We have big water in Michigan and our state has the most big water coastline than any of our other 49 states, including Alaska, Florida and California.  Our water is sweet!  No, really.  The great lakes used to be nicknamed "Sweetwater Seas" because they are fresh water and not salty.  We have no salt and no dangerous sea creatures or oil leaks.  We have great water for exploring, tour kayaking, boating, island adventures, kite boarding and other beach activities. 

Michigan has great wilderness areas with tons of preserved state and federal land for you to enjoy.  Our mountain bike trails are amazing and the inland lakes and rivers provide another option for enjoying rafting, kayaking or even whitewater adventures.

When parts of our country are suffering from stifling heat for the remainder of the summer and early fall, Michigan enjoys 80 degree temps in the day and down to the 60's in the evening.  Great sleeping weather!  If it rains or storms here, we use the time to unwind and relax as we watch the rain come in over the lake.  Read a book or take a nap and get ready for your next big adventure in our pristine environment.  We have it all, and especially the Big, Big Water.

Our Alpena, Michigan Thunder Hub is now open and it represents more than just a new business start-up.  For decades the northeast part of the lower pennisula of Michigan has been promoting themselves as a great escape and an untapped market for people wanting to get away and see things that are just not found anywhere else.  This area has geological wonders and contains hundreds of shipwrecks from long ago, both in shallow waters and in deep waters so that viewing can occur from the surface of the water in kayaks or while snorkeling, and as a scuba diving adventure for the deeper vessels.  

Our great state has much to offer, and this part of Michigan deserves recognition for being a focal point for adventure travellers who are looking for something new.  Our economy is a working class economy, and our tourism and natural resources provide a great way to help dig us out of a sluggish transition period.  Historically, Michigan's natural resources, it's minerals, forests and waterways provided our country the ability to become great, with the industrial revolution, manufacturing infrastructure, lumber to build housing for the poineers and upstart towns in early America. 

We can only apologize for the havoc that white settlers wreaked upon the native dwellers of this country.  the death and destruction is not soomething to be proud of.  We continue to reach out and mend fences and share our cultures for a better future.  Our native American brothers and sisters are important to us in Michigan, and our diverse cultures truly make Michigan a comfortable destination for any nationality or skin color.  We are proud and culturally diverse due to our working class history.

 If you want to do something special, come here and enjoy what we have to offer.  Let us treat you to a great time and help us in the process.

Everyone desrves the experience!   

I am looking forward to getting started in Alpena and Mackinac Island this June of 2010.  I have been working hard to get our shipwreck kayak tours put together so we can offer 7 to 10 scheduled departures per day this summer, departing from Alpena to our launch spots for glass bottom kayak tours of shipwrecks in shallow and very clear water.

I will be visiting Mackinac Island in the next few weeks to look at launch locations for Island Kayak tours and am excited to establish a Green Planet Extreme location on one of Michigan's most noted destinations. 

I just returned (last night) from a great family vacation to Mexico where we stayed at an all inclusive resort on the Mayan Riviera in Playa Del Carmen.  It was my first experience at an all-incusive (Sandos Caracol) and it was awesome. 

The older kids and I (5 of us) booked and went on an extreme adventure in the jungle.  We had to use ATV's to go over 7 kilometers into the jungle and do some jumping off cliffs into sink holes with caves. The jump was 32 feet and the water was pristine.  The sink hole goes down over 180 feet and scuba tours are also offered.  After our first jumping adventure, we went to our next stop to jump about 15 feet into another cave where we were able to zip line and swim around looking at the great cave structure.  The underground river and cave system in the Mayan area goes for over 50 kilometers and remains mostly unexplored.  WIthin 10 kilometers there is a Mayan village where there are no cars and the people are waiting for a road to be constructed so they can more easily get to their jobs.

We stopped at another "bat cave" and we able to view vampire bats in flight and have some awesome photos taken.  This stop also included a visit to a hut set up by some locals who let the kids play with a 5 month old raccoon type of animal and hold a boa constrictor snake around their necks and take some photos.  They explained that the snake had recently shed its skin so it wasn;t aggressive.  That was good to know.

Overall, I made some great connections in Mexico, both with guests from Canada and with Adventure Tour guides who reside in Mexico and have been guiding for a great number of years.  They want to visit Michigan next year on vacation and I offered to show them some great adventures in our home state. 

I believe that making connections like this is more important than anything that can be done over the internet.  Making friends and offering personal services is the best way to promote our state and the adventures that can be experienced.  Carlos our guide was very interested in experiencing our winter adventures such as igloo making and winter camping, winter rafting and snow shoeing.

As I continue to set up our adventures I will keep in mind that there are people all over the world who want to experience what Michigan has to offer.  Making their experience enjoyable is my goal and hopefully it will be rewarded by some people who are then willing to promote our adventures verbally to others.  Customer satisfaction and excellent experiences is the winning combination. 


 

 



 

I first began looking for a way to provide some work for my kids as they got older and went off to college, which will happen for my oldest beginning next school year in 2010.  Once I did the research and found some great areas to explore it all started to come together.  I know what our natural resources are all about here in Michigan.  All that you have to do is look at our geographical area and see the water ways, islands, shoreline and big, big water.  

I have been working on launching this business for the past 2 to 2-1/2 years by building up some partnerships and contacts throughout the state.  We have great people here and many of them have experienced the downturn in the economy more than once.  It seems sometimes that we in Michigan have been in a recession for the past 25-30 years with the loss of manufacturing jobs as industriies have whithered away and as many have movwed away in search of cheaper labor.  

What we know and what many do not see looking from the outside is our natural wonders and tremendous parks systems and trails.  Many seem to view Michigan with a horde of cars buzzing around polluting and destroying our environment.  That is the furthest from the truth.  Our image has been under repair for some time now and it is a goal of mine to contiinue promoting our state and the great adventure travel destination that is virtually untapped.  If you like adventure travel and want a new experience in a pristine environment, come to Michigan and book your adventure with Green Planet Extreme.  We are Michigan sons and daughters who want to share what we have and help our people recover from some pretty tough times. 

We are getting closer to December 21, 2012, when the Mayan calendar ends.  Some say it will be the end of the world, but I say that it will be about a renewal and the beginning of a new cycle.  We are trying to get a head start with the renewal part since we in Michigan always seem to be at the head of the table when the economy tanks.

So, whether we have only 2 years to enjoy life or if we will go through a renewal, why not enjoy your time right now.  Living is good.

We hope to see you soon.  Come shred your adventure with us!  

Kevin Karpinski, Co-Owner & Operations Dude
GREEN PLANET EXTREME ADVENTURE TOURS