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John had his new 22-foot boat, a really nice Starcraft with a cutty cabin and plenty of room. It also moved fast enough that we were able to pass freighters going full out. A big plus was that it could be sealed against the weather; we waited out a severe storm while the boat was on the trailer at the dock parking lot, and stayed dry. We caught one salmon and a few rainbow trout, and the weather was great (sixties, mostly; one rainy day). In addition to John, Mike, Pat and myself (the usuals), we were joined by John C., who owns the cabin where we stayed (thanks, John!) and Jeff. We went through the Soo Locks and north, out about 50 miles into Lake Superior, and we also went south, down the St. Mary's, past Sugar, Neebish, St. Joseph, and Drummond Islands, into Lake Huron.
Our annual Labor Day excursion to the Upper Peninsula was spent boating on the St. Mary's River, between the U.P. and Canada, just below the Soo Locks. The Usual Suspects, Mike, John, and Pat, attended. John's boat provided us with the opportunity to catch salmon, drive under the huge doors of the Soo Locks, circumnavigate Sugar Island along the border, and race against ore carriers along the river. I caught a salmon, and then John caught one, early on, and that was it for the five days of fishing. Tasted good, though.
This was the second visit by the Psychedelic Warlords (my friends Chris, Patrick [aka PEH], Jim, and myself, along with Honorary PWL Francis) to Madison, Wisconsin, for beer-sampling purposes. We coordinated at Jim's new place in Madison, and attended various musical events at one of Madison's plentiful outdoor festivals, interspersed with visits to various pubs and taverns. We pronounced the beer most acceptable, after a thorough in-depth analysis of a number of local varieties.
Amidst the aftermath of a nasty storm, and with the only power being provided by a portable generator, we still had a good time with boating, fireworks, and so on. John and Suzie C., and John's son James, were our hosts as usual, and we managed to enjoy ourselves despite the lack of electricity for most of the weekend. The fireworks were spectacular, and the weather was perfect (once the tornados and hurricanes had abated).
On a sad note, Spike Marlin, host of the traditional Marlin Party across the lake from John's place, has suffered a stroke, and the party did not take place. Here's to you, Spike.
This year's trip was, for the first time in six years, based in the Eastern half of Michigan's Upper Penninsula. We began in Trout Lake, at the home of our friends John and Suzie. John K. had brought his boat, so we fished in Frenchman's Lake, went four-wheeling in the new Toyota machine, toured the lakefront along Superior, and enjoyed the usual amenities of the U.P.
Then John K., Mike and I went West, stopping to observe the ore loaders in Marquette, and finally stopping at our usual base, the Union Bay Campground. We arrived just before a massive wind burst (the collateral effect of a tornado to the South of us) swept through the camp, forcing us to endure many games of dashboard dice in my truck. Pat arrived, having survived the tornado en route, and then Jeff stopped by for a couple days. We embarked on our usual course of hiking in the Porcupines. For variety, we mixed in some fishing in John's boat, starting with Lake Gogebic, the U.P.'s largest inland lake. Several fish were caught, and much beer was consumed.
A tour of an old, long-defunct copper mine in the Keewenaw Penninsula was most entertaining, on the way to Copper Harbor. We hit Lake of the Clouds and several beaches, and then turn back East to Trout Lake. We went to Tahquamenon Falls, and finished with Whitefish Bay.
