Joliet, Illinois

We left Chicago just before 9 am, went through the first lock of the system at Chicago Harbor, then started down the Chicago River and Sanitary Canal. The first part is beautiful, with all of the skyscrapers and walkways along the water. Then we got to the more industrial part of Chicago, and we started seeing the barges and tows. The first couple of tows that we met were on a straight stretch so we just needed to stay out of their way. Then we met a large one in an area with many barges tied along both sides of the canal, so there wasn't much room. The tow driver kindly told us where to tuck in so that we would be out of his road - worked well. Watching one small boat pushing all of those barges is amazing, one can see why he needs a lot of room to turn. The ones we were meeting were six packs, so 2 barges wide and 3 long, all tied together and pushed by one boat.
Nancy and Eddie had left earlier than we did this morning, they had to travel down Lake Michigan for about 10 miles and enter another waterway, the Cal-Sag, which would in time join up with the one we were in. As we approached the junction, we commented that it would be funny if they came popping out of the other branch.We looked up the other branch, and there they were. We could not have timed it better if we tried. I lost count of the number of bridges we went under today, but we only needed to have one opened for us. Lucky we can get down to a height of 16', several bridges are just over that.
Arrived in Joliet at about 5 pm, they provide free docking along the town wall, and power as well. Very nice. Got together with Nancy and Eddie for dinner; we'll have an early night then move on tomorrow am. There are a few other boats here, one is Two by Two who we have seen in the distance several times. Beautiful boat.

Chicago, Illinois

Got together with Nancy and Eddie for breakfast, then Nancy and I headed off to Fox & Obel, a nice food market and restaurant on Illinois Avenue. We restocked the food supplies, then went back up for water at Wallgreens. My handy dandy shopping cart broke just after we loaded it up, so Eddie added our two cases of water and 3 bottles of wine to his cart and got it all back to the boats. It was a heavy load; I'm very grateful.

Chicago skyline reflected in the "Great Bean"

We walked up to Millenium Park. It is a 24.5 acre park within easy walking distance of the marina. Wayne wanted to see “The Bean” which is a sculpture by Anish Kapoor called Cloud Gate. It does look like a giant bean, very shiny. Tourists were having a great time taking pictures of the bean and themselves reflected in it, so we did the same thing. It was also interesting to see the skyscrapers all around the park reflected in the bean. The Park has, among other things, a huge lawn and bandstand. They were just setting up for the US Open Raquetball Championships when we were there.

Bill Chastain, Wayne and Eddie Hamilton at dinner at Bubba Gump's

We saw the big bean in Millenium Park, then the Big Noodle on Navy Pier, Ruth, Meredith Chastain and Nancy Hamilton.

The four of us reflected in the Big Bean

Along the Chicago waterway, some of the buildings fit in with the flow and colour of the water, but also reflect the buildings across the water from them. The guide called it contextual architecture.

This is for Joy, it is a picture of our deep dish pizza at Gino's yesterday.

Entrance to Navy Pier

A beautiful fountain in the park just down the walkway and across Lake Shore Drive from us. We could see it from the harbour as we came in on Monday

This girl went zipping past us as part of a group touring on Segways

One of the many water taxis that operate up and down the Chicago River and Sanitary Canal

Another looper, Andiamo, came in late this afternoon, they had come over from South Haven. We all went over to Bubba Gump's on Navy Pier for dinner this evening.

