Tom Burkman hosted another wonderful NFC event even though he is recovering from knee surgery. The Schraven’s lead the bike outing after a delicious breakfast and visit. We all enjoyed the beautiful wilderness setting of his backyard, sitting under the wisteria, tiger lilies around the perimeter of the wetlands and song birds in the air. The day was warm but not oppressive and the wind cooled us along. The 25 miles around the Island, a combination of roads and the newly paved West River Road Trail went by quickly and enjoyably. Beaver Island State Park was lovely but we made the mistake of traveling through the woods from the old homestead to Ferry Road kayak launch instead of sticking to the paved roads. The group was good spirited about it and only a few mosquitos were satiated. Having the river be our constant companion on the outing made it all worthwhile.
– Submitted by Mary Schraven