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Should have made it to Britain's Cafe.

Great video, super helpful. I've been mulling this question over for a little while now and was leaning kayak for the wrong reasons. To anyone watching, there's an important distinction I wanted to make on a small point in the video: the Inuit are not First Nations people - the latter refers to the Indigenous peoples to the south.

I live an hour and a half south of Ely, have been there many times! The Blueberry Arts festival is awesome

Thank you, need make my tarpon nice again.

My family went to Ely every year between 1968-1986, and always went to Lodge of the Whispering Pines on Big Lake. I have only beautiful memories of Ely, MN.

That looks really painful... as a fellow lizard who has always paddled a tandem with another person and gear I really want to try a solo canoe and these advanced techniques.... I think that dedicated knee pads worn rather than trying to pad the whole bottom of the canoe would make sense but I'll just have to give it a try. Maybe not...

Hey sir, jump in water and play dead for 2 mins see what happens.

Thanks for the video. Super helpful!

Came here to watch how to paddle a rented canoe. Not planning to buy either, but was refreshing to see you paddle and talk. You have a very calming voice.

And why did you pick one restaurant for every meal? Because what the heck is up with restaurants in Ely? They're never open!! We about starved visiting Ely.

It's very helpful for me. Thanks.

Canoe for me. It's just so versatile. One paddler or three, bring a dog if you like. Paddle, pole or sail depending on the conditions. Sit, kneel or stand. Sleep aboard. I've done all of those in the same canoe. Haven't try rowing or a motor yet, but the canoe can do it. I started in kayaks (canoes are rare this side of the Atlantic) but don't really get on with them, they always seem to be wet, the drip from the upper paddle means you have to wear waterproofs and the spray deck whatever the weather. I find double paddles unnecessarily heavy as well, the single paddle floats through most of the stroke and just skims the water on the recovery, I can do that all day. The feeling of extra stability that comes with sitting low down is a bit of an illusion as well, it's actually reducing your ability to control rolling movement. My preference is kneeling, which is a very reactive position. This will be contraversial but I feel safer in a canoe, even on open water. I quite often paddle alone and know I can recover and get in from the water, I've practised extensively and once had to do it for real. With the kayak I never had that confidence, I could roll, but never reliably.

I have a Old Town 12 ft Loon and I love it. Good boats.

Heading up there tomorrow! So stoked to get back out there

" Get Out And Do The Thing " 🛶🏍👍🏻

I prefer the canoe because I do not like being stuck in a sitting position, legs straight out. In the canoe I can move my legs around or take a kneeling position. It is easy to load my hiking pack into my canoe. It is easy to carry by 40 lb. canoe on its portage bar, and it is easy to load the canoe upside-down onto the roof-rack of my vehicle. Of course the kayak is faster and more seaworthy. I have seen kayaks go out into waves that I would never attempt in a canoe.

Aussie from Perth Western Australia here - I used to do business in Hibbing every year before covid. First thing Saturday morning was a trip up to Ely for a visit to Log Cabin Coffee (best coffee in US).... Winter Ice Sculptures are amazing also. A hidden away little gem.

yep

Spirit if the Wilderness and the Ely Steakhouse are places you have to go.

Nice video!, I'm thinking of moving up there to Ely, that 4th of july parade was awesome on youtube, Thanks again!

How tall are you is my question. I'm going after one this weekend. I can't wait

I have a twenty-pound Northern Pike mounted on my wall that I caught up in Ely MN in 1996. Not bad for a California boy?? My parent's grandparents and my great-grandparents are all from MN. dating back to the 1800s.

I am in complete agreement, especially the Boathouse Brewery. I go there every time I am in Ely and it is great.

What if the screws don't come out?

I subscribed to any TH-camr who share the location

Dont park your car at launches thiefs abound😮

this video made me smile.Stayed in Ely at the same hotel...very clean,friendly and affordable. Watching this video makes me want to go back .....day paddle...hike and eat. Thanks !! 2024

good advice and observations . Myself for what i do is I prefer sit in touring kayaks as we like camping as well as day trips . less exposure to the sun wind, cold and rain and move faster so I can cover more distance and explore more with less effort . although having the extra room and convenience of packing that a canoe has is a bonus for canoes if into camping . If one is just into doing day trips I would recommend a kayak over a canoe . but then if fishing . that would be better done in a canoe . . Is a lot of different reasons for one or the other

It’s not exactly that everyone wants an SUV. The EPA targets for fuel economy are different for trucks, so auto companies have focused on developing them.

