What's New/Doc's books

A total of 41 Michigan paddling adventures are detailed for you in Doc's two books, "Weekend Canoeing in Michigan" (20 rivers) and "Michigan Rivers Less Paddled" (21 rivers). You'll read of river fun found all over our great state, from the Upper Peninsula to the Lower Peninsula, including 

slow meanders down family-friendly rivers to more challenging runs on swift-flowing waters. Only rivers serviced by canoe/kayak liveries are included, so that this book can be a guide to all who love paddling Michigan, whether they own their own boat or not.

 

For each river, you're provided information about a suggested day trip including that trip's hours, its "degree of difficulty" (letting you know if this is the appropriate trip for the paddling ability of you & your group), liveries where you can rent your canoe or kayak from (who will also help you with your own equipment), and key landmarks that act as your "clock on the water", letting you know how you're progressing against the trip's total time.

 

After each chapter opens with a river day trip outline, you'll next read about histories of nearby towns along with their Detroit Tiger radio affiliate so you can find the Boys of Summer wherever you float, and then the chapter concludes by directing you to a local old-time tavern, a place where you can relax & relive the day's trip over a great bar burger & a cold one. 

 

Signed copies of both books may be ordered from us by mailing a money order that covers the cost of the book & postage. For "Michigan Rivers Less Paddled" mail $21, for "Weekend Canoeing in Michigan" mail $20. The money order should be made out to Jeff Fletcher. Include your address and a note telling us who you would like the book(s) inscribed to. Mail the money order to 43647 Nine Mile Road, Northville MI 48167. 

 

Both books are also sold at each of Doc's river slide shows (click on "Calendar/Doc's book tour schedule" for places & dates) at $18 for "Michigan Rivers Less Paddled" and $17 for "Weekend Canoeing in Michigan". The books are also available at bookstores across Michigan and in limited

cities outside of Michigan that are located around the Great Lakes, as well as through Amazon and other dotcoms.

 

* Upper Peninsula - AuTrain, Escanaba, Ford, Tahquamenon.

* Lower Peninsula - Bear, Betsie, Black, Cass, Crystal, Dowagiac, Grand, Hersey, Kalamazoo, Looking Glass, Maple, Raisin, Rocky, Rogue,

Rouge, Thornapple, Thunder Bay.

 

* Upper Peninsula - Fox, Manistique, Michigamme, Ontonagon, Two Hearted.

* Lower Peninsula - AuSable South Branch, Chippewa, Flat, Huron, Jordan, Little Manistee, Little Muskegon, Muskegon, Pere Marquette,

Pigeon, Pine, Platte, Rifle, Sturgeon, White. 

 

To order these books for resale at your bookstore, canoe livery, or other retail outlet, please contact Susan Bays at editor@arbutuspress.com

or call her at (231) 946-7240.

The PBS TV show "Michigan Out Of Doors" co-host Jimmy Gretzinger, his wife Dana,

and their friends John & Melissa joined Maggie, Doc, and fellow crack researcher Tom

Holbrook for a two-day trip down the 20-mile long Sturgeon River. The Sturgeon is the

Lower Peninsula's fastest flowing river, tied for that distinction with the Little Manistee -

both of these two rivers drop 14' a mile.

 

To see the Michigan Out Of Doors segment on the Sturgeon, go to their website at

www.michiganoutofdoorstv.com. Go to "episodes" and cursor down to episode no.

1021 for the week of May 20, 2010. Two segments precede the Sturgeon piece.

 

The State of Michigan History, Arts and Libraries Dept. has included under

its "2010 Summer Reading Bookmarks - Michigan Waters" as the number 2

listing, the book "Weekend Canoeing in Michigan". Click on...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Expanding the minds of students, teachers - and even of its visitors - is what happens at the Goodwillie Environmental School in Ada (Grand

Rapids), Michigan. Maggie & I visited our niece Paige's school on 4.27 to speak to her 5th grade classmates about paddling across our Great

State. Besides following the basic 5th and 6th grade curriculum, Goodwillie Environmental School students use the outdoors as their "living

classroom" where they learn to understand and care for nature.

 

The students, working with the father & son team of Jim & Kevin Finney, are building a 24' long voyageur canoe which they posed with in the

accompanying photo. The kids & the Finneys have built two other canoes, one made out of Elm bark and the other created from a Tulip Poplar tree. 

 

Goodwillie students will paddle these 3 boats down the Grand River on two trips planned for 2010, including on July 22 as a part of this year's

"Grand Expedition".

 

One cannot help but feel very good about our future after even a short visit to Goodwillie. You can learn more about this school at http://www.fhps.us/goodwillie/

While you're exploring paddling opportunites across our Great State, take the time to visit the many wonderful wineries that we have in Michigan. An excellent guide to these wineries is the book "From The Vine: Exploring Michigan Wineries" written by Lorri Hathaway and Sharon Kegerreis. You can take a virtual tour of Michigan Wineries, and be introduced to the book and its authors, by clicking on the link below...

 

 

 

http://www.blogsmonroe.com/expatriate/2008/11/doc-fletcher-outdoor-author-spotlight/