Chicago, Illinois

Spent the day touring Chicago. It was a beautiful sunny day, fairly warm, good day for touring. We started this morning with an architectural boat tour of the Chicago River and Sanitary Canal. The tour guide was very knowledgeable, pointed out buildings which were examples of various types of architucture along the river. We saw the Trump International Hotel and Tower, the tallest structurally all-concrete building in the world, the Willis tower, which was the world's tallest building for 24 years.  The great fire (apparently started by Mrs. O'Leary's cow kicking over a lantern) destroyed about 1/3 of the city and so left 1000 people homeless was a tragedy, but it did give  them a chance to start over with the building of the city. A man named Burnham planned the city in the early 1900s, and his plan has been followed to give many skyscrapers of different designs, as well as wonderful walkways all along the river and the lakefront. The walkways are well used by walkers, joggers, bikers, people on Segways.
Originally the Chicago River flowed into Lake Michigan. As the city grew, the people used the river to dispose of garbage, industrial waste, etc, so of course everything went into the lake. Since the drinking water came from Lake Michigan, this was a problem. In 1900 they solved the problem by digging the Sanitary canal and putting in a series of locks so that the Chicago River now runs away from Lake Michigan and all of Chicago's dirty water flows down to the Des Plaines,  Illinois and Mississippi Rivers and eventually to the Gulf of Mexico.
After the tour we went for deep dish pizza again, this time to Gino's. There is apparently some argument as to who was the originator of the deep dish pizza, Uno's or Gino's, so we decided we had better try both. All of us thought that Gino's was better. Walked out to the Navy Pier, a tourist mall with restaurants, stores and rides. Saw a 150' ferris wheel, a beautiful merry-go-round, a tethered hot air balloon. Nancy and I even found a few minutes to dash into Norstrums, one of the stores along the Magniicent Mile on Michigan Avenue.
Wayne and Eddie spent time today measuring the boats. We plan to go through Chicago on the river and Sanitary Canal, but there is one fixed bridge that is 17ft high, so we need to be able to fit under it, and we should be able to. Nancy and Eddie's Dream Fever is higher, so they plan to go around Chicago through the Cal-Sag.

Chicago, Illinois

The approach to Chicago

We have finally arrived in Chicago!!! Left Michigan City at about 0930 this morning, after a 4 hour crossing arrived in the Windy City. We could see the Chicago skyline almost as soon as we left Michigan City, seemed like a long trip to actually reach it. We stayed close to the shoreline for the first part of the trip, southern Lake Michigan still has the sand dunes and sandy beaches. Then we hit the industrial parts, Burns International Harbor; Gary, Indiana; Indiana Harbor. We heard lots of chatter on the radio from the big ships coming and going from these areas, but none close to us. Soon after we arrived, two more looper boats came in. Got a chance to talk to them, they have come from South Haven today, they had a terrible time there in the high winds. Made us realize how well we were in Michigan City. We are docked at DuSable Marina, right next to downtown Chicago. Had a joint dinner with Nancy and Eddie while we planned our touring for the next couple of days. Nice to sit out on the back of the boat and enjoy the lights of Chicago.

Michigan City, Indiana



Water coming in around the breakwater; you can see buildings in Chicago across the lake

 Another windy day in Michigan City; we walked out along the breakwater and watched waves flying up around the lighthouse. The wind was actually blowing sand in our faces off the beach. Went to church this morning with Nancy and Eddie; we attended a Congregational church. They were having a joint service with a Missionary Baptist Church. The service was interesting, a little different than I am accustomed to. A very friendly lady at the church offered us a history of the church to read before the service, very interesting.
This afternoon, went shopping at the outlet mall for a little while, then got together with Nancy and Eddie for a combined meal. Fun to do that, seems like only half a meal to prepare. The weather looks better for tomorrow; if it holds we will go to Chicago.

Michigan City, Indiana

Spent the day at laundry, grocery shopping. Also went to two markets, one a traditional farmer's market and the other an indoor market that runs only on weekends. Found good vegetable purchases at each, plus found cheese curds at the farmer's market. We are anxious to share them with Eddie and Nancy, they have not run across them before. Went out for dinner tonight to a restaurant called SwingBelly, nice little place near the marina that a friendly dentist on our dock had recommended. He was right, the food was great. Had hoped to move on tomorrow, but the forecast is showing that the high winds and waves are hanging on, so we will stay here and perhaps move on Monday.

