Today was the best day! Mike was searching online and discovered Ottawa National Forest, about 20 miles away in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. I had heard of the Upper Peninsula but never been there and didn't even realize it's a whole separate part of Michigan. It looks like it should be part of Wisconsin. At some point we crossed into the Eastern time zone and back, and I was confused what time it was all day and now I have jet lag. It was 47 degrees and cloudy when we started out this morning around 9:00. We stopped for breakfast at a town called Watersmeet, Michigan, the self-proclaimed "Home of the Nimrods" as they proudly display on signs all around town.
The cafe was called Roadhouse Grill or something like that, and certainly nowhere we would have stopped by looking at it from the outside, but Mike has a gift for finding great breakfast places online, and this was what he picked. The inside didn't look much better than the outside, and the carpet (yes, it was carpeted) was so filthy that Mike said it looked like there'd been a fire. The whiteboard advertised a breakfast "burritto" as the day's special. A sign around the corner promoted "Big HONKIN' Sandwiches". Immediately, I noticed an older guy telling what was clearly a gripping story, so I chose a table close to him. We came to learn that his name is Don, a Vietnam vet with a New York accent and a knack for telling great stories. He told one about a bear he had killed and had turned into a rug and had the feet sewn back on it. He also told of a locust he found in his yard that was the size of a robin and he tried to catch it so he could eat it but it flew away. Then there was the time he was out in his boat and saw a huge catfish in the lake but he didn't have his net, so he went home to get it, got back in the boat, drove back out on the lake to where he thought the catfish was, and it was still there, just sitting there in the same spot waiting for him. His gesticulations were almost as entertaining as his words.
The cafe was called Roadhouse Grill or something like that, and certainly nowhere we would have stopped by looking at it from the outside, but Mike has a gift for finding great breakfast places online, and this was what he picked. The inside didn't look much better than the outside, and the carpet (yes, it was carpeted) was so filthy that Mike said it looked like there'd been a fire. The whiteboard advertised a breakfast "burritto" as the day's special. A sign around the corner promoted "Big HONKIN' Sandwiches". Immediately, I noticed an older guy telling what was clearly a gripping story, so I chose a table close to him. We came to learn that his name is Don, a Vietnam vet with a New York accent and a knack for telling great stories. He told one about a bear he had killed and had turned into a rug and had the feet sewn back on it. He also told of a locust he found in his yard that was the size of a robin and he tried to catch it so he could eat it but it flew away. Then there was the time he was out in his boat and saw a huge catfish in the lake but he didn't have his net, so he went home to get it, got back in the boat, drove back out on the lake to where he thought the catfish was, and it was still there, just sitting there in the same spot waiting for him. His gesticulations were almost as entertaining as his words.
Then we went to the Ottawa National Forest Visitor Center to get tips about hiking trails and met another interesting character named Marti. As I listened to her spinning tales about Native Americans and animals and local lore, I wished I could introduce her to Don and listen to them talk all day. She was a fascinating fount of information, a former teacher and photographer, who insisted on taking our picture with Smokey the Bear and a stuffed wolf. 
Mike disappeared into the bathroom, and I asked Marti questions about porcupines and trees, and she referred me to the naturalist, Joe, who had such beautiful hair that I asked him if I could touch it. He readily agreed, so when Mike came around the corner, he found me looking at what turned out to be a European Mountain Ash and petting Joe's lovely curls. We left with maps, posters, and directions to Bond Falls, which Marti assured Mike were the best waterfalls in the area, with access to good hiking.
Mike disappeared into the bathroom, and I asked Marti questions about porcupines and trees, and she referred me to the naturalist, Joe, who had such beautiful hair that I asked him if I could touch it. He readily agreed, so when Mike came around the corner, he found me looking at what turned out to be a European Mountain Ash and petting Joe's lovely curls. We left with maps, posters, and directions to Bond Falls, which Marti assured Mike were the best waterfalls in the area, with access to good hiking.
We took an accidental detour several miles in the opposite direction, so by the time we reached the falls, the sun was coming out, and it was warming up to be a perfect day. Marti was so right! The falls were a wonder, and we hiked all around them and appreciated them from the front, back, left, and right.
Rocks and woods all around, and no real trail, so we were free to wander and explore. I found a natural recliner formed by a tree and its roots on the edge of the river, and I spent a long time reclining there and praising the Lord for His goodness.
I ended the day with a solo trip on a paddleboat, which is the safest of the watercraft available to me. I paddled out to the middle of the lake and convinced a loon that she didn't need to be afraid of me. I approached slowly and sang her a song about us called "Two Loons Paddling on a Lake" and she turned to look at me. I admired her for a long time and then paddled closer to shore, through a field of aquatic plants that threatened to tangle my rudder. A speedboat zoomed by, and I enjoyed bobbing in the waves its wake created. 
Rocks and woods all around, and no real trail, so we were free to wander and explore. I found a natural recliner formed by a tree and its roots on the edge of the river, and I spent a long time reclining there and praising the Lord for His goodness.
