You just never know

or

The best laid plans

a mice and men

gang aft aglee

We had been making plans for weeks, maybe months. Derrick, JB, Greg and I would be in Door County (the "thumb" of Wisconsin) for a weekend of warm-weather paddling, fellowship and Mark Rodger's (Superior Kayaks) traditional boat rondezvous. And that is pretty much what didn't happen.

It was Derrick (of course...but I am on the verge of digressing) who began unraveling the ball of yarn. He decided to go down to Geneva (Illinois...I think) instead. I'm not clear, but I think in order to keep his high school diploma he had to go back and do the 5th grade which he originally skipped. Or maybe it was something about his BCU certification. Anyway, scratch Derrick (and that reminds me of a funny horse racing joke...now, I do digress).

Then Lady Linda tries to get us a room up in Door County only to find that peak fall colors are expected and everything is booked up. To the rescue (see how I mix the tension with the good news?), friends of us will let us use their cottage FREE. All I have to do is take some pictures of their grandson while we're up there. Deal...but fate is just dicking with us.

JB spends the preceeding week in Pitosky, Michigan trying to get naked, or at least hyothermic, with some other EMT people in some wildnerness course (I think he was taping an episode of Survivor...another digression). So, on Friday evening, when Greg and I have already made the pennisula (did I mention that Door county is a pennisula?), JB is crossing the Mackinaw bridge at 15 mph with a mandatory escort because he is carrying a boat atop his car and it is blowing 35 mph. A harbinger of what is to come.

I drop Greg off at the Rondevous, and say my hellos to Mark and Celeste. After "helping" Greg set up tent I head for the free cottage to thaw and luxuriate in a hot shower. It is now in the 40s and gusting 15-30 knots. I look back to see Greg appropriately dressed for a fun and wild weekend. He has an invitation to crash at the cottage but, cave man that he is, he does the entire weekend at the camp site eating blubber and sewing mucklucks.

I will tell you that JB arrived safely and that we never took his boat or either of mine (I had the Romany and the SOF...for the rondevouz) off the cars. What did we do there all weekend? I'll show you more tomorrow. Hint, here's a shot of JB after our major hike which was to cross the street outside this cafe.

Paddle safe...
DS