Michigan City, Indiana

Decided to take the commuter train into Chicago today to do a little sightseeing. The train in Michigan city runs right down the middle of 11th street, and the station looks like a bus shelter. You purchase your ticket on the train. Took 1 1/2 hours to get to downtown Chicago, after many stops, but once we were outside of the city, the stations looked liked regular train stations. Went to Uno's for lunch, apparently the home of the original deep dish Chicago pizza. Shared a large with Nancy and Eddie, but no way could we eat it all. None of us had ever seen a deep dish pizza that deep. Very good. Toured around some of the downtown streets, walked out to Dusable marina, where we plan to stay once we get there. Nice place. Walked up the "Magnificent Mile" on Michigan Avenue.
On the way back the train got stopped for a switch that had to be flipped by hand, the female conductor walked through the car to let people know what was happening "just so you know". As we left the train she commented that the 3 females on our train had actually fixed the switch, unlike the men on the previous train. Got back shortly after 7 pm. Still breezy out there, but a nice clear night with a full moon, temperature still warm, in the high 60s.

Michigan City, Indiana

We have stayed in this beautiful area another day, both because we want to see more of it, and because the weather is not good for crossing the bottom end of the lake to Chicago. Gale force winds and a small craft advisory for today and tomorrow. Nancy and I spent the day at the Outlet Mall, did some good shopping, met Wayne and Eddie for lunch. This evening, Wayne and I walked out to the endof the beakwater, then walked along the beach. Hot humid day, even the wind was warm. By the forecast, this is the last of the warm days, so glad we were able to enjoy it. Like so many towns that we have seen along Lake Michigan, Michigan city has a great sand beach that goes on for miles. Lots of people out enoying the water and the sand this evening. The marina here is large, has 600 slips. It is part of a huge park complex. We hope to see more of it tomorrow.

Michigan City, Indiana

We have reached the last stop on Lake Michigan before we cross over to Chicago - Michigan City, Indiana. We have also entered the Central Time zone, so have moved our watches back an hour. Today was cloudy, but warm with a gentle breeze. Lake Michigan had more waves than the predicted one foot, but we only travelled for 4 hours to get here. This afternoon was sunny and warm. We went shopping; there is a huge outlet mall here, first one we have seen since leaving home. Spent the evening in a joint supper with Nancy and Eddie. Heavenly Ours and NaMata went on to Chicago today. As we moved down Lake Michigan today, still saw sand dunes and sandy beaches along the shoreline, as well as many beautiful houses overlooking the water. Also passed another nuclear power plant.

St. Josephs/Benton Harbor, Michigan

Small craft advisory and high winds and waves on Lake Michigan today, so we were very glad to stay tied up securely in this marina. Teh people here are great, the harbour master drove us to the grocery store, then came and picked us up when we were finished. We laughed, Nancy and I met in one aisle and commented to each other about what a nice grocery store this was; a lady stocking the shelves wondered where we had come from that we were so impressed by the store. Once we said we were travelling by boat, we had quite a conversation with her, because she boats on Lake Michigan all the time. Got together this evening for a community dinner with folks from the other 3 looper boats here. NaMata plans to head  to Chicago in the morning; the rest of us will head down to Michigan City, Indiana. That will make our crossing to Chicago shorter, but given the forecast, probably won't happen for a few days.

St. Joseph, Michigan

We have stayed in St. Joseph an extra day; Sylvia from Heavenly Ours has been feeling unwell the past few days and finally decided that she needed to go to a clinic. The marina owner kindly drove her to the clinic, where she was seen, diagnosed and treated by a nurse practitioner. Hopefully she will be feeling better in the next couple of days. The rest of us went to visit Wolf's Marine, a huge marine store in Benton Harbour, so within walking distance from here. Found lots of stuff we needed or wanted; the guy from the store then drove us all back to the marina here. This afternoon walked into St. Joseph, got lunch and did some shopping. Ate lunch at the Chocolate Factory, actually they serve really good soup and sandwiches. This evening, NaMata came into the marina, they had left Luddington at 5 this morning, and had been travelling since then. They were the people that had to leave the US for 15 days when we crossed at Drummond Island, nice to see them again. We plan to stay here another day because the forecast for tomorrow is for gale force winds; hope to move south to New Buffalo on Wednesday and then to Chicago on Thursday, weather permitting. Much warmer today, the temperature is in the 70s, first time we have seen that since the beginning of September, and the forecast is for a T of 81 tomorrow, should be nice.

