An Afternoon with Betsie

Labor Day has passed, the vacationing crowds diminishing.  Carol and I decided to enjoy the end of summer with a much needed kayak trip down the Betsie to share with you!

Unloaded kayaks ready for the trip

We put in at the bottom of the hill on River Rd. near Benzonia.  There is a small public launch site tucked into the shrubs on the east side of the river. Young Mallard ducks watch as we do the balance act and clumsily climb into the kayaks and start our trip.We maneuvered through the west tunnel going under River Rd., and are met by an artesian well arcing into the river.

I mild breeze comes and goes in the mid-seventies temperatures, perfect for our trip.

The river is on the low side and clear, reflecting the sandy bottom as we float with the current.  A large snapping turtle passes me gliding across the bottom against the current, appearing to be in slow motion.

As we leave the sounds of the road and civilization, we are met with calming reflections as if we are drifting through a Monet painting. The soft tingling of the leaves on the cottonwood trees in the breeze further relaxes us.  Why don’t we do this more often????

The water is so clear Carol’s kayak appears to be floating in space!More Impressionistic reflections….

The late winter storm felled many trees into the river, but thankfully someone has cut enough for us to navigate through.

The Kingfisher flits back and forth in front of us, scolding us as we invade his territory.

So far, not a sign of another human on the river.  We eventually glide past some salmon fishermen, who smile and reel in their lures as we go by.

We approach the cold, clear water from the outlet at Crystal Lake.  Should we turn right and attempt to navigate it?  Sure, let’s try!

So far, so good.  It is very shallow, and scads of minnows scurry and scatter in front of our vessels.  The reeds brush against the boat, reminiscent of “African Queen” without the black flies and leaches…..

A cedar root appearing like a seahorse narrows our chances of getting through.

Stopped by a fallen tree, we turn around and head back toward the main river.

We silently glide up on a Great Blue Heron, who was preoccupied and poised to strike.  He squawked and flew off when he realized how close we had gotten.  I couldn’t get my camera out fast enough…

A family of muskrat are ahead on a sand bar chewing on grasses.  They hop off and scurry at the sight of us.

Artistic dock

Someone has made an artistic dock out of river driftwood and cedar roots.  I suspect it is a local sculptor’s who has a summer river house nearby. 

We have navigated through most of the fallen trees, and the river widens as several splits have come back together.  We float along as those confusing fall warblers flit and sing in the scrub willows.We are passed by a small group of kayakers who are moving much more swiftly than us sightseers are.  Did they even notice the Kingfisher flitting above?

We pulled aside and let the speedsters pass.

We are hearing some distant voices, probably from the Betsie Valley Trail and bike path, signally we are getting closer to the end.

We are coming up close to the end of our trip, corner of Adams Rd. and River Rd.  the river appears to widen even more, and is mostly very shallow.  A pair of ducks are resting in the brush by the river, they appear to pay little attention as I attempt to back up and take their picture.

Sand bar and bridge in sight signals the end of our trip.

Hope you enjoyed our late afternoon float on the Betsy River!

We have no paintings to add at this time, but we do have 3 juried and accepted entries at the Oliver Center for the Arts in Frankfort at the old Coast Guard station.  It is a good show, and you can drop by and see it now through  the last week of September.      Julie