SharklessSea

04/29/2026

The Ferry Operator Who Broke Ice with a Rowboat for 6 Hours to Get a Doctor to a Baby, Michigan, 1936
Sugar Island, Michigan. St. Marys River. January 1936. Ice was 8 inches. Ferry hadn't run in 3 weeks.

January 28, 2 AM. Baby on the island. Breech birth. Midwife said: "Get Dr. Thorne or she dies. Both die." Dr. Thorne was in Sault Ste. Marie, 2 miles across.

Ice wasn't thick enough for a truck. Too thick for the ferry. No boats moved.

Helen Kajala, 41, ran the ferry in summer. In winter she was a mail carrier. She had a 14-foot wooden rowboat. She took an axe and her husband Matt.

They broke ice. Row 10 feet. Get out. Chop. Drag the boat onto the ice. Shove. Repeat. 2 miles. 6 hours. 2 AM to 8 AM. Temperature -15°F. Wind 20 mph.

They got to Soo. Matt had frostbite on both hands. Helen had a split lip from ice. Dr. Thorne got in the boat. They broke ice back. 4 more hours.

Got to the island at 12:10 PM. Baby was born 12:35 PM. Girl. Lived. Mother lived. Named her Helen.

The rowboat never floated right again. Seams sprung. Helen used it for a chicken coop. Painted "Dr. Thorne Express" on the side.

"Ice was 8 inches. River was 2 miles. Helen was 41. She chopped and rowed 6 hours to get a doctor because 2 inches of ice and 2 miles of water was between a baby and breathing. Boat broke. Ice didn't. Baby did. She cried. That's the point."
#1936

04/17/2026

Riders, remember to pause and appreciate every ride. It really is a gift 🙏

04/17/2026

A lot of us have been swamped while sailing or paddling a floatable craft. Here’s the MSU sailing club that it’s fleet is swamped! As somebody has said with all the rain in Michigan, maybe we can put a tarp over the whole state! Have a great adventurous weekend!

04/15/2026

Michigan’s own!! A statue along the Grand River in Portland, Michigan honors this man.

Remembering The Toughest Canoeist Of All Time: Verlen Kruger canoed the full length of the Mississippi River several times over his 82 years. For most people, just one trip would provide bragging rights to last a lifetime. Kruger wasn’t most people.

It’s not just that boasting wasn’t part of his repertoire, it’s that he logged an insane amount of miles in his canoe. With expeditions crisscrossing the entire Western Hemisphere, Kruger paddled more than 100,000 miles. That’s more than 42 runs of the Mississippi River, or four trips around the equator. Take your pick.

Born in 1922, Kruger grew into a charismatic and confident man. His friends would recall how he seemed fearless, excepting of course, his phobias of bears and armadillos, which he’d only cop to when talking in his sleep. At 41 years old, he started canoeing. He spent the next 41 years making up for lost time.

Driven by an obsessive devotion to his new sport, he redefined expedition canoeing. Measured by mileage or by ambition, his adventures were nothing short of colossal.

Continue reading: https://bit.ly/4cmILTd

✍️: Brook Sutton
📷: Archives of Phil Peterson

04/12/2026

Life advice for every cyclist: get out there, feel the wind on your face, and treasure every kilometer you ride.

When you look back later in life, your only regret won't be that you spent too much time on your bike.

Ride now, create those memories, and know that every spin adds joy and health to your journey. Go for a ride!

04/08/2026

Gravel Riders. The DALMAC Tour offers a 2,3, and 5 day Gravel Route to enjoy Northern Michigan's scenic and quiet gravel roads. We have a Gravel Route Development Team constantly working to improve and redesign the route to make your next gravel tour memorable. The route is fully supported with a dedicated SAG, and Gravel Support Team to make sure you stay hydrated and have snacks available to keep you rolling!