Jelly Belly Swells

Today we woke up early to light rain and overcast skies. We considered going out on the Big Lake in the rain but the temperature was about 50. Without wetsuits, we figured we’d be too cold to really enjoy it. Mike swam in the indoor pool while I posted to the blog. Then I discovered that there is a place called Finlandia University just up the road a bit in Hancock. We put the cover on the kayoe and headed north. When we got to Houghton (on the mainland side of the canal) we found the Soumi bakery and restaurant for lunch. I bought a fresh loaf of nisu bread and I have almost consumed it all – it is SO good! After lunch we went to the Finnish Museum on the campus of Finlandia U. A young man named Kent, who was part Finn like me, accessed the database and helped me find all sorts of information. He was very nice and really helpful. He recommended a movie by a Finnish director, Aki Kaurismaki: A Man Without a Past. See the trailer He also recommended some books and talked about some of the few things I recall such as the word sisu, Black Finns, and soumi. Mike actually found it pretty interesting too. Then we went to the bookstore next door and picked up a few things.
When we got back to the motel, we were going to go for a hike up to the Lake in the Clouds in Porcupine State Park but we noticed that the Big Lake (Superior, doncha know) was smooth as glass. We had to choose and we went for the lake. We uncovered the kayoe and jumped in and paddled around for a couple of hours. Since we are leaving here for Wisconsin tomorrow morning, how could we have done anything differently? It was great – the lake was so still and smooth and every now and then a swell would roll slowly under us with a little gentle rocking. The swells are like the slow-motion jiggle of a nice fat jelly belly. We stayed out there in the gentle rain, 100 yards or so off shore, and watched the fog forming over towards Canada. The line between water and sky smudged so that it was hard to see where one ended and the other began.
It was around 8 when we finally came back and put the boat away. We went to dinner downstairs and got a nice window table overlooking the beach. So, during dinner, doncha know a big black bear walked by. How cool was that! Of course, he was walking around where we were only a little earlier. How weird is THAT?
We have to leave in the morning – but I am betting there will be one more paddle in the Big Lake before we go!