Our first stop was the Loud Creek trail system near Mio. Nothing spectacular about it: just a nice rolling woodland trail. We did run into several wood lilies along the way
Near the end, the trail crossed a small stream near an abandoned beaver dam. A meadow had filled in the old pond some time ago.
We picked some blueberries along this trail to put on our cereal the next morning. Unfortunately, I left the container we put them in on top of our car when we drove off. It had taken us a while to get a couple of cups, too. Berries were sparse everywhere we went.
When I hit the North Branch Au Sable the next morning, a heavy fog lay over the river. It lifted slowly.
I should have taken pics of some of the brookies I caught, but the flies were out and fish were rising. It's hard to remember to break out the camera in those conditions. Or almost any time after I've caught a fish.
Saturday afternoon we took a hike around Wakely lake, east of Grayling. We got poured on during the last half mile of the walk, but it was pleasant going at first.
I was glad we'd stayed in a motel this time, as it rained off and on throughout the weekend.
When I got into the river at Dam 4 Saturday morning, I'd seen a flyer advertising the annual "Beaver Stew, Beer and Banjo" festival, a gathering to benefit the Lovells historical society. It sounded like an interesting way to pass a damp Saturday night, so we drove up to the Lovells tavern around suppertime. We assumed that the featured dish didn't really include beaver, but when I asked the waitress at the tavern about it, she confirmed that Castor Canadensis was indeed the chief ingredient. Kristine and I exchanged a "What the Hell?" glance and ordered it. It was actually good--like beef stew, as I said in the field report. If you got a larger chunk of meat, you could taste a little rankness, but not enough to put any but the most delicately constituted off their feed.
Before heading home Sunday, Kristine and I canoed the upper Au Sable. We passed through a light rain, then a protracted heavy one. Not good photo conditions.
Plans are in the works for another bowl of beaver stew. Kristine and I are talking about spending this week--the week before the big canoe marathon--in and around Grayling next year and chasing the race once again. That could become an anniversary tradition. This year, we'll settle for going to the annual Michigan Beer Festival.
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