Pine River News and Conditions 8/11/2010

Date: 8/11/2010

River Conditions:

WOW!! The Pine & Manistee could not be in better shape. Could not be more fit. Both a smiling, a giggling, a gurgling, and a laughing as they waltz their way west toward Lake Michigan. The birding and wildlife viewing has been superb, the wild flowers are a bloom. It's truly a sensory overload on the rivers this time of year. You have another month of summer before the color season starts kicking in. Don't miss either one!!

What's New?

WOW!! Again. Last week we set a PRPC record for number of rentals and campers. Can't thank enough all you wonderful folks, too many to name, who allowed us to facilitate their camping & paddling last week, and throughout the season. But huge kudos to you all, the Boy & Girl Scouts, Families, the Homeschool Groups, the FFAs, Church & Youth Groups, Friends groups, etc. It's both humbling and gratifying to see so many of you conquering the rock-wall, the rivers, the tree identification challenge, the disc golf course, etc. Youall keep us smiling. And just a half a step ahead of the bank :<) !!

A Quick Shout-Out to Canoe Racers

A Quick Shout-Out to a few canoe racing friends of ours. Racing the AuSable Marathon by the time I turn 60 has long been on my wish list. Haven't yet had the time/$ to train for it, so I've kept content by living vicariously thru friends who do race in the longest non-stop marathon in North America. This year our buddy Matt Meersman and his partner Josh Taylor finished 4th, a personal best for both, and in the process set an all-time record for leg between Loud and Five Channels Dams. Another friend Sean Casey kicked butt finishing 12th with his partner Tad Hill, and last but surely not least, an old dinosaur buddy of mine, Kevin Ornatowski finished 28th with his partner Joey Kimsel. Rivers of congratulations to you guys!! As much fun as it is to watch the start of the race, and then track these guys progress thru the night online, I have to ask myself how pounding on the paddle non-stop all night long could be more fun, but God-willing I'll be finding out in the next couple years. 60 is coming at me fast.

27 Holes of Frisbee/Disc Golfing Delight Now Completed!

Twas a long haul, but we've finished widening the fairways on the original nine holes. Still challenging for sure, but a little easier on youngsters and duffers like me.

We're thrilled to share that we've added a 2nd nine holes, as well as an around-the-world nine hole course with shorter, and more open fairways to the basket. Here is more information on our campground frisbee/disc golf course.

So beat feet up here and enjoy some frolicking with the frisbees and discs. The resident chipmunks, rabbits, and birds that live on the course are waiting for you to come on up and entertain them.

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Reminders for folks paddling their personal craft: If you are bringing your own craft, you will need to buy USFS Parking Passes @$5/day, $15/week for your vehicles. Also remember that from May 25th to September 3rd, you must obtain river-use permit(s) from the USFS. Permits can again be reserved through the US Forest Service Baldwin District Office for $2/craft. Call 231-745-4631 to check availability and reserve your permits. Or you can visit the Pine and Pere Marquette River Permit Policy Page on the USFS Web Site .

An interesting statistic …..24% percent of our rental guests actually own their own craft, but find it much cheaper and easier to rent ours. Why? It's easy and it saves you money. When you rent from us, we pay for your boat permits and parking passes. And the bigger upside is that not having boats on the top of your vehicle significantly improves your gas mileage, it saves you from having to load them, unload them, risk losing them, shuttle them around while here(or pay us to do your shuttle), and then wash them up and put them away when you get back home.

Please Remember: Alcohol and river-sports are a destructive mix. For safety, social, and resource protection considerations, please wait until you're off the river and off the road, before partaking of any alcohol. Please also remember that Styrofoam packaging or coolers, glass, water balloons, and firecrackers are prohibited on the river. Thanks for preventing litter by using your litter-bag and making sure all cargo is securely tied to your craft.