Very informative Cliff thanks for your post. I followed a similar path with having more children and circumstances changing. Keep paddling I’ve subscribed to your channel 🤝

Beautiful family to

Hey Hey in Wooster Ohio, I just got pelican catch pwr 100. Paddle or pre wired for battery, moter. Can't swim. Got nice life jacket. Gonna give a try. Great video

appreciate the info... old guy trying to decide on kayak v canoe on buffalo river here in arkansas

I don’t like sitting in a kayak for long periods of time

Hi Cliff, I love your channel. Very nicely put together videos and very sound advice. I have a Pelican sit on top. I'm a big advocate of SOT kayaks, but I would say their biggest advantage is on the coast, for getting off a beach where there may be surf. You can't beat them for their ability to punch through surf, carry fishing gear and for quickly draining. A 'sit in' kayak ends up as a 200 gallon bucket when trying to get off a beach in surf. The weight also becomes an advantage in hard weather as it adds stability as well. I think your canoe is great for inland, as you've said in other videos, but for those of us on the pacific north west coast, sit on top is hard to beat. Keep making great videos and come and paddle in British Columbia, the most beautiful coast on the planet.

Ruby and I watched this over dinner the other day. Time well spent! ☺

❤

documented quality time! Stay warm and safe!

Love it!

Great video - thank you for the effort you put into this content. I will check your channel out after I complete this video. Thanks again

The best, low key answer with detailed explanation to that question I have ever heard! Thanks for your ending statement about PFDs.

I own 2 seventeen foot Grumman canoes and prefer them over my 3 kayaks. But there are advantages to kayaks for certain waters. I grew up fishing out of an aluminum canoe and they are still my choice.

If you ever visit Ely again, the North American Bear Center is well worth a visit. Also Northern Grounds, a coffee house with baked goods. I always go there when I'm in Ely.

Cliff thanks for the video. I live in the Puget Sound Area of Washington State (Bremerton) and have been looking at the sit on top kayaks with pedal props (propeller is turned by a crank like a bike). They are a little spendy but was wondering if you have any knowledge of them as to pros or cons to just a traditional kayak. I have some inflatable kayaks and they are ok (were not very expensive, but don’t track very well). I’m 65 which is why I’m looking at the sit on top, I figure that would be a lot easier to climb in and out as opposed to the traditional kayak. I plan on doing some fishing and just leisure paddling/pedaling. Also you caught my interest when you said you were canoeing on the Little Miami, I think I canoed that river many years ago, grew up around Springfield Ohio, the US Navy brought me to Washington on large gray ship and I stayed. Thanks again.

I've been in a canoe a few times in my life but not in 30+ years. I've been itching for a canoe or kayak lately and just can't decide. At nearly 60 years old now, my knees are not what they used to be and my streamlined physique and consequently my balance, also is a thing of the past. I never found canoes to be particularly tippy, maybe initially but I never felt as if I was about to go into the drink. I've always heard that kayaks are tippy, especially for people that are a bit heavy and don't have the greatest balance. Unfortunately, while there are a few box stores around that sell generic low end kayaks, I haven't found any stores specifically for paddlers anywhere near us with a better selection or places where you can try before you buy. I'd have to travel a few hundred miles and make an overnight or weekend trip out of it to find a place specific to paddling, with people that actually know about the sport, which is odd because there are a few creeks, rivers and a few lakes in Arizona.

I used to livee in Ely as a college student back in the late 80s early 90s. That restaurant used to be called The Chocolate Moose and was okay. I worked for the international wolf center as an intern when it was still located at the college. it is so much larger than when I wass there. I guess I would say "more modern." I lived on White iron Lake for about four years. The people of Ely are the best one could associate with. Great vibes all around.

I have a Grumman 15’ standard that weighs 55lbs . I have it rigged for rowing which is perfect for fishing breezy days on lakes and ponds . I just don’t understand the kayak trend. Kayaks are heavier, hard to get in and out of, and not as versatile.

My family loved going up there on vacation when we could afford it and when my dad was still here he loved fishing and so do I. We would always stay at Latourells resort just out of town. Next time you go make sure to check out Rockwood restaurant if it’s still there, they have the Minnesota famous juicy Lucy burger and walleye Rangoon, and the boat house I believe still serves duck wings as an appetizer with sweet chili sauce, but again we haven’t gone since 2017, love the video keep it up