St. Joseph

The lighthouse as we were leaving Grand Haven; the upper walkway is apparently for the lightouse keeper to walk on when the waves are too high for safety on the lower one.

Steam rising from the nuclear power plant, we made sure to stay outside the security zone in front of the plant

One of the animals decorating the streets of St. Joseph

Left Grand Haven this morning; the channel and the water outside the channel was full of fishing boats, many probably part of the salmon tournament. Headed down the lower part of the east side of Lake Michigan. Went past Port Sheldon with the James H Sheldon Power plant, the town of Holland, Saugatuck on Lake Kalamazoo, and South Haven. For miles before South Haven we could see a cloud of something rising in the air, finally came to the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant with its rising clouds of steam. Nice day, got a little rougher as we came down to St. Joseph.  Arrived at about 2:30 pm. Walked into town for dinner with Nancy and Eddie, and Mark from Heavenly Ours, Sylvia is not feeling well. The town has many carousel animals on the streets, decorating the downtown.

Grand Haven, Michigan

Grass growing around most houses along the water on this side of the river; we assume it holds the sand.

Part of the sand dunes in the preserve near the marina

Woke up this morning to rain, thunder and lightening. Rained off and on most of the morning, with winds at times. Walked out to the end of the pier, saw several fishing boats bopping around in the waves. It is the salmon tournament in town this weekend but it apparently was cancelled today because of the weather. Sylvia and Mark, Nancy and Eddie, and us took a taxi into town this afternoon, had lunch out,then did some shopping. The salmon tournament seems to be a whole festival in the town, there were tents and booths set up all along the waterfront. The trailer park was full of trailers, apparently most here for the tournament.
The town of Grand Haven  was built on land granted to Rix Robinson, a fur trader and trapper, in 1833. The first white settlers arrived a year later, led by William Montague Ferry. For the next 60 years, the lumber industry supported the town. Acres of white pine were cut and sent to sawmills, then shipped across the midwest. By the end of the 1800's, local businessmen formed a board of trade that enticed manufacturers to set up here to take advantage of Lake Michigan for shipping. So many ships were lost on Lake Michigan that a group of volunteer lifesavers banded together in 1871 to save the lives of those whose vessels were imperiled. By the end of the decade, an Act of Congress established the United States Life Saving Service, which later became the US Coast Guard. Grand Haven was declared "Coast Guard City USA" by Act of Congress in 1998.
So far the weather looks good for tomorrow; if it holds we will try to move further south.



 

Grand Haven, Michigan

Left Pentwater at 7:30 this morning along with Dream Fever and Heavenly Ours. Came south along the east shore of Lake Michigan another 57 miles. The sand dunes and sandy beaches continued all the way along our travels today, some of the areas looked treed and remote, others built up with beautiful houses/cottages.
Forecast was for rough weather later today, and the waves started getting a little higher just before we arrived, so we were glad to get here. Marina is more shallow than we had anticipated; Eddie and Nancy, with their 4'6" draft, got stuck on the bottom in their slip. It is sand rather than mud, so should do no harm.
Forecast for tomorrow is for wind and high waves, so we will probably get a taxi and go into town for the day. Our marina is on the other side of the water from town, and the shuttle isn't running because it is late in the season. This marina, however, does have good protectrion from high winds and waves.
They have a sound and light show on Friday and Saturday nights, we watched the show from here, but the view would be better from town. Beautiful evening, clear and quite warm compared to the temperatures we have been seeing.

Pentwater, Michigan

Winds and waves were high today, with a small craft warning for this section of Lake Michigan, so we very gladly stayed in this protected harbour. Very pretty resort town, with lots of shops catering to tourists. The season is pretty well over, so many are open only on weekends or for a couple of days during the week.Even the grocery store closed at 3. There was a good farmer's market this morning in town, so we stocked up on fruits and vegetables; also got some home baking.

