Paddling the Platte

Tuesday June 10, 2014
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Empire, Michigan

 

 

If there is a river nearby, then we must kayak on it.

 

Our campground is named for the Platte River.  When I first heard the Platte River was here, I was surprised since the only Platte I’d ever heard of was the famous one that was part of the Westward Ho movement of Manifest Destiny but it was in Nebraska.

We had checked it out a couple of days ago and determined that we could put in at the campground picnic area and paddle down to its mouth where it empties into Lake Michigan.

Today is our last day here so it’s now or never.

We drive my bicycle down to the parking spaces at the mouth and lock it up.  Since I’m the one who needs the exercise, I will be the one who bikes the 2.1 miles up hill to get the car and return while David waits with the kayaks and gear.

 

The put in has a really cool ramp for getting your boats down to the river.  Only problem is that the two rails are designed for canoes and kayaks are more narrow so I, in particular, had a hard time keeping mine on track.  But it was a neat idea.  If they’d made the rails more narrow I think both types of boats would have been able to use them more easily.

 

 

 

 

 

The water is clear and the river is shallow. 

 

We don’t see many fish but there are a few and they are too fast for pictures.

 

We try several little off shoots but none of them goes anywhere or they are blocked by too much debris to get around.

 

This is our wildlife sighting for the day.
I’ve enlarged this picture so you can see the decorations on his legs.
Nature is such an artist.

 

 

 

No worries about falling out of your kayak in this river.

We’d been told that the river slows down here in its last section from the more rapid pace further up stream.  But it is going at a good enough clip here that this is really more of a float than a paddle. 

This would be a great first paddle for those who fear falling out.  You just stand up and step back into your boat.

 

 

 

The river goes through Loon Lake. 

The lake is fairly large so we don’t check out the whole thing. Unfortunately there are no loons on it today in the areas we do see.  Fortunately there is a canoe which comes down the river into the lake just after we do and they know where the outlet is.  Otherwise we might have paddled around the entire shoreline.  Not that that would have been a bad thing.   It was a really lovely deep lake in contrast to the shallow river.

 

 

 

With this help finding the outlet, we are again on our way.

 

 

 

We’re pleasantly floating along when we come to a group of buildings and a big metal thing that looks like a gate. 

 

It’s got a sign that says Fish Weir.   Not being a fisherman I have no idea what a Fish Weir is but I do notice that there is a portage sign which obviously means there are times when this gate is closed.

 

 

While preparing this post, I learn that this fish weir is part of the Platte River state fish hatchery.  It was established in 1928 and is now the state’s main salmon hatchery which raises Coho and Chinook salmon.  The best time to see the returning salmon is mid September to late October.  This “lower weir” is the harvesting facility.  There is an upper weir which is the egg take station.  I’m not sure I like the sound of any of this being the purist that I am about leaving nature alone to live its life in its natural course but I suppose I’d better investigate further before I offer an opinion.

We paddle right through the gate.

 

 

 

If this is the slow moving section of the river, I wonder what speed the upper river is.  We are drifting along at 3 mph.  No need for paddling, just go along for the ride.

 

 

 

This is an interesting little River Side Park about half way between the picnic area and the take out.  Its name is El Dorado.  Doesn’t that seem strange in upper Michigan?  I wonder how it got that name? 

It’s a very popular place for folks to put in and tube down as these two girls in front of us are doing.  Over the week-end when we came to check out the put ins, the parks and the river itself, we found it nearly full of people in tubes of all sorts and in kayaks and canoes.  It seemed almost like an amusement ride.  If it is like that this early in the season on week-ends, I can’t imagine it in July and August.   That’s why we chose to come on a week-day.

We have had others on the river with us and I really cannot understand why they are so loud and noisy as they come down.  We try to hang back if we can given the current and let them pass us by so that their voices begin to dim and we can have the quiet of the river back.

 

 

 

 

The grasses make an almost furry green reflection in the water.

 

I can tell we are reaching the take out point when I begin to see the sand dunes of the lake on my left.

 

 

It’s been a lovely day being carried down the river by the clear shallow water.  Any day on the water is a great day.

Now for the 2.1 mile uphill bike ride to the car.  It is nice to be able to provide your own shuttle.  Paddling back up this little river would have probably been possible but not easy as it moves somewhat insistently toward the Great Lake. 

 

 

We have had just a fantastic time here at Sleeping Bear Dunes including the discovery of the two great cherry pie places.  Which one will be the winner in the pie eating contest?  Check tomorrow to find out.  We’ll be leaving for the UP but we’ll reveal the winner.