Several people have requested an itinerary of our trip this summer. Tom and I have attempted to put one together as follows. Please remember this is very fluid as it is highly dependent on weather. We learned early on that one of the most disasterous things to do is try to meet an itinerary. That tends to cause people to go out in weather when they should stay put. With that in mind, here goes:
July 1 or 2 Go through the Canadian Sault locks and begin Lake Superior adventure counterclockwise
July 15 Arrive Thunder Bay
July 18-25 Isle Royale
July 28-August 4 Apostle Island and Bayfield area
August 6-13 Houghton and Keweenaw Penninsula
August 16 Munising (Tom wants to dive here)
August 21 Grand Marais
August 25 Sault Ste. Marie
August 28 Hessell, MI or St. Ignace
Sept. 1 Washington, Island in Door County
Sept. 6 Sheboygan, Manitowac area
Sept. 9 Milwaukee
Sept. 12 Chicago
Sept. 15-16 leave Chicago and head down the Illinois
Sept. 22 Hoppies at Kimmswick
Sept. 28-29 Arrive Kenlake on Kentucky Lake and CELEBRATE THE GOLD FLAG
Thursday, June 27, 2013
St. Mary's River
We left the comforts of Duncan Bay Boat Club on Wednesday morning, June 26th. Our destination was Lime Island in the St. Mary's River. We crossed the upper stretches of Lake Huron, which was as calm as its sister Lake Michigan had been, passing several lighthouses.
Lime Island is now a state park run by Michigan DNR. In the past it hosted a lime mining operation and a coal, later bunker fuel, fueling station for freighters. Recreational boaters can now tie up to the old cement fuel dock.
Rental cabins and camping are also available on the island. The campground host told us that campers are only allowed to have campfires within designated iron rings because the leftover coal was spread throughout the island and fires anywhere else would start the ground afire!
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| Beautiful but lonely lighthouse in midst of Lake Huron |
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| DeTour Lighthouse at entrance to St. Mary's River |
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| Raydiance tied up at the old fuel dock. Freighter passing on the outside. |
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| Rental cabins on the hillside behind Raydiance and Tom. |
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| Two freighters passing. |
We toured the Big House and the schoolhouse. The Big House was the superintendent's house which was pulled across the ice from the mainland in the 1800's. At one time 50 families lived on the island.
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| The Big House |
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| Had to see the schoolhouse! |
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| Lime Kiln |
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| Sled used to carry ice blocks from the river. |
Our only other companions for the evening were some very noisy common terns. The far end of the old fuel dock is a protected nesting area and we were told about 50 mated pairs were in residence. Seemed more like 500! We watched as a crow perched on the light stand, waited patiently and swooped down attempting to steal an egg. This would lead to all sorts of squawking and chasing. Tom got his fair share of scolding just by going close enough to inspect some stored channel markers.
The sunset that evening was not spectacular as rain was forecast and clouds formed at the horizon. A thunderstorm awakened us about 4:30 a.m., but we were very securely tied to rings in the cement wall so no worries.
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| Tom making the terns nervous. |
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| Tern sanctuary. Resident crow temporarily absent. |
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| Sunset through the coal buckets |
Mackinac City to Cheboygan
Now we are on our own for quite a while. After fueling and pumping out at Petoskey, we headed to Mackinac City--about a 52 mile run. Lake Michigan was still behaving with less than one foot waves, though the temperature was a bit cooler. Along the way we passed several freighters. With AIS on the new radio we are able to check the ship's name, speed and destination. Very cool.
Looper friends, John and Mary Morgan, had contacted us a week ago to say they were going to be at their cottage at Mackinac the first three weeks in June. So we made plans to stay at their marina, Mackinac City Marina, and meet up with them.
We had last seen the Mackinac Bridge on Labor Day 2012 when we walked it with my sister, Pat, and husband, Jim. It was a thrill to see it come into view from the opposite direction.
Shortly after leaving Petoskey we received a phone call from looper friends Fred and Julaine Eddy aboard Borias. We had last seen them at Little Current, Ontario in August 2012. They had read our blog and realized we were heading to Mackinac. At the time they were 45 miles away from Mackinac heading northwest and we were 45 miles away heading northeast. We arrived at Mackinac a few minutes after they arrived and decided to stay at the marina they had chosen--Straits State Marina--next door to Mackinac City Marina. This marina is only a few years old and has all floating docks. We had a good visit with them that evening. They left the following morning as their grandson who was traveling with them for the week was departing in Charlevoix the next day. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture while they were here!
Tom and I both now have his cold, so we are a hacking duo. As a result we spent most of Sunday at the boat inside doing small chores and resting. Our only outing was to a nearby mini-golf course for a challenge. I won't mention the score!
Looper friends, John and Mary Morgan, had contacted us a week ago to say they were going to be at their cottage at Mackinac the first three weeks in June. So we made plans to stay at their marina, Mackinac City Marina, and meet up with them.
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| This freighter was headed to Chicago |
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| The lighthouse marking Gray's Reef--a shallow passage near Mackinac |
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| Approaching the Mackinac Bridge |
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| Straits State Marina, as you can see, not crowded!! |
Saturday, John and Mary aboard Passport returned from Mackinac Island and called to invite us to a potluck dinner at their marina. We had last seen them in Virginia, May 2012, after going through the Dismal Swamp together. Before dinner, we joined them aboard the Mary Frances, a gold loop boat belonging to another John and Mary Leatherman who completed the loop last year. After dinner we all went to the Morgan's turn of the century cottage which started out as John's grandmother's cottage in the 1920's. It is west of Mackinac City right on Lake Michigan with a great view of the bridge. Great fun to catch up and swap loop stories.
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| John and Mary Leatherman (Mary Frances) |
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| John and Mary Morgan (Passport) |
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| View from the Morgan's cottage |
Tom and I both now have his cold, so we are a hacking duo. As a result we spent most of Sunday at the boat inside doing small chores and resting. Our only outing was to a nearby mini-golf course for a challenge. I won't mention the score!
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| Notice the arrogant winning grin!
Labor Day
last year we met some boaters from the Duncan Bay Boat Club in Cheboygan,
Michigan. They told us about their boat
club and urged us to visit if we were in the area. We decided to give it a try and headed there
on Wednesday, June 19th.
The members
were certainly correct in their assessment.
The harbor is very protected and the facilities were first class. We even had cable hook-up dockside. As you can see, the interior of the clubhouse was beautiful. A good sized swimming pool with a deck area
was outside the clubhouse.
Beautiful clubhouse at Duncan Bay Boat Club
Thursday evening Tom was watching the news and heard that the space station was going directly over us. So we hopped on the front deck and had a great view of it as it passed overhead looking like a very bright, fast moving planet. The following Monday we enjoyed the super moon. Quite a show up there in the sky
!While at Duncan Bay,
Deb Swindlehurst aboard Foray came by to say hello. Their boat had been the one right next to us
in Carabelle as we waited for the Gulf crossing last December. Charlie and Linda Thomas, gold loopers
aboard Freedom’s Turn and the members who had invited us to their club’s
potluck at St. Ignace last year, returned to their boat later in the week.
As we all
know, sometimes life interferes with our plans and such happened to us in
Cheboygan. Tom’s right eye started giving him some
trouble. He was taking medication
for a staff infection that had developed prior to
leaving on the trip, but now there
seemed to be more problems. So after a
text to his doctor, a Friday, June 21st , appointment was set in
Farmington. This required a rental car
which could reasonably be obtained only in Petoskey. Problem was that we were in Cheboygan. So Thursday morning we took the county
service van from Cheboygan to Petoskey—a 45 mile trip that took 2 and ½ hours! Besides taking care of Tom’s eye and catching
up with friends and finding necessary items at home that we thought we had with
us on the boat, the trip introduced us
to Wolf’s Marine in Benton Harbor. This is an amazing store that takes up an
entire city block. We found a
replacement oar for the one I lost out of the dinghy last summer and a depth
gauge that is no longer manufactured. We
had been told repeatedly that neither item would ever be found and we should
give up the search. Tom was delighted
because using this depth gauge he did not need to change transducers, and I was
thrilled to find the oar so I no longer have to hear about losing the old
one!!!
We arrived
back at the boat on Monday evening late.
Tuesday, a mechanic replaced the back cabin air conditioner, Tom changed
out the house batteries and installed a new charging system, and I returned the
rental car and once again rode the county van back to Cheboygan. With everything ship shape, we departed
Cheboygan Wednesday morning to begin our journey to Superior.
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Monday, June 17, 2013
Petoskey
Leaving Charlevoix on Wednesday, June 12, we found ourselves in fog so thick we could not see the lift bridge until we were almost next to it. We arrived right at 10:30 a.m. and it opened within a few minutes to one long/one short blast from our horn. Alice and I took the first watch and failed miserably as we got to talking and missed a waypoint turn. Luckily we were going out and not toward land. We corrected and got back on course, but not without stern looks and headshakes from the men-folk.
