A perfect day for sailing 10 mph winds, clear skies, 80 F.

While in Marion for seminary classes, I went for a 3 hour solo paddle to explore the upper backwaters of Salamonie Lake and the lower section of the river.  It was a beautiful night with calm clear skies.  The water is not clear, but it seems pretty clean.  It doesn't smell bad at all, and I saw very little man made pollution.

Mike Kaza and I had a great time stomping through the snow.  At one point, he made an offering to the lake.  He stuck his trekking pole through an old ice fishing hole, but when he brought it back out, the snow basket was gone.  He tried to retrieve it but was unable to.  The water sure was refreshing, though.

The first time on snow shoes for both Mike Bogues and myself.

Mike Kaza and I walked the dikes on a cloudy winter day.  We decided to cut back across the marsh, the Shiawassee River, and some flooded timber.  It turned out to be a difficult hike in parts because the marsh grass was supporting a thin layer of ice.  We broke through many times but managed to stay dry.