Owners took their cars out touring for the day

There is a wonderful kitchen store with every kind of gadget you can imagine.There is also a marine store jam packed with different and interesting items. Several people came into town with beautifully restored cars; the men enjoyed looking at them. Marina has a great laundry room; this has become very important since we left home. Sylvia and Mark, Nancy and Eddie, and us got together for dinner tonight on Dream Fever (they have the most room, and it was too cold to do it outdoors). We plan to leave in the morning if the weather holds.

Pentwater, Michigan

A little mink decided to join our party tonight

We were able to move on today, left at just after 7 am. The harbour and the exit from the harbour were filled with fishermen. Glad it was light enough that we could see. The weather was cold but sunny and clear, little wind, and the water was calm. It was a very nice run of about 65 miles, got here about 2 pm. Followed Dream Fever all the way down. Heavenly Ours left at 4:30 am because they travel more slowly, and got here about 1/2 hour ahead of us.
The sand dunes that we saw at Frankfort continued all the way down Lake Michigan, sometimes high dunes, sometimes beautiful sandy beaches. In some places it looks undeveloped, past Luddington there are houses along the shore pretty much to Pentwater. There is a power plant just south of Luddington.

The lighthouse at Frankfort against the morning sky just afer 7 am.

Our impromptu pre-dinner snack party on the dock



 We all took a walk to see the town after we got in, then spent the evening with snacks at a picnic table in the park by the marina. Beautiful evening, but predictions of wind and rain over night. Unlikely that we will leave here tomorrow. Long range forecast looks like Friday and Saturday may be better, so we will hope to move on then. Passed an historical plaque in town that says that this section of Lake Michigan is the most treacherous; it lists the ships that have gone down around here. Shows that the lake is worty of respect.

Frankfort, Michigan

<>

Wayne drinking from the "fountain of youth"

Weather better today, waves still not calm enough for travel on the water. In fact, a NOAA workboat went out today and came back in, they said it was too rough for them to work. Forecast still looks good for tomorrow, so if all stays well, the 3 boats here will leave in the morning. Went out for breakfast with Eddie and Nancy, we have found a place that serves a good breakfast for $1.99, so have been there twice. Also went to a fish store and got flash fried whitefish. I wasn't sure what that was, but it is just fish fried in hot fat very quickly. It was delicious. Went for a walk out to the breakwater tonight to have one last look at the sand and the waves before we leave. It is a beautiful spot and each time that we have been there, many people are taking advantage of the walking area and the benches. Take note of the picture of the boat; it is at another marina just down the way from us. It has both a dinghy and a car on top, and the car is one with props.

Frankfort, Michigan

Another beautiful sunny day in Frankfort, unfortunately there is also still a wind, so lots of waves on Lake Michigan. Went out for breakfast with Nancy and Eddie, then went shopping, saw most of the shops in town. Got together with Nancy and Eddie and Mark and Sylvia from Heavenly Ours for a joint supper tonight - very nice and as usual, plenty to eat. Forecast looks good for Wednesday, Thursday and possibly even Friday, so we plan to move on then.

Frankfort, Michigan

<>

Waves breaking over the breakwall outside the entrance to Betsie Bay

Beautiful sunny day today, just a bit breezy, enough waves coming in to rock the boat. Went to the Congregational Church with Nancy and Eddie. Nice church with very friendly people. After church we went out for lunch with Mark and Sylvia from Heavenly Ours and Nancy and Eddie, then spent the afternoon walking out to the beach and along the breakwater. Waves are rolling on Lake Michigan, there were 3 surfers trying out the waves just outside the breakwater. Quite a few Canada geese on the grass in the park by the marina, looks just like home.  There is a mineral spring fountain in the park, supposed to cure what ails you, so Wayne and I both drank from it. The one book actually calls in a fountain of youth, so we may come home much younger (Ha)

Frankfort, Michigan

Spent a quiet damp day at Frankfort, rained all morning. Several boats left today to move further south on Lake Michigan. We chose to stay here because Wayne has a bad cold and because the weather did not look great. We saw the fishermen go out this morning, then return fairly quickly. The lady at the office said they normally stay out until about noon, but they found it too rough with 4-6 foot waves. One of the boats that left came back to wait for a calmer day. Nancy and Eddie in Dream Fever came down here from Charlevoix, said the waves got worse as they came south, it was quite rough for them. Nice to see them though. Small craft warning on for tomorrow, so we will be here for another day anyway. Nice town, went to a Farmer's Market up the street this morning.

