Better Bridge in Barry County September 5 2013

Better Bridge in Barry County

By Gerald Stein

 

 

Captain M. North surveyed the pile of luggage and supplies he had just unloaded from his SUV. Fishing gear, including poles, reels, tackle, raingear, and more luggage covered the driveway. Captain North sighed. It had been a great trip. He had accomplished one of his dream vacations: fishing the waters of Ontario, Canada and playing bridge during the same vacation. What could be better than that?

Captain North surveyed the luggage and his mind went back to the end of the summer and the last of the cruises down the Thornapple River on the Barry County Bridge Barge. Despite the cold and wet August, Captain North felt that it had been another excellent year of providing bridge aboard his BCBB as well as enjoying the scenic spots along the Thornapple River. A vacation was something he had planned for several years and when he saw an ad for a fishing vacation as well as a bridge-playing opportunity, well, he was hooked, so to speak.

Captain North had left Barry County on a Tuesday late in August and headed north to the first of three stops along his tour. First was the Petoskey Regional, a chance to play bridge three times a day for seven days in a row. What could be better than that? Adding on the fishing, of course. Captain North stayed one night in Petoskey playing duplicate bridge and adding the first 200 miles to his trip.

After a successful and entertaining time at the Odawa Casino, Captain North left early on Wednesday, planning a long drive across the Upper Peninsula and arriving 450 miles later at the Superior, Wisconsin and Duluth, Minnesota area for an overnight. There would be no bridge that night as the driving had occupied most of the day. There would still be more driving the next day when he finished the last leg of his journey: 250 miles to Baudette, Minnesota passing through Canadian customs and journeying to Morson Marina for the last bit of driving before arriving at Ontario’s Lake of the Woods.

Crossing the border was easily done the next day and the boat from the fishing lodge was there promptly to pick him up and take him on a twenty minute boat ride through islands, rocks, trees, and water. Lake of the Woods in western Ontario is a huge lake, bordering the United States, Ontario, and Manitoba Province. Home for giant musky, northern pike, smallmouth bass, walleye, crappie, and perch, this was a spot for the avid fisherman. An extra perk was the fact that July and August also featured bridge-playing opportunities at least twice a day, after lunch and after dinner each night on an island out in the middle of Lake of the Woods.

Captain North was in fish-and-bridge heaven. Mornings brought a wake-up call from the loons on the lake outside of the lodge. Following breakfast, a half-day of fishing would produce the fish for a shore lunch cooked to perfection by the lodge staff, served with potatoes and onions, baked beans, and a homemade cake each noontime. Bridge in the afternoons and bridge in the evenings rounded out the day. Captain North sighed again as he thought of the wonderful meals, the great fishing, and the fun times at the bridge table.

The four-day package soon ended, and Captain North was once again on his way back to the United States. Another long day of driving with 515 miles would find him at the Harris Island Resort Casino, the home of the WUMBA tournament that Rosie and Vera were always talking about. WUMBA, the Wisconsin Upper Michigan Bridge Association, offered a Regional bridge tournament every two years in the small town of Harris, not far from Escanaba. Here Captain North would stay for another four nights playing bridge morning, noon, and night. While there was no fishing there, whitefish was on the menu and provided excellent fare for the hungry bridge players who enjoyed the hospitality of the Upper Peninsula hosts.

As always, all good things come to an end, and now Captain North stood looking over all of the gear that he had taken with him. While he had not used all of it, he was glad that he had the gear just in case. With fond memories of his travels and time spent fishing as well as playing bridge, Captain North knew that he had experienced one of those rare moments in a person’s life when all had gone along so perfectly, so flawlessly, that there was nothing more to say. It was a good set of days.

 

Gerald Stein

Number of words: 873

August 30, 2013

 

Bridge Notes: There really is a place where you can travel to play bridge and fish to your heart’s content. Visit Amason’s Obabikon Lodge at www.obabikon.com for information about their July and August bridge schedules. Travel from Barry County to Obabikon Bay Lodge is just over 950 miles each way, traveling through Upper Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and a short way into western Ontario.

Bridge Notes Two: Captain North managed to play bridge fifteen times with an average of 25 hands a time for an astonishing 375 hands of bridge during his vacation.