THE GRAND RAPIDS PRESS
MONDAY, JULY 19, 2010
PRESS PHOTOS/REX LARSEN
Gliding ahead: Kevin Williamson and the expedition paddle into downtown Lansing on Sunday.
CAPITOL JOURNEY S
mokestacks and buildings send an unmistakable message Sunday: This is now an urban river. Cars may buzz on the expressways into and around the capital city, but there was a highway here before any of them: the Grand, which was once used
Industrial scenery: The group paddles past the Lansing Board of Water and Light, Otto E. Eckert Station, after portaging around its dam on the Grand River.
by European explorers of this area. The waters here show the effects of urban living, from the smell to their slow migration. But as the Grand River heads out of Lansing, it starts taking on more natural characteristics — and promises even more personality changes.
Quick snooze: After a morning of paddling, Christian Miller, 13, of Grand Haven, rests during a lunch break in Lansing.
Sharing the moment: Pat Raimer, 72, laughs with other kayakers as they paddle toward downtown Lansing. Raimer said the expedition is bittersweet because she had planned to share the experience with her husband, George, who died last year. A view for visitors: Jessie and Robin Turner, on the River Trail in downtown Lansing, watch boats passing.
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