Sunrise over Betsie Bay, Frankfort

The town of Frankfort originally had a thriving commercial fishing industry and was home to the railhead for an extensive carferry service. Today, Frankfort turns to tourism instead. The town was apprently named for a man named Frank Martin who arrived in 1855 and built a log stockade around his home to keep the drifting snow from his door. Neighbours called it Frank's fort, and the name stuck.

Frankfort, Michigan

Sand dunes along Lake Michigan shore

We had beautiful weather today; planned to go as far as Leland but ended up going on to Frankfurt. We left at 6 this morning, got into Frankfurt at 3:40 pm, so not a bad day. Sun was shining, and more importantly, the water was calm. It was a little rougher as we passed the mouth of Grand Traverse Bay, the rest was great. As we passed Leland and moved south toward Frankfort, we started to see huge sand dunes along the shoreline. Actually that part of the shoreline is part of the Sleeping Bear National lakeshore Park. Some of the sand dunes are 480 feet tall, and slope down to beautiful white beaches. Apparently the winds carry the sand across Lake Michigan from the west side, and over thousands of years, these dunes have built up. The town of Frankfort is pretty, with sandy beaches all along the lakefront, then marinas inside a harbor. We walked along the beach tonight, and I got a chance to put my feet in Lake Michigan.

Harbor Springs, Michigan

<>

Ephraim Shay house, sheathed in steel plates, was built for the man who invented the Shay locomotive

Quiet day in Harbor Springs. Forecast looked rather iffy so we chose to stay here; General Delivery and Ladybug decided to try moving on, but encourntered rougher water than they watned ot deal with, so turned around and came back. We all got together on Fortuity tonight for drinks and appetizers. First time I had a chance to get to know folks from Mint Julep and their visitors. Also spent time around town having a better look at the beautiful houses, people have done a good job on flowers and landscaping. Weather looks good for tomorrow, so we all plan to leave early unless something changes.

Pictures Drummond Island to Mackinaw City

<> The Grand Hotel porch <>

<>

<><>

Our 'tour bus' on Mackinac Island

We've learned different ways of tying our boat here.

Here are pictures from the past few days; our internet connection is good tonight.

Harbor Springs, Michigan

<>

<><>

One of the mushroom fairy tale houses in Charlevoix, Michigan

Less windy today, actually quite calm in our little bay, but we went touring again in the rented car and waves were much higher out in Little Traverse Bay. Looks better than yesterday though. Went over to Charlevoix. On the way, we stopped in at Bay Harbor. It was developed as a luxury resort for boaters, golfers, equestrians and shoppers, it is situated in a deep man-made harbour lined with mansions. We had heard that the harbour was actually made in an old quarry.  Moved on to Charlevoix, a nice town with good shopping, good restaurants. Saw houses designed and built by Earl Young in 1918 shaped like mushrooms. They are actually called fairy tale mushroom houses, and they do look like they belong in a fairy tale. Mr. Young aparently built them without blueprints, using stones that he had been collecting since he was a child. They are pretty, would have liked to seen inside them. We noted that most of the other houses that we saw in the town were built of wood. Drove through the countryside a bit, some corn fields, few working farms, a lot of land that looked like it was not being farmed. Had lunch in Charlevoix, then came back to do things like groceries etc. We hope to leave in the morning, but will wait to see the forecast.

Harbor Springs

<><>

<>

<><>

The waves coming in, with the Petoskey marina in the background. They are doing repairs on the breakwater over there.

