Vermilion OH – After an exciting week at the Ant Hill housing coop I rejoined Pete and Jason on Saturday when they picked me up in Rochester NY. I originally intended to leave the coop on the 24th in the direction of Vermilion OH, but after Canadian border thugs denied them entry to Canada, Pete and Jason picked me up in Rochester around midnight. We set our course for a Flying J truck stop in Buffalo NY approximately 45 minutes away where we crashed for the night. After breakfast at the Country Kitchen, Jason cleaned up the mess left after the Canadian border agency’s ransacking while Pete and I hammered down some content and created an update for our Facebook fans. After several hours of work, we loaded the MARV with fresh water, dumped our black and gray water and left Buffalo around 2 PM.

We began a five hour trip to Vermilion OH, where Sue Foote, a long time libertarian, and delightful individual, generously invited us to stay at her families beach front home located on Lake Erie. When we arrived, Sue introduced us to her parents Joyce and Harvey Foote and her friend Carol Dunkle, then gave us a brief tour of their home and vegetable garden out back. The garden, impressive with its supply of tomatoes, cucumbers, green peas, raspberries, apples and more is a result of Harvey’s many years of extensive gardening experience.

Jason and Sue

We hung out at the house for a bit and while discussing our travels, Sue mentioned her amazing voyage from Lake Erie to New Zealand, which she chronicled in her own book The Sailing Adventures Of La Boatique -From Lake Erie to New Zealand. She gave us a copy of the her book and signed the front page with “From one adventurer to another”.

Afterward, Sue led us across the street and we walked through the Heidelberg Beach neighborhood to the beach at Lake Erie. We walked down a small hill to the shore and walked along the beach for a few minutes capturing photos and video along the way.

Pete documenting Heidelberg beach

The view was absolutely breathtaking. The sky lit with pink, blue, and purple, while the sun, bright and orange, illuminated the clouds as the waves pounded the shore below. We then walked back up the hill and sat for a couple hours watching the sun slowly disappear. After gazing at the awesome tide and sky, we went to bed for the night.

Lake Erie at sunset

This morning we woke at 7:30 AM for breakfast with Sue and her parents before walking back to the beach for a two hour kayaking adventure that Sue suggested the night before. Sue, Jason, Pete, and I each grabbed a kayak and set out for our journey. We pushed off from the shore and began paddling out. The waves rocked our kayaks as we paddled and floated for approximately 40 minutes until we drifted to a nearby marina. After passing numerous boats stationed there, we entered a tunnel below a bridge above leading to a creek. At the other end of the tunnel was  a Great Egret, an elegant tall and thin white feathered bird. As we floated by, it took flight and relocated a couple times, still in our sight, before finally taking off.

Lake Erie sunset

The creek narrowed the further we drifted, and became increasingly crowded by floating logs. Eventually we hit a dead end with several logs restricting further access. We turned back to go out the way we came, resuming paddling in the lake. We continued splashing and traveling through the water for about an hour before residing to the beach. We headed back to the house for a bit before leaving for Pete’s parents house in Findlay OH.

We all had a blast meeting the Foote family. They were very kind and inviting, and we are very appreciative of their hospitality and to Sue for the wonderful kayaking adventure. It was a truly memorable experience.