This past weekend we sent out a lot more canoes than anyone could have expected for mid-May. We could not have asked for better weather, it was sunny and seventy all weekend which got a bunch of people out of their houses and on to the river. Saturday started off with the launching of BSA Troop 60, who were headed on a two day camping trip with a caravan of over 60 people.

Mark gave launching instructions and Alex & Jerry demonstrated the proper way to empty a canoe should it become filled with water.

We have had the pleasure to host several guests with a wide variety of interests over the past week. Brian was a return guest who spent as many hours as possible fishing, Jeff was paddling and researching his new book. Jeff published "An Explorer's Guide to Michigan" in 2008.

Connie & Rick came from Colorado to see the elusive Kirtland Warbler. They have "birded" all over the world, exotic places like Tahiti, Costa Rica, and Grayling, Michigan.

We also had the pleasure of hosting the Canton, Ohio Audobon Society.

All of our birders saw the Warbler. Warbler tours will continue until July 1st.

This is Ryan. When he is not at Borchers, he is addressing the cow bird problem (if you know what I mean).

One of the highlights of our week-end was the visit from Tony & Sue, and Kenn & Carrie. These couples have been staying with us for over 1 1/2 decades.

Sunday, Alex picked up former staffer, Jim J., at Parmalee. Jim & crew took six kayaks on an overnight trip. We anticipated a slow Sunday with the exception of retrieving all of those boyscouts, but many people decided to spend their Sunday relaxing on the river, taking advantage of the beautiful weather, which always makes us happy here at Borchers.

Earlier in the week, the Crawford County Sheriff's Department stopped by for our annual safety inspection.
Our guys were busy unracking all of the canoes and then giving them a nice rinse before they go down river.

Leave No Footprints.......Borchers

It's Finished! The downstairs facelift is complete!

It all started with a structural repair and one thing led to another. We are so happy with the outcome!

We are easing into the 2010 paddling season. Last week-end 2 canoes of very hardy souls completed our first camping outing of the season. It snowed in the morning and we assumed that they had changed their plans, but they launched right after lunch and spent a very cold night camping along the AuSable.

The crew has spent this week sweeping, raking, mowing, etc getting ready.

Yesterday we had the pleasure of hosting a ladies circle from the local Methodist Church for breakfast.

Today we launched kayaks from the all boys school, Public Catholic Central. The high school boys left in the sunshine, but it was cloudy and windy by the end of their trip.

Planes, trains, and automobiles...

Our son & new daughter-in-law have been inviting us to come see them in California since they moved there a year ago. It's hard to go on vacation when you live in an outdoor recreation destination! But, we were dying to see where they live and work and decided that the timing was right.

We love a good journey. We have been talking about taking a train trip for several years and spent a good deal of time just figuring out logistics. From Grayling, how could we fly out and rail back?

Chicago was the answer to "you can't get there from here". We drove to Chicago and flew out of Midway to Reno. From there our son picked us up and drove to Lake Tahoe.

It is so-o-o beautiful!!














We went out for omelettes in Truckee at this really cool, little place, "The Squeeze In", that had been featured recently on the Food Network.











We headed out to the 1960 Olympic Cross Country Ski Trail.















It was about sixty degrees and if you stepped off of the trail, you sunk into thigh deep snow. The trail winds through a state park full of Ponderosa pines which smell like butterscotch.

We had the priviledge of visiting during the Wounded Warriors Week. Our son works for the Disabled Sports Far West Division and at least twice a year they host these amazing men & women. We were honored to hear their stories and so inspired by their attitudes.

After what seemed like a too short visit, we rode the bus from Truckee to Colfax, CA. Most people would not head west to catch an eastbound train, but.... We wanted to see Donner Pass and Immigration Gap from the rail. What a beautiful view! It was so interesting to take a 30 minute bus ride and go from winter to full bloom spring.

We grabbed a burger at a local joint and waited for the train.



















The Sierra mountains were just gorgeous. We had a view from our little sleeper berth that was unbelieveable. We passed Donner Lake as well as the other highlights I mentioned and spent the afternoon oohing & aahing.

Our quarters were a hoot! We didn't mind the shared bath, but I hated going to the club car just to change my mind. It was cozy.Twenty two square feet of pure pleasure for twenty five hundred miles and 51 hours. Of course we did have his & her seats which folded into his & her bunks. Adapt, overcome and improvise we always say. We enjoyed every minute of it. We had some great table mates at our meals and the food and service was really good. We couldn't get over the scenery; The Sierra's, Rockies, The Wasatch, mule deer, elk, all the tunnels, the Colorado River. It was almost as good as Northern Michigan and the AuSable River!

On the eve of destruction...

We enlisted a couple of our staffers to "make it worse before it gets better". Over their spring break, John & Ryan, dropped in to tear it up.
John loved it so much, he came back a second day to help tear out a closet. It turns out that we probably could have used the closet for a panic room or tornado shelter. Whomever built it used more than enough nails and extra supports!

AuSable means "river of sand". We found another "river of sand" when we removed the carpet. Like sand through the hourglass, it had filtered through the carpet over the days of our lives. It follows the path of guests heading up to their rooms.
(Snazzy avocado linoleum!)

We decided to tackle the fireplace, too. We knew we were on the right track when Mark made a valuable discovery. Between the paneling and brickwork...
















An ace in the hole!

The first week of March finds us winding down X-C season. The snow is melting and it's time for a change.

The downstairs area of our B&B has a "shabby chic" kind of feel, comfortable and well worn like really good slippers.
































We are going to close the place up for a little while, take a vacation, and give the "old girl" (Borchers, not me) a face lift.

The winter storm fizzled! We probably got 2 inches of snow after being promised a whole lot more. We had wonderful guests (again). Ken & Sandy were here from Fort Wayne. They skied at Headquarters except the day they did the Vasa trail. They found us a few weeks ago and it was nice to have them back. Sandy is an Oboe player for the Fort Wayne Philharmonic. Ken owns his own business.

Eric, one of our winter regulars, spent Friday evening out in the garage waxing his skis for the Cote Dame Marie Ski Loppet at Hanson Hills. The weather report called for a high of 34 on Saturday. Due to a clear night, the temps on Saturday morning were in the single digits. He is using this experience to buy a second set of skis so that he can have "a cold waxed pair and a warm waxed pair".

Saturday brought more return guests. Mike & Jo spent the day at Hartwick Pines snow shoeing, Heather joined Eric for more skiing after his race and the "Brooks girls" were up for their "sisters week-end"Jeanne has been staying with us since our first winter of owning Borchers! Joy has been coming for at least a decade. We missed seeing their other sister, Kathy, but were promised that they will all be here this summer for a kayak trip. We had Borchers Pie on Sunday morning which I don't make as much as I used to. Other recipes have come along over the years, but I know that it is a favorite with these BFFs.

Rod & Irene were back on Sunday. They spent some of the evening watching the Olympics with Ken & Sandy.

We are crossing our fingers that Mother Nature will send a little more snow our way for just a few more week-ends of winter fun.