Quiet this morning when we got up, then the wind started to blow. The gale force winds came in just a little later than the forecast predicted. Rented a van with Louis and Louise from General Delivery and Russ and Cindy from Ladybug, went over to Petoskey for sightseeing and shopping. Visited the marina, met Rhonda and Joey from Rho-Jo and Richard and Jill from Finally, very nice to see them again. We had heard yesterday that boats were damaged in the winds at the marina in Petoskey, unfortunately Rho-Jo was the boat that had a cleat pulled out of it, plus they broke 2 ropes.  Finally pulled cleats out of the dock, and broke ropes. Richard says they cleaned West Marine out of ropes. And Jill from Finally has a broken bone in her foot or ankle and is on crutches.
Went to West Marine, then on to WalMart, so good shopping. Managed to find several things we needed in both stores. As we left Petoskey, we looked out over the water in the bay, people were surfing in the waves. The waves were splashing way up over the breakwater in the marina. We are glad that we came to Harbour Springs, the marina is better protected from the winds that we are experiencing. The comment that we have heard from several people who live here is that this wind and cold is more like their October or November weather. Hopefully the September weather will come back soon.

Harbor Springs, Michigan

Moved on today from Mackinaw City. Left at 6 am this morning, it was still dark but the Mackinaw Bridge was filled with cars crossing plus security vehicles. The coast guard auxiliary escorted  us under the bridge. The bridge was to close to vehicle traffic at  7 am. Then people would walk on the one side of the bridge, busses would use the other side to transport people over to start the walk.
General Delivery, Ladybug and ourselves travelled together; wind was calm and so was the water at first. As we got closer to Little Traverse Bay where Harbor Springs is located, the waves became larger and rolling, but it was still a good journey. Rained a bit as we travelled. Arrived just after noon. Predictions are for rising winds tonight, up to gale force tomorrow and tomorrow night, so we were glad to get safely tied to a dock. There are two other looper boats here, Fortuity and Mint Julep. Kathy in Fortuity told us about damage to boats in Petoski last weekend with the high winds (Petoski is just across the bay from here, and we  had discussed which would be the better place to come to). She heard that the wind snapped ropes, pulled cleats out of boats and docks.
Went for a walk around town this afternoon, it will be an early night after our early start. We plan to be here for a couple of days anyway, until the winds calm down again.

Mackinaw City

Still windy today, although it has settled down this evening. Attended church this morning with Nancy and Eddie from Dream Fever. We went to the Church of the Straits, which is a Presbyterian (USA) and United Methodist Federated church. The church was full; in the summer they have two services, at 9 and 11 am. In the winter, they only have one, at 1030 am. Apparently the town population swells with tourists in the summer, but in winter, only about 800 people live here. We got back just in time to see a little sailboat which had gone up on the rocks in the harbour here, apparently he just could not make the turn in the wind. Another sailboat went out and towed him in, didn't seem to be any damage.
Went out for pasties for lunch, apparently a local delicacy. It is meat, we had a choice of beef, chicken, or vegetables and cheese, cooked inside a pastry. We had the beef served with gravy on top, the filling was beef and potatoes. It was good, but we didn't see a need to buy more to put in the freezer. We heard a story today about one of the ferries here, apparently lost his steering night before last in the wind between Mackinac Island and here; floated out there for hours before they were able to get another boat out to get the passengers, then tow the ferry in. With the wind and the waves that night, it would not have been fun. The town is filling with people. There is a huge annual walk on Labour day to commemorate the building of the Mackinaw Bridge. Apparently up to 50,000 people come to participate in the walk. People are bussed across to St. Ignace, then walk the 5 miles back across the bridge to Mackinaw city. We hope to leave in the morning if the weather is good. We will have to call the coast guard to escort us under the bridge; security for the walk is very tight.
Will post pictures when we have a better internet connection. We can access the internet here, but it just times out when I try to load pictures.

Mackinaw City

The winds continue to blow, we have gale force winds (10-20 knots with gusts to 35 knots) today, and waves to match (4 to6 ft) on Lake Michigan. Good day to be tied to a secure dock. Wayne changed fuel filters again, we have been unable to find a place to clean the fuel, but in time we think we will have filtered it ourselves. Went shopping for fudge, a very popular item