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| David has found his new career in Petoskey The fog cleared late morning and we arrived in Petoskey to bright sunshine around 1:00 p.m. Alice and I had heard about Petoskey stones and had seen a few that had been collected in Charlevoix, so we were determined to find some of our own. We hopped on loaner bikes provided by the marina and peddled along a flat bike path that followed the lake to a state park five miles away. There we found a beautiful sand beach with hardly any stones. That did not dissuade us, however, and we walked a mile along the beach until we came to an area that showed some possibility. We intently searched for over an hour and found not a one. About halfway back to the marina, we met a man coming up a path from the beach carrying stones. He showed us his Petoskey stones and told us he had found them in about 15 minutes. Assuring ourselves that this was the spot, we hunted again and again did not find any. We came to the conclusion that we really did not know what we were looking for. We consoled ourselves by reminding each other that collectors told us the pattern was very hard to spot unless the stone was wet. A little farther toward the marina is a section of town called Bay View Association. This area began as a Methodist camp that featured speakers, educational opportunities, music, etc. It grew to over 400 "cottages" most of which were built in the late 1800's or early 1900's --Victorian architecture with beautiful woodwork, stained glass windows, and wrap around porches. Today the cottagers, many at least 4th generation, can only live there April through October. Daily speakers, music and activities are still offered. Alice and I had a great time riding our bikes through the area and visiting with a few locals. Meanwhile Tom and David walked to the West Marine store (surprise, surprise!) and David came across the shop advertising his new profession as a hairdresser. Tom has managed to come down with a dandy cold, so he is not too inclined to sightsee--but West Marine is always a siren song! |
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Last sunset with Alice and David aboard
Thursday morning David and Alice rented a car and we all rode back to Muskegon. Our intention had been to play a round of golf before leaving them to return to Farmington with our car as we headed back to the boat. But with Tom's head cold, a windy day and a longer ride than anticipated, that did not happen. Instead we took a long lunch break at the Antler Bar in Pentwater before we had to say good-bye. Such good friends and so easy to have on board. We will miss them. Thank heavens for internet and cell phones!
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| Good ol' Antler Bar in Pentwater |
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Charlevoix
Tuesday we awoke to DENSE fog! With the help of radar, chart plotters and a fog horn, we ventured off to Charlevoix. The sun was shining but apparently not enough to clear the fog. Every now and then it would clear enough to see the shoreline, but soon it blanketed the boat and we were again at the mercy of radar. Just before we arrived at the Charlevoix harbor entrance, the fog lifted.
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| Entering Charlevoix harbor |
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| Leaving Leland Charlevoix is a beautiful town that has been summer host to many wealthy families since the late 1800's. After a quick harbor tour including a turn around inner Lake Charlevoix boasting many gorgeous homes and the Belvedere and Chicago Associations, we tied up at the municipal marina on Round Lake. By now the sun was shining brightly and it was a fine day to take a walk. So we headed off in search of the "mushroom houses", whimsical houses built in the early 1900's by Earl Young. The houses look like something out of a fairy tale with wavy roof-lines, irregular stonework and "snowy" chimneys. (Click on photos to enlarge.)
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Leland
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| Follow the leader along the breakwater |
Leland is a wonderful port to visit. We decided to spent two nights there. The first evening we had dinner at Leland Lodge which is also the clubhouse for a golf course and we found ourselves wishing we had brought the clubs aboard.
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| Alice outside Leland Lodge |
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| Leland Harbor |
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| fish nets drying in historic Fish Town |
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| Historic Fish Town |
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| Every town along the Michigan coast has the most beautiful flower displays. This one was a windowbox outside a small shop. The second day we went exploring the town and the beach. Alice and I had great fun filling our pockets with smooth flat stones that Sarah wants to use at her wedding reception. We watched as a fishing boat came in and unloaded the night/day catch of mostly whitefish and lake trout.
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Ludington to Leland
What a difference a day can make! We left Ludington on Saturday morning, June 8th, with smooth water and no wind. The lake was full of fishing boats taking advantage of the conditions.
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| Big Point Sable Lighthouse just north of Ludington |
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| If you went up and down these stairs even once a day, you would never need to work out on a stairmaster! |
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| Fishing boats out on super smooth Lake Michigan We reached Frankfort ( a 52 mile trip) around 3 p.m. and tied up in the municipal marina. After dinner we walked to the channel light for sunset and then returned to the boat so Tom and Alice could once again tromp David and me in Pitch. Sunday we left Frankfort, again in amazingly smooth water, and headed toward Leland 42 miles north. The dunes in this area are noticeably higher. We passed Point Betsie Lighthouse--said to be the most photographed lighthouse on Lake Michigan--and the Manitou Islands before coming to Sleepy Bear Dunes National Park. Although sunny, the temperature is still cool and we saw only a few people out on the dunes. We arrived in Leland around 1:15 p.m. and stayed at Leland Harbor. |
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Point Betsie Lighthouse
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| Close up of the "Sleeping Bear" |
The Legend of Sleeping Bear
Long ago, along the Wisconsin shoreline, a mother bear and her two cubs were driven into Lake Michigan by a raging forest fire. The bears swam for many hours, but eventually the cubs tired and lagged behind. Mother bear reached the shore and climbed to the top of a high bluff to watch and wait for her cubs. Too tired to continue, the cubs drowned within sight of the shore. The Great Spirit Manitou created two islands to mark the spot where the cubs disappeared and then created a solitary dune to represent the faithful mother bear. |
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