Water to wine kayak weekend, Michigan

These weekend programs are based out of Old Mission or Leelanau Peninsula Inns. You get to enjoy the pampered comfort of the most interesting Inns in the Midwest, do some great kayak day trips and tour a few of our stellar wine operations. We have friends who tend and manage vines in the area and have an inside track on who has the nicest grapes and who is producing the year’s best wines. It’s like having your own personal wine festival.

Day 1) Arrive after dinner Friday evening between 7-9 pm. Get acquainted and settled. Orientation for the rest of the weekend. Destination Inns will vary and depend on size of group (2-6) and availability.

Days 2) Saturday morning basics skills workshop in a sheltered bay followed by a short day tour and lunch on the lake. Our late afternoon will be spent touring a couple of our finer local vineyards with dinner on your own after some local fruit and cheeses.

Day 3) After a fine Sunday Inn Breakfast we'll gear up for a 3 hour day trip on Lake Michigan (weather permitting) to hone your techniques and enjoy a little open water practice. We'll turn you lose for home or check out another winery at about 2 pm.

Cost includes professional guide/instructor, two nights B&B lodging, kayaking equipment (boat, paddle, PFD, skirt), breakfasts, lunches and snacks. Please call if you have special diet requirements. You are more than welcome to bring your own touring kayak if you have one and we'll be happy to help you learn to get the most out of it.

Skill Level: Beginner to advanced

Stuff to Bring-

Paddling Clothes:

Farmer John/Jane style wetsuit: for May/June/September/October, can be rented from our shop for $10/day

Synthetic long underwear: polypropylene, polyester, coolmax, etc….anything but cotton, both tops and bottoms, can be worn under shorts too for a very comfortable if not very stylish ensemble.

Fleece Jacket

Paddling Jacket or rain parka: I have a few loaners.

Water shoes or neoprene boots: I try to discourage sandals because they can get tangled in footrests….and that’s bad if your upside down.

Odds and Ends:

One liter water bottle

Sunscreen

Camera

Registration: A $150 deposit is required to hold your space. Reservation fees are refundable until 30 days before the trip. The balance is also due 30 days prior to departure. Space is limited to 6, so plan ahead...

Please contact seller before booking to discuss fitness level and qualifications

Life is short. We want to help you make the most of it. We depend on the wild places of this planet for water, air, and a good dose of sanity. Positive wilderness experiences lead to a personal investment in their survival. Uncommon Adventures wants to help you realize your dreams while cultivating the preservation of that big, beautiful world out there. We arrange activities that are fun, self-propelled, and offer various degrees of physical challenge, from mild to wild. All experience levels are encouraged to join these trips — we enjoy sharing skills taught by the very best instructors available.

Uncommon Adventures specializes in kayak tours, certified kayak instruction, corporate retreats and backcountry fly fishing in fresh and saltwater environments. Since 1984, expert guides and professional workshop leaders have made Uncommon Adventures a good find for individuals, small groups and corporations.

We do not strive to be a large tour company offering "cookie cutter" experience to all corners of the world. Our focus is to offer excellence in a few very special locations that we know well, or we partner with local guides for the best local knowledge couple with our own high standards. Uncommon Adventures does not offer "seen that done that" kinds of experiences, but rather programs that are instructional in nature. You'll walk away with new skills, feeling more of an intimacy with the waterscapes traveled within.

"We live in a highly developed nation, with very specialized jobs, packed schedules and to-do lists that rival the roll in the bathroom. It is the beginning of the 21st century and we have never been more divorced from the planet that gives us life. I've developed these programs to address a screaming need for us all to get our hands dirty, our feet wet and breathe the musky aroma of earth back into our lungs. Put down that cell phone, go off-line, get out of the race...come outside and play."

• Michael Gray, Director