Johnny Panther Quests. Ecotours

It's rare that we get the opportunity to explore someplace new by boat. On Sunday a good friend and team mate brought his friend and we headed up the Cass River till we ran out of "time".

Star of the West Milling Looking back on the rapids at Tuscola One of the tributaries we explored Rick had to assume the position on the bow for much of our trip going up beyond Tuscola. The big boulders made it challenging, and hard on equipment! Another tribitary. We saw fifteen turkeys with a mink chasing them at this break. Another set of rapids There's some pretty incredible timber standing along the Cass, and lots of "raccoon hotels". Heading back towards Frankenmuth.... trying to miss all those boulders we saw on the way up! We stopped in Tuscola to replenish supplies Glass on the Cass. It was an awesome afternoon, we made it way further than I expected, nearly to Vassar. A rare chance to explore something new(to us). Tours by reservation from Frankenmuth and other launch points. Video link of this adventure on YouTube coming soon. Get out of the mainstream, and go on a "Quest"!

 

I was updating my site on Michigan.org and I saw something out of the corner of my eye. At first I thought it was dew dripping off the eaves. It is actually sap dripping out of a couple of fresh cuts on a maple tree I trimmed yesterday. I tasted it yesterday, and it was sweet, though it's not a sugar maple. The buds are ready to explode, the birds are singing, and I've got a lot in front of me today.

I heard the riding was perfect at Bulldog's yesterday, but probably too smooth for me. I wanted to get my bike switched over, but wound up working on the kids bikes instead. They are at a point where it will take an hour of "love" for every hour they ride.  Too much typing, not enough action. I've gotta get things done, I feel another bout of Johnny Panthering coming on. The Shiawassee Flats are unfinished, and Frankenmuth has yet to be done this year!

 

 

 

 

Here is a link to our latest recon mission in the Shiawassee Flats. We were hoping to go to St. Charles and back but we had too much boat to fit under the Hay Bridge. I don't claim to be an expert fishing guide, but I do know where the honey holes are. My friend claims to be quite the fisherman, but nothing was biting on this afternoon!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgMvNDr2Q9o

 

Mark prepares to drive the walleye into submission 

Yesterday was a case of too much boat, and too much water. Dare I say we may need a third recon this year. I took a good friend with me. He assured me he was the almighty's gift to fishing, and we would limit out early. Let's just say there will be a lot of editting to the video I post. I will post a link to it when I get it done. Mark did his best to tutor me as a fishing guide. His fish finder was routinely ten feet off, and he refused to believe it even as we swung around in a circle in an eddy at the mouth of the Cass River with thirty feet of anchor rope payed out.

 

 

 

 

If you look closely you can see the eagle standing in the nest. What was once a great blue heron rookery is now an eagle feeder Sled head residue, sad.... We retrieved all we could. ALWAYS leave it better than what you found it! He gave up fishing, and started drinking the water.... not good! Some of the highlights of out boat ride included lots of laughter at Mark's stellar fishing technique and several trumpeter swans(I think). The water was too high to fit the big boat under the bridge. That was the only time Mark put his life jacket on. Even the video will not do justice to the current and whirlpools. We saw clouds of geese, tons of ducks, and several eagles, including one on a nest. I am fortunate to have friends that want to go out Johnny Panthering. My face is still sore from smiling. Zoom, zoom!

Lost, but now I'm found?