Happy to have gotten help around this bear of a portage. Even from the car park to the put-in, it wasn't a pic-nic!
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I got a ride from Little Falls with John of Shirley Mae's Outfitters to the base of the Blanchard Dam portage, because I had heard of someone getting their backpack stolen there, and also because it was an epically long portage involving stairs and crossing railroad tracks, and walking past fields. I skipped 9 miles in total, but I've paddled at least that while I've been lost in various places along the way, so I'm not worried about not mileage, haha. At the put-in, a young man named Daniel was making a boat, which he named the S.S. Timothy and sent with me to take a journey!
Putting in below Blanchard Dam
No deer seen. No trash today either, just big shells that looked like trash because they shimmer in the sunlight the way plastic does. I did see 6 yellow labs, 2 black labs, a collie and a Boston terrier. It's the weekend, so there's lots of traffic. At one point, I dozed off on my kayak. Napping, I was woken up by Tony and Sherri Sykora who offered help in any way they could. I was embarrassed to be caught napping, but also grateful for the offer! Didn’t need anything, and passed their place shortly thereafter. Later, a few miles from the spot where I had planned to stealth camp near Sartell, a couple on a pontoon boat pulled up and asked what I was doing, where I was headed. They offered their backyard to camp in, and gave a description of their place, so when I saw it a few miles down the river, I pulled over. Mary and Jim Michaud twisted my arm and got me to stay inside and take a shower and enjoy a meal and a real bed. Their house reminded me of my dad's place and their backyard reminded me of my mom's backyard. Over crackers and cheese and a veggie burger, we enjoyed great conversation; they were really my kinds of people.
Sometimes I see flocks of geese with as many as 60 geese, but they're difficult to photograph without a zoom lens.
Busy weekend! Lots of recreation traffic.
Another beautiful day on the water.
Wonderful time with Mary and Jim Michaud (Jim had already left for volunteer work by the time I remembered to take a photo).
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