• Thursday-What'sUP December 1 - 01:02 am

Taana Kalliainen and her brother-in-law were kayaking around the Portage Entry Canal recently and heeded the sign requesting that they don't produce a wake. Of course in a kayak, that would be quite a task to produce a sizable wake. They continued on with their water explorations and found several concrete structures in the water, which Taana tells me used to be channel markers. Her brother-in-law checked all around the base, determined to get up on one and finally succeeded. If you've ever been in a kayak, you know climbing out of it, while it's in the water, is no easy task. So he struck a pose of victory, to celebrate the moment. They also checked out what remains of a pretty good size dock, with the pilings still sticking out of the water. There must have been some large boat traffic in the area when this dock was functional. All in all, it looks like these two kayakers had an enjoyable paddle, relaxing and peaceful.

WOW! Those dock remnants look dangerous, but the rest looks like fun!

In that last pic it looks like Paul Bunyan had been around there with his hammer and nails.

Nice pics...the last one looks like a bed of nails for Gulliver. :-O

Hi
It does look like fun.

With regard to the big nails--spikes, really--, it shows what it takes to try to keep a structure intact in the Great Lakes. I remember seeing some shipwrecks along a walk at Pictured Rocks from Hurricane River to the lighthouse that also had big iron spikes. And yes, the fact that they were wrecks showed that it didn't work in this case...I did say "try".

The last picture is that of a barge that burned and sank. I understand that it was used for a party barge until its demise.

Climbing out of the kayak was a challenge. But how did he drop back into it?

Getting back in the kayak was probably even harder.
I wonder if we are maybe missing the picture of the
resultant cooling dip.

The water was only about knee deep when he got out of the
kayak. :D

I'd think getting into and out of would be a challenge, since a kayak is something you 'wear'.

We went out the south entry today on the Ranger III cruise. I always enjoy going to the south entry no matter how many times I've done it. We also have cruises scheduled for Aug. 2nd, 9th and 23rd.

Don't think I've ever gotten into or out of a kayak without a
spill. Mind you on warm days that's half the fun.

That last pic is a barge. Was a government barge that was
used when they dredged the cannal, the new cut, then it was
no longer needed around 1940 the government sank it there
and it had a good top till about 1960 as it was rotting away.
Then some one set it on fire after that date. The back 30 feet
had a concrette top and the rest was a wood deck and had a
pointed front which points north. Those long pins are bolts.