Brush with greatness...

I had the privilege of meeting up with three of the Ultimate Hugh Heward Challenge paddlers this evening.  I have been following their progress across Michigan here and here.  Thanks to Toby's SPOT tracker I was able to make an educated guess about where I could try and meet up with them.  My guess was pretty good because about 5 minutes after we got to the Grand River Park boat launch, they showed up.  I gave them a shout and they paddled up so I could give them some fresh banana bread (thanks to Emily's fantastic baking skills).  

Actually getting to the boat launch was a mini-adventure.  The launch is at the end of a dirt road which turned out to be flooded.  I rolled up my pants and found that the water was only ankle deep, so I figured it was safe to drive through.  We made it without incident and Mark, Dan, and Toby showed up minutes later.  We had a nice chat about their paddling experiences so far and my Watertribe ambitions, then they had to get moving.  Turns out they paddled 52 miles today! Wow.  I will definitely be thinking of them as they venture into Lake Michigan tomorrow for the remainder of their trip to Chicago.  With all the wind we have had lately, the lake has built up some pretty substantial waves.

Back to boatbuilding soon, but here are some pics of the flooded launch: