Johnny Panther Quests. Ecotours

I’ve been playing in the swamps of Saginaw since I was a young boy. Collectively known as the Shiawassee Flats, I’ve hiked, biked, boated, and ridden my motorcycle on the ice through the labyrinth of channels, ditches, rivers, and creeks. For me it’s like going to church, or recharging my batteries- as Don used to say; “I feel like a million dollars!” There have been times when I wanted to disappear for good out in the swamp, my heart full of sorrow and pain, but almost always I feel a presence or power that surrounds me. I can feel Don, my Dad, and others looking down at me, smiling, urging me to savor the moments and get back on course. When I started Johnny Panther Quests nineteen years ago, I thought I’d be killing it within five years- doing it full time and selling franchises. Well, I am not even close. My wife has put up with me chasing her, my dreams, and passions for over twenty years now, and frankly, I am a lucky man to still be married. Every year I’ve told her; “This is gonna be the year, I can feel it!” and it doesn’t happen. It’s a long quiet ride home from the CPA’s every spring. I have had many positive experiences sharing my “ecotours” with others over the last eighteen years professionally. Some of my guests have been world travelers, and claimed they saw more wildlife in one afternoon with me, than on safari in Africa. Others have told me the experience is invaluable for students, seeing the impact of man, urban sprawl, and climate change, not to mention history. These comments make me proud of what I do and share, but unfortunately don’t pay the bills. 2012 was full of challenge. I had no “real job”, and the water level and finances were moving the wrong direction. My saving grace is I was able to spend some quality time with the boys, and be ready on demand if need be to run trips. Strapped for cash, advertising was on the back burner. Logistics and overhead play a huge roll in taking people out on adventures which usually last 3-5 hours. Licensing, inspections, insurance, fuel, propellers, and vehicle upkeep require a lot of time, effort and cash. But this year it happened. We’ve had the same friend do our taxes for twenty years now. She’s seen us good, bad, and downright ugly. She said when I gave her the gross earnings this year she knew we would show a profit! Was it enough to pay our bills and support a family? NO! But it was a profit! For years I have had people telling me I’m never going to make it. In my mind, I made it a long time ago. I am hopeful that I will again be the primary bread winner and can give back to my family like they have given to me. I don’t think they will ever fully understand the energy and love of life I experience when on an adventure trip. But if I can pay the bills, make them smile, and eliminate some stress in their lives, I will consider myself successful! So whether it’s an afternoon in the swamps of Saginaw, or a week in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, I feel blessed and privileged to be able to share it. This is gonna be the year, I can feel it!

I'd like to share a little taste of the 2013 Hangover National ice ride in Michigan with some friends. Every year on New Years Day we get together and ride. Some years are bigger than others. This year, because of the climate change, we were forced to drive north to Houghton Lake. Only a fraction of some years riders drove up, but for those who did, it was big fun. Click the link to see what some the best motorcycle riders in the nation did for fun the first day of 2013. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAnyTXZ3Dp4

This is what I saw in my backyard last week, December 13, 2012. Not sure what kind it is. Yesterday it was 50 degrees on December 16. Anymore, it’s not unusual to sneak a ride or two in at the club this time of year. To me, what IS unusual is the duration of the mild weather. I feel like I have my finger on the pulse of climate change here in good old Mid-Michigan. This year the water in the Shiawassee Flats was 3 feet below “normal low” consistently through the summer. Likely some lack of water can be attributed to the overzealous dredging of the St. Clair River mouth, but certainly we have not seen the precipitation we used to receive. Of course with the lack of rain we have had a lack of mosquitoes too! My little part of the world has changed dramatically climate wise, and it’s pretty hard to supplement my income plowing snow when there isn’t any. If this keeps up, I may need to consider kayaks to show off the Everglades of Michigan. Boat rides often morph into boat walks when our spartan Johnny Panther boat’s draft exceeds that available. This year I walked up river channels I used to water-ski up! I love Michigan and its seasons, and make the most of all of them. It seems to me that winter comes later, and leaves earlier every year. This year it was 80 degrees in March for about a week! It really screwed up the flowering trees and fruit crops. This year we didn’t experience the “snows” of May and June, the cottonwoods shedding their fuzz balls. Couple these changes in my little piece of heaven with those around the world and it presents a pretty dramatic view of our changing environment. At this rate it won’t be long and I’ll be able to offer boat tours year round. I love the seasons of Michigan, but I feel like we are staring to lose winter…

I’ve seen some pretty dramatic things this year out on my boat- no water, sweltering heat, and death stand out. Be assured we also saw incredible beauty and life in abundance, but it was a hard year on the wildlife. Last year we rarely saw big bucks, this year we saw many. Mostly near the water, sometimes swimming, others staring as we drifted by. Spectacular racks in velvet, stunning specimens of Michigan’s finest. It almost seemed too good to be true. My ecotour guests were impressed; many had never seen deer swimming before. I told them we usually only saw it happen one in ten trips. But indeed, it was a sign of something wrong. The first indicator of an environment askew was the pike die off in some of the rivers. It was so hot this summer; some of the water couldn’t hold enough oxygen for them. On one tour we drove past a hundred floating belly up on the Cass River. The mild winter, draught, and increased temperatures created the ideal conditions for a little bug to thrive in the now exposed mud of the Shiawassee Flats- once bitten the deer barely made it a week before succumbing to EHD or blue tongue. This condition stretched across the northern U.S. I knew something was wrong weeks before there was visual confirmation. I could smell it in the air, and it wasn’t dead fish. Soon the bodies started appearing along the banks of the rivers. Full of fever and dehydrated, they tried to cool themselves and quench an insatiable thirst. They lost their fear of man, and looked (when they should have run) as we drifted by, almost begging for help. I have often remarked at the intelligence of the wildlife and pets that surround us. I’ve seen it many times over, the compassion and team work that they exhibit. We all have our daily struggles. Beat down by sickness, brutality, road rage, or not nice people. We live in an incredible country of opportunity, yet some choose to try and segregate it. We’ve got it easy- watch a herd of deer, flock of geese, or even a family of beaver if you are lucky enough. Appreciate each day's new adventure, because something stupid (no fault of our own) could happen and change things forever. The best time to go Johnny Panthering? WHEN YER BREATHING! On this breezy, cloudy, gray, gloomy day, let’s milk it for all it’s worth and celebrate how lucky we are to still be sucking air!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wwg9gbFLkfk The last thing a rapper “tweeted” before he and four others were killed while driving at a high rate of speed- “YOLO”. I often say that I live for the moment with the chance I might get old, the thought of someone (besides me) losing their life as a result of my mistake/indiscretion would be unbearable. I don’t text, I can receive them, but my phone doesn’t tell me who they’re from. The only time I “tweet”, is when I am sitting at the dining room table, or in my “office”. Sharing life and adventure with others is what I live for, but I almost always try to use reasonable care. The older I get, the more mortal I feel, and the more reasonable care I use. I could barely walk to the garage this morning my knee hurt so badly. Consider it an aftershock from the big quake of 1981, when I ruined it the first time. I try to smile, instead of grimace, fondly remembering how fast I used to be when I was ten feet tall and bullet proof! I have never been blessed with a huge amount of self confidence, but it probably peaked in the early to mid eighties when I was on top of my bike and game. I trained hard and played hard. Now life is going way faster than me. I have moments (and longer) of doubt about the paths I have chosen. I look back at the love shared and the lessons learned, and look forward to more loving and learning. Probably a euphoric view of reality, one I have pursued most of my life, believing I will achieve my dreams and goals. Now my confidence is gained through familial approval and the positive comments from guests I take out on adventure trips. Sometimes my days are not as productive as they should be. Sometimes after a boat tour, I still stand on the dock and watch the water go by. I remember those that are above me now, and the positive contributions they made in my life. I give thanks for being so lucky to have lived such a full and wonderful life. Yup, as far as we know, you only live once. Some may feel I’ve lived one too many times. I will continue to learn, share, and try to make others smile. It rained last night. The air is sweet, the sun is shining, and my knee doesn’t hurt anymore. I guess I’ll go do a little living, but first, I gotta do the dishes!