My Fisherboys (And Explaination Of What A Canoe Marathon Is-)

Care to take a drive with us?

We were heading out of town into the Huron National Forest to do a little fishing.

As you wind down this road,

lined with fragrant pines,

for miles and miles;

you come to a dead end.

The end takes you to the Au Sable River,

and the various Dams,

with amazing overlooks,

and breathtakingly gorgeous lakes

 that connect together and run eventually into Lake Huron.

This is one of the most lovely places in Michigan to me.

The boys insisted on going fishing this past weekend here,

at Loud Dam.

A prime fishing spot for fisherboys.

Let me clarify:

I don't fish.

However,

I love to be with all my boys,

so if that means going fishing,

I go watch fishing.

 I agree to photograph their memories of fishing,

and their catches,

(yes, there is a fish in that picture above, just keep looking-)

when there are some.

I do not bait the hook,

help reel anything in,

or cast.

Sometimes I hold the fishing pole-

but just for a second-

and I may help grab a pair of pliers out of the tackle box,

but that is about all to my fishing abilities.

No, thank you though, when it comes to the actual  fishing.

Instead,

I brought a magazine,

my chair,

and my camera.

(***Beautiful picture interlude:

Notice the rainbow!!!***)

(Amazing, isn't it? We stayed here awhile, just admiring the view...)

The boys were all having so much fun,

that we agreed to wake up,

skip church,

and head out again that Sunday morning to fish some more.

(Yes, most Sundays up here we attend a local church which we love-

but this weekend was an exception.)

One thing we forgot about as we got things together for the morning fish

was the yearly

Canoe Marathon.

(I love being in the right place, at the right time...with my camera, even!)

150 Miles?

100?

I don't know how long it is,

but it is LONG,

and amazing to see:

Paddling fast through the lake on one side of one dam,

hauling the canoe -and themselves- out of the lake,

carrying it {'portage'} down a huge flight of rickety steps,

(All without any assistance, I should add, while being timed, too.

You have to meet a time limit to continue each section of the marathon.)

and into another part of the river that connects to another dam,

further down the river,

and a continuation to the end of the river, and end of the marathon,

near the mouth of the Au Sable River.

These are true athletes.

They stay up all night long,

-though rain, and even thunder this year-

canoeing those many miles,

with friends who stop along the way,

cheering them on,

following to the next stopping point,

and others who sign on as

"feeders" who feed the racers as they keep going,

and going

all through the night, canoeing.

Our fishing stop

just happened to be the right time and place to see the majority of the canoers pass through.

And then the lake (above the dam)

and the river (below the dam) were quiet again.

Ready for some fisherboys.

My fisherboys.

(Yes, All of them-)

(...who is a fish photographer, I suppose.)