Too Many Perogies for You

We spent the night in Windsor at our friends Bob and Magda's house. There they treated us to a perogie feast, hot showers, wonderful conversation and a comfortable bed for the night. After sleeping in the tent for the past month, I couldn't help but feel like I was floating on a cloud as I dozed off to sleep.

The next morning, as we started our journey toward the Detroit River, we heard a loud crack from the stern of the canoe with a troubling announcement from Jon, "I think my seat is broken again." I couldn't help but laugh teasing, "You ate too many perogies last night!" We examined the boat and found that the same seat bracket that broke earlier in the trip, which was repaired at Sauble Beach on Lake Huron, needed to be fixed again. We strung a loop of webbing around the canoe and through the seat to hold it into place until further work could be done.

As we paddled downstream, we were surprised at the number of people waving at us from the shore. One man persistently motioned us in, telling us that he read about our journey in the Windsor Star newspaper. His name was Terry and he was a member of the Essex County Canoe and Kayak Club. As we spoke to him, he was actively on his cell phone recruiting people for a barbecue further downstream. We were to meet a group of paddlers at Camp Swampy, where we would be able to set up our tent for the night at Don and Marlene's property, and be able to repair our boat with the expertise of Gilles, one of the most amazing skin-on frame boat builders that we have ever had the chance to meet.

The beauty of the Detroit River surprised us as we paddled further downstream near Fighting Island. While canoeing with several members of the club, Don enthusiastically told us about the success story of the region. The reclamation of industrial dumping grounds, the return of fish like the sturgeon and whitefish as well as seeing a young bald eagle in its nest, were all signs that the river is much healthier.

At the camp, Gilles repaired Jon's seat with a very heavy duty bracket that even a large plate of perogies couldn't wear through. We happily enjoyed sharing canoeing stories as we feasted on a great many dishes free from the worry of breaking the canoe seat yet again.