Getting aquainted with some new waterways

Returning home from a travel assignment this week, I was pleased to see that FedEx had delivered the two GPS devices we had ordered to replace those stolen during the break-in back in April. The timing is perfect! Tonight, I will program the new GPS units with updated maps. With rain in the forecast for tomorrow, I’ll use the day to build a kayak storage system in my garage (we cannot store them outside in the neighborhood we live in, so I’m designing a system that will help me hang them from the ceiling of the garage with pulleys). But Sunday, I’m eager to explore one of the two new bodies of water that we now live near. One of those streams is the Crow River, which I’m told is a perfect paddling river.

But there is another spot I’d like to explore. Having driven a few times around the west side of Saint Michael, I thought I had come across a series of broad sloughs and wetlands. But looking more closely at a map of the area, I have learned that they are really the coves and inlets of a larger body, known as Pelican Lake. There are two reasons that kayaking the lake is appealing to me. First, it is not attractive to big boats and jet skis (a new neighbor tells me that it’s about ten feet at its deepest point). But second, it is somewhat secluded, and in many places not far from various roadways; I will almost certainly discover that it is the victim of dumping. We’re not talking about litter, here, but things like appliances, tires, etc. Dumping large objects is largely a crime of opportunity and convenience; when proximity to a bridge or roadway makes dumping easy, and unlikely that the dumping will be seen by passers-by, that’s where you’ll find junk in the water.)

In any regard, it will be fun to navigate a new waterway… and I’m looking forward to getting acquainted.

© 2009 Mike D. Anderson, St. Michael, MN. All rights reserved.