Call me a swim ringer

When the world ends, us humans won’t be able to tube down those beautiful Michigan rivers anymore.

Some prefer canoeing, some kayaking. I’m for swim ringing.

I found a new hobby this weekend, and not the kind at high speeds behind thunderous boats. I’m talking about just you and the river separated by a few thin layers of plastic. Perhaps in tow is your significant other, perhaps a loaded cooler. Both enhance the trip.

There’s a distinct essence about being on the river – peacefulness, sometimes cleanliness, the life upon the river banks. It’s hard to say.


However, there is a dilemma when it comes to tubing, albeit a minor one. Call it more of a technicality. You see, “tubes” are actually “swim rings” and to engage in “tubing” would make one a “tuber.” But that word’s already been given to a type of underground stem. To be fair, though, most “swim ringers” don’t care much for their own identity when they’re on the river. It’s just not important.

A real dilemma is having to cross a lake to get to the second leg of the river. It happened to us this weekend, and swimming/walking through some muck was the only real solution.

I should mention that the lady and I were about a half hour south of Traverse City, traversing (as it were) the beautiful Platte River. We put in at the Riverside store (your one-stop-shop for all canoeing/kayaking/swim ringing needs) on the Lower Platte, which is roughly a two hour canoe trip. It basically took us all afternoon.

Riverside Canoe Trips. Perfect with a two night’s stay in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park.

While my friends in East Lansing tailgated for the football game against Bowling Green, I felt lucky to enjoy one of the season’s last good weekends. There’s the whole autumn to spend chilly Saturday afternoons in a drunken haze with thousands of strangers. As for now, I’ll take my lady, a swim ring and the river.

Swim ringing: it’s safe, affordable and easy on the environment. Let’s keep the beaches clean and hope those rivers don’t dry up.