the race

It’s race weekend in the town near the lake where we spend much of our summer. Actually, as I am about to press, PUBLISH, the race is complete. If you watch the video, winners are the third canoe to pass and while the canoe in the lead finishes in second place. It’s a long race.

The race creates excitement for Grayling. And for us, too.

Yesterday was busy. Our kids, led by W, decided they were going to scuba dive in the lake. Both are scuba certified but that didn’t make my wife, or I feel any better about diving in the lake off the pontoon boat. But they did and they had a wonderful time.

Afterwards, they spent time on the lake, and we gathered at the table for dinner – ribs, beans, and salads (not pictured, but delicious).

Then it was off to watch the start of the race, the AuSable River Canoe Marathon. Town is only minutes from the lake and the river source is in the highlands north of the lake. Two other rivers have their sources in the highlands around us and all three are known for their trout fishing and canoeing.

The race begins in town with a Le Mans style start and finishes over 120 miles (193 km) downstream where the river flows into Lake Huron.

It’s our tradition to watch the start of race from Borchers Canoe and Kayak Livery just downstream from the start. After all the canoes pass by, we return (quickly) to our cars and drive to watch the canoes pass through first checkpoint. By then, the race is close to an hour-old and my race night is complete. But my wife and kids continue to follow the race traveling downstream to cheer on the racers.

Last night, I returned to the lake to watch a waning moon setting over the lake.

last evening’s sunset and the setting moon

A couple of hours later, W and his wife came home around midnight. My wife and daughter came home much later, but by then I was fast asleep.

The race is always fun to watch, but it’s best being together by the lake. Today, we’ll spend time on the lake and then our son and his wife will pack up and head home Monday. My summer is winding down with the return of school in a fortnight. I have a short trip home to present at a teacher conference on Tuesday, then I’ll return for one more week before school begins on Monday, August 15.

Summer moves quickly, and it’s good to be present for time with our families. Today is going to be an amazing day. So, I’d better jump up, jump in, and seize the day. Making the Days Count, one day at a time, enjoy traditions of the season.

Does your family have a summer tradition? If so, please share.

Footnote: This morning I reviewed several of my MtDC posts and discovered that while I’ve been blogging for over 12 years, many older posts don’t view as I formatted them at the time. I also discovered that my YouTube Channel needed some updating as well. If you are interested, here’s a link to the AuSable River Marathon playlist.

7 thoughts on “the race

    1. Thank you. The past week has been a whirlwind of sorts with lions in a couple of places. Thought about you on a trip to the Straits of Mackinac this past Thursday. I am planning a post that will explain this mystic reply. It was a fun time and even more fun having everyone here for the weekend. Summer is winding down, I head home for the summer on Monday and have one more trip this coming week to see family in Houston. Keep making your days count. Peace.

  1. We used to all meet at the lake where my folks lived in AL each summer. Now it seems harder, without them. Treasure your time together. I can’t believe you have to go back to school mid-August. What’s with that? What happened to after Labor Day?

    1. Mid-August has, sadly, been the norm since I can recall. In 2020, we were delayed and started late due to having to rework for COVID protocols. 2020 was the most unsettling summer since dad dies in ’09. Our daughter is at MSU (Go Green) and she starts the Wednesday before Labor Day. It’s been a good summer and it was fun spending time at the lake with family and friends. A couple more days, then I am home for school to start next Monday – 8/15. Keep making those summer days count. Peace.

  2. Looks like fun. Those guys have to be in pretty darn good shape to keep paddling at that intensity for an hour. My goodness, I’m tired just watching.

    Thanks for sharing the fun. Have a wonderful rest of the weekend.

    Patricia Rickrode
    w/a Jansen Schmidt

    1. Thank you! It’s a fun race to watch. I got a t-shirt and new hat this year. The t-shirt claims that there are more than 50,000 paddle strokes for each canoe. last year’s race broke the speed record from 1994, but this year’s race was slower by 30 minutes – due in part to river levels. You can go faster when the water is higher and maybe the current would have something to do with it… wrapping up my time here at the lake and heading home Monday. Stay cool and well. Peace.

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