The Grand is growing - Part 3
May 1 message from Dan Smith's wife Roxanne:
Hi Jim, just got a call from Dan, the trip is going well and they are about an hour from going through Grand Rapids. Dan admitted it was a little brisk getting up yesterday morning with the frost we had gotten, but other than that the Three Musketeers are enjoying the trip and are starting to pick up the pace.
The full-grown Grand is an impressive river where it flows over the the Sixth Street Dam and the remnants of the rapids at Grand Rapids.
Another May 1 message:
They are past the Sixth street dam. Portaged on the left bank. They are through the rapids. Sounds like Charlie might have gotten splashed on the way through. Plenty of water.
The Grand doesn't get much bigger beyond the rapids but it adds the waters from several streams such as Plaster, Rush, Buck, Sand, Ottawa, Deer, Crockery and Black Creeks and Bass River. It slows down and spreads out into bayous before it gets to the Big Lake. It would have a delta except for the damming effect of the sand dunes along the shoreline.
May 2 message:
9:00 AM: Call from Charlie from an Ottawa County campground. Of all things, Jim Kinney has a TV in camp! Anyway, they learned from watching the news that there was an oil spill on the Grand downstream of them which may prevent them from reaching the lake. I'll let you all know when I know.
Another May 2 message:
1:30 PM: Charlie and his paddling buddies are sitting in a tavern in Spring Lake waiting out the line of thunderstorms that is coming through. No sign of the oil spill.
Final message. May 3:
Charlie, Dan and Jim pulled out short of Lake Michigan because of the oil spill. They are back home now.
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