Honking Good Hospitality
by Denise Janus
At today's organizational meeting, Mark said we should practice beaching the canoe and to practice handling it on a large lake. So off to Sterling State Park and Lake Erie we went. Everywhere we go hauling the canoe, people stare, especially since we’re trailering this 18-century replica canoe in a huge 2005 King Ranch Ford Expedition! Today a guy honked and gave us the thumbs up! People are so impressed by our rig and they love the canoe! We put in the water at about noon and set off for the lake and the River Raisin. The water was really calm and it took about two hours to get a good ways down the Raisin. There was a (coal/industry park) on the left and a nicely treed shoreline on the right. As we cruised down the River we arrived at some docks and marinas, where Heaven appeared in the form of “The Clamdigger” restaurant. After about 3 solid hours and 4.5 miles of canoeing against the current we decided to stop in for lunch. As we docked our canoe and got out to go have lunch, we were met by the restaurant owner, Glen, who said, “I read about you guys in the paper!” So our celebrity status continues! We talked a while, showed him our canoe, and told him that we were going to be back on the 21st for a presentation at the visitor’s center nearby. He invited us in for complimentary beverages and told us to come back on the 21st for lunch on the house! We thanked him and went inside where he gave us some Clamdigger can cozie momentos and we settled in for lunch. Another patron asked if our canoe was of Canadian origin, to which I replied, "No, it’s of Southfield origin!"
We left at about 4 p.m. with encouragement from many well wishers. The wind had picked up but we cut through the River Raisin with ease and made our way back to the Lake. Lake Erie greeted us with two-foot waves and for the first time we saw what our replica could really handle, and oh boy what a lot of fun!!! We got rocked to and fro and felt like Vikings in the high seas! Mike was so proud because even in the waves the canoe stayed solid and we barely got wet! This vessel is truly a beast and very capable! Mark’s confirmation of the canoe’s capability made it official; this canoe is a formidable predator on the water. We got off the water at about 6 p.m., got back to the University and patched up the canoe with black enamel to make it look like we patched it with pine tar; keeping it looking as authentic as possible.