1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009
TUT | Koslovsky | Feb
| Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul
| Aug | Sep | Oct1 | Oct2 | Nov | Dec | Calendar
August 27th, 2005
Big Manistee Full Moon Float & Crab Boil
Pictures Ginette's Pics | Ron's Pics | Scott's Pics
| Matt Hash & Mark Hash | Canoe sb |
| Michael Hash | Kayak av |
| Andrew Vizi | Kayak av |
| Natalie Sinco & Scott Borchelt | Canoe sb |
| Ron Maier & Debbie Masta | Canoe rm |
| Douglas Brazil & Marrybeth Buckbee | Rent |
| Doug & Tanner Buckbee | Kayak db |
| Ginette & Danny Borovicka | Rent |
| Darrin Braska (PM) & Nick Kline (PM) | Rent |
| Mark Shinaberry & David Capona?? | Kayak/canoe ms |
| Matt & Brooklyn Brown | canoe ts |
Weekend Forecast as of 8/23
| Friday , Aug 26 | |||
| Scattered Thunderstorms | High: 80° F | ||
| Friday Night: Partly cloudy | Low: 55° F | ||
Saturday , Aug 27 |
|||
| Mostly Sunny | High: 78° F | ||
| Saturday Night: Partly cloudy | Low: 56° F | ||
Sunday , Aug 28 |
|||
| Mostly sunny | High: 80° F | ||
| Low: 55° F | |||
Basic Schedule of Events
| Friday | Arrive at campsite & set up minimal camp. Break out minimum gear since we will be moving camp on Saturday afternoon: tent & campfire chair, flashlight, etc. Pack lunch for Saturday and put in coolers for the vehicles at our takeout. Move boats to water, drop-off ferry vehicles at Red Bridge takeout. |
| Saturday | Wake up at 530am. Grab quick breakfast. On the river by 600am. |
| Sunday | Pack-up. 1030am Country Kitchen breakfast in Kaleva. |
Directions for camping Friday Night 8/26
Get to Cadillac, MI. North/East side people will want to take 75 to M10 to M115. South/West side people will want to take 96 to 131. I'll trust you can find your way to Cadillac. Follow M115 northwest out of Cadillac to Mesick - approx 20 miles. Stay on M115 through Mesick and over the river (Manistee river). About a mile out of town you'll turn left on N. Hodenpyle Dam Road. Follow this road for 4 or 5 miles to Hodenply Dam Road - Turn Left. This is a dirt road. You'll know this is the right road because there is a Edison Sign showing this is the road to Hodenpyl Hydroelectric Dam. If you miss this turn, the road goes up a steep twisting road. You've gone too far. After turning on Hodenpyl Dam Road, travel about a half a mile and turn right on Upper River Road - also a dirt road. I can't remember exactly how far down you'll need to drive to find the campsite. The campsite will be on the left side of the road - nothing will mark the site but you should be able to see our cars through the trees. Masta, Sinco, and the Buckbees will arrive early on Friday.
As you drive down Upper River Road you'll come to a low spot where there is a boat launch on the left, the road will rise over a culvert spanning a small, dark, deep creek that comes off the hills to your right and travels to the river on your left. I think the campsite is shortly after this. If you come to a high point over the river where you see a wooden bridge spanning the Manistee, then you have gone too far.
I think your cell phones will work at this location so call if you get confused.
Directions for camping Saturday Night
Follow these directions if you are coming from the Friday's campsite, or you are coming from down state later in the day.
Go back to N. Hodenpyl Dam Road and head West (Left) This is also called Beers Road. Take N. Hodenpyl Dam Road/Beers Road West for 3+ miles until it dead ends on Marilla Road. Turn left on Marilla Road for .5 mile and then turn right on 9 Mile Road. You travel on this road 7 or 8 miles through Kaleva to Highbridge Road. Turn left on Highbridge Road. Travel for 6 or 7 miles to River Road. Turn right on River Road. Travel for 4 or 5 miles to the campsite. The campsite is not marked. It is simply a two track that goes into the pine forest South (left) of River Road. If you are traveling with the group, just follow the group. If you are coming up later in the day, the easiest way to find the campsite is to drive beyond the campsite. Just past the campsite, the road winds down to the river and to Bear Creek Landing. Turn around, and drive back East up the hill. At the top of the hill, look to the South for vehicles and tents in the woods. That's us.
Proposed Trip
The August trip will be NW of Cadillac. Here is an outline of the trip we are proposing. Camp in a National Forest campground high above the Manistee River right on the North Forest Country Trail - down from Hodenpyle Dam outside Mesick, Michigan. This puts us in a great position to hit the river for a 4 hour sunrise float to Red Bridge. We'll head back to camp, pack up, and drive downstream below Tippy Dam near Bear Creek Landing. Again, we'll camp high on a bluff over the water. We'll hang out in the beautiful Saturday afternoon, and prepare a classic New England Crab Boil for dinner.
At 600 pm, we'll head up to Tippy Dam, and put in for a 5 hour float right back to camp. Of course, this trip will see same Saturday sun that we witnessed rise on the Manistee set to the west on the same river, and then we'll paddle the last few hours in the dark back to camp. BTW, we will be close to a full moon to help guide us down the river. The river is wide, fairly straight, and fairly clear of debris. I think this will be a great trip for us.
To put you at ease about the night float, we will not paddle in the dark unless the conditions are perfect. We need a fat moon to give us some light. If the weather does not cooperate, we will shorten the trip to three hours, and arrive back at our campsite at dusk.
PS. Both campsites are rustic and without facilities.
Please let me know asap if you are interested.
US Forest Service - Manistee River Fact Sheet: http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/hmnf/pdf_manistee/Manrvr.pdf
Last Modified: February 11, 2003 10:29 PM