Day 19-July 2, 2010

The seemingly sleepy little town of Big Bay was nothing if not creepy. While by day it seemed desserted (we only saw 4 people while walking around) things definately changed by night (vampires perhaps?). Our night was filled with screeching tires, four wheelers, incesant screaming and fireworks. Mom and I both were awake just waiting to be discovered. Fortunately we were left alone and the mayhem died down just before dawn. From the solitude we were then able to hear the coyotes in the nearby woods. As we packed up and paddled away the town was once again as still as the morning water upon which we paddled.
Rounding the point out of Big Bay were in the shadow of beautiful rock cliffs. They soon gave way to a long stretch of sand beach framed by the Huron Mountains. Our morning coffee demanded a quick pit stop. We saw the most peculiar deer dancing around the beach. It was not until we landed did we realize why. Apparently July 2 was national stable fly hatch out day (sadly this holiday did not make it on my calendar). From that beach on we were in constant battle with the flies. They covered the backs of our lifejackets and made stopping for breaks a bear. We met two other kayakers who were in the same plight and we did not feel quite so singled out.
Paddling along the Huron Mountain Club property we were shocked to see people however not so when they did not exchange hellos. The cabins along the shore were historic mansions in their own right. The dated architecture was apparent and often stood apart from the newer renovations. Of course there were modern mansions as well which looked out of place as only they can do.
After 20 miles it so we were out of the Huron Mountain Club and back to civilization. The upcoming holiday weekend brought many people to the beaches of the Huron River. We continued on into Abbaye Bay and made the 2 mile crossing to Abbaye Peninsula. We rounded the point into the Keweenae Bay and made camp on the shore. Our day total was just over 30 miles and we were a touch tired.
Breaking camp proved to be more difficult than we intended. Apparently throughout the day the flies were busy hatching. I am not joking when I say that at any given moment we each had at least 50 flies on us. Groups were falling off of us in ping pong ball sized clumps. We struggled to eat our dinner without injesting flies or suffering a nasty bite. We quickly finished our chores and retreated to the tent. From there an event dubbed "the July 2nd fly massacre" started. Fly carnage was everywhere but a small price to pay for a moment of solitude. We were not brave enough to venture out for the sunset...I am sure it was beautiful.