        As the canoe sliced through Lake Michigan, he thought back to one of his co-workers referring to it as an aluminum coffin.  Watching the smooth blue water of the lake, and the freedom it offered, he smiled.  So what if it was?  He’d rather be out here on the lake than watching TV in his living room.  It may have been a bit presumptive of him, but navigating across Lake Michigan using nothing but his arm strength and a compass reminded him of the great explorers of the past.  The solitude didn’t bother him at all; he was a man who was very comfortable in his own mind.  The only contact he had with the human race at this moment was his handheld marine radio, and he only intended to use that for emergencies.