Fall is upon us. The colors are starting to change and I predict peak colors in the next 10 days.




























We have had a lot of rain and the river was up a good 8 - 10 inches this past week-end. We don't know if high water was a factor, but B&B guests, Bill & Mary, got a very up close look at the water (twice!)

They dried out happy and along with their friends, Jim & Bonnie, and John & Patty, shared stories, cheese & crackers, and wine with us on Saturday afternoon.









Our mountain ash tree was absolutely covered with berries. Over the last few days the robins have picked the tree clean. According to folklore, this may mean we are in for a long winter with plenty of snow. Let's hope so!

We had the priviledge and the honor to attend the going away ceremonies for the 119th Red Lion Battalion in Battle Creek this week.



Mark's brother, Matt, is headed to Wisconsin for deployment to Kuwait at the end of the year.
The guard is a large presence here in Grayling and we know many families with someone currently deployed or returned thankfully from deployment. Even so, it is heartwrenching to watch over 600 troops ready to move and look at the crowd and see all of the spouses and children whose life will be totally disrupted for over a year while their soldier serves.






Mark and his brothers, Matt & Ross.

Matt & James

Our nephew, James - Matt's son, is training in Ft. Lee, Virginia and will be deployed in early 2011.

We have a deep and sincere appreciation for all of our troops and their families.

Although we have had some nice days since Labor Day, the weather has been cool and rainy for much of September.

I don't know why, but with the change in weather, I put my camera away and have missed too many photo ops. Our son and daughter-in-law came to visit from California and I did not get a single snapshot. Some of our favorite hoosiers, Craig & Deb, Bill & Cheryl, and their married children were here with us. What troopers, they canoed "the other river" in a steady drizzle. We had a great time sharing wedding stories with Justin & Abbie who got married last November, just after our sons two weddings last fall.

Speaking of favorite hoosiers, Jim & Jeanette and Jim & Lisa, were here late in the season prior to Labor Day. I can't remember if Bill told Jim & Jeanette about Borchers or the other way around, but we have been enjoying their visits since 2001.

Four of our Favorite Hoosiers

Labor Day week-end is always a kind of celebration. It's the last big week-end of the year, a time to say so long to our staffers going off to college, and a time to acknowledge how the season went. We had a good year! We had great guests, a wonderful staff, and awesome weather! There was definitely reason to celebrate.

Let me clarify. The weather over Labor Day was nothing to celebrate. I don't think it reached 60 degrees on Saturday and it misted, and rained, and drizzled. Despite the weather, the Bezeau, Wright (frequent campers), and Vandewater groups all showed up to go canoe camping! That's right, canoe in the rain and camp in the rain. Over 40 watercraft headed down river on Saturday into the gloomy mist.

But back to the celebration, on Saturday night, we took our crew to Bennethum's in Gaylord.
























The food was wonderful. Bennethum's featured Cajun Cuisine for September and a couple of our more adventurous staffers had Alligator and Jambalaya.




We have a tradition of the team selecting an MVP annually and presenting the plaque on Labor Day Week-end. It was my honor to present this years Borchers Best Award to Alex Gabriel. Alex has a relaxed style that compliments the work styles of Mark & me. He always takes the time to talk to families and groups to make sure they are getting the trip that best fits what they are looking for. This past season, he was truly the heart of our team.

Sunday was a busy day! The weather turned out decent.

Our Northern Michigan boys,
Jim, Jerry, & Matt,
put in one last day before going back to school.

Happy Birthday Hilly!
Jim Hilbrecht is 21!
The week-end celebration continues with ice cream cake.















We wrapped up our week-end celebration with un comida campestre mexicana,
a mexican picnic. Friends, Jerry, Rick, & Mike, treated us to a serenade by Stringtime!

Jerry & Rick - 2/3 of Stringtime!

On most Monday evenings, Stringtime performs on Borchers riverside dock. Like many other good things, dockside performances are over for the summer. It won't be long before we start putting away equipment for the fall, we won't see some of our staffers until Christmas break, and all of our summer visitors will be gone leaving great memories.

Thank you all for a great 2010 season!

It is here! At last! For several years, I have wanted a shirt with a map of the AuSable River on it and it is now here. Family friend, Ryan Casey, finished the shirt from the rough draft his brother Sean and I had put together.



It is a huge hit. It shows all of the take out points and lists some fun facts about the AuSable River including how much electricity is produced by the six dams and info about the area's wildlife.



By the way, the shirt is being modeled by Patrick Kelly of Roscommon. Patrick is a graduate of MSU and joined the Borchers' Team late this year. He holds a degree in Entomology, is headed to Iowa State for his PhD, and gets very excited about mosquitoes! Patrick can tell you all about insects and pheromones, which makes his own pheromone cloud seem ironic.







Borchers has two Rosco boys. Jerry Miller came into our lives this past spring. He is attending Northern along with two of our other staffers, the Hilbrecht Brothers. Jerry's previous employer told us that we would be impressed everyday and we have been. Jerry is a man of mystery and keeps details of his life close to the vest. In general conversation, he will drop a casual line about his world travels or football career that other young men would be bragging about on a daily basis. He is known for best calves on the crew.

Jerry & Patrick