the steelhead runs.
>> I thought you might be in Wisconsin, but we can surely meet up someday as
>> we're only 100 miles apart?!
>> All the best everyone,
>> TVH
>>> On Fri, Sep 11, 2020, 6:46 PM ROGER PIHLAJA <roger_pihlaja at msn.com> wrote:
>>> Hi Tom,
>>> OK, me & my boat, let’s see … here’s a picture of me moving
>> hand-over-hand
>>> thru a narrow crack:
>>> [cid:image004.jpg at 01D68871.F0D4FAE0]
>>> Here’s a picture of me paddling along a shear cliff:
>>> [cid:image003.jpg at 01D68874.485C9820]
>>> Here’s a picture of the 4 of us at sunset at Mosquito River
>>> [cid:image007.jpg at 01D68874.485C9820]
>>> If you literally meant you wanted to see a picture of my kayak, here it
>> is
>>> by itself on the beach at Hurricane River:
>>> [cid:image010.jpg at 01D68874.485C9820]
>>> The kayak is a 2013 Delta 14.5 Expedition.
>>> The nearest point on Lake Michigan to me is Ludington, which is ~117
>> miles
>>> from my house.  If you check the R-22 archives, you will find some
>> pictures
>>> & stories of the towing rig we use to tow the kayaks behind S/V Dynamic
>>> Equilibrium.
>>> Roger Pihlaja
>>> S/V Dynamic Equilibrium
>>> Sent from Mail<https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986> for
>>> Windows 10
>>> From: Tom Van Heule<mailto:tom.vanheule at intrinsicprograms.com>
>>> Sent: Friday, September 11, 2020 6:27 PM
>>> To: The Rhodes 22 Email List<mailto:rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
>>> Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] High Adventure Pictured Rocks Sea Kayaking
>>> Trip
>>> Rodger, looks like a great time with the family!
>>> Surely you didn't take one picture of your boat on the trip?
>>> We must not be too far apart, lake michigan will be our home waters as
>> soon
>>> as a slip opens up.
>>> At which point I will send the trailer in for a beefier axle and other
>>> work.
>>> Do you tow/stow the kayaks on the r22?
>>> Tvh
>>> On Fri, Sep 11, 2020, 5:22 PM ROGER PIHLAJA <roger_pihlaja at msn.com>
>> wrote:
>>>> Hi All,
>>>> Here are some photos from my Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore sea
>>>> kayaking trip with my brother-in-law, and two sons.  We car camped at
>> Bay
>>>> Furnace Campground in Christmas, MI on the night of August 20th,
>>> shuttled a
>>>> vehicle to our take-out point, and sorted out gear.  The next day, we
>>>> put-in at Sand Point in Munising, MI and paddled to Mosquito River
>>>> Campground, ~8.0 miles.  The 2nd day, we paddled ~8.9 miles to Beaver
>>> Creek
>>>> Campground.  The 3rd day, we paddled ~10.0 miles to Hurricane River
>>>> Campground.  We were extremely fortunate with weather as this is a very
>>>> exposed coastline.  There were some sea caves, waterfalls, and sea
>> stacks
>>>> on day 1; but, the best were on day 2.  By day 3, we had paddled beyond
>>> the
>>>> cliffs of the Pictured Rocks into the Grand Sable Dunes area.  I have
>>>> included a picture of what the dunes looked like.  These seemingly
>>> endless
>>>> sand dunes have their own unique beauty.  But, if I had the trip to
>> plan
>>>> over again, I think I would have moved our take-out
>>>> to Twelvemile Beach Campground, and skipped the last 3 miles of
>>>> paddling.  The sand dunes all start to look the same after a while.
>>>> Roger Pihlaja
>>>> S/V Dynamic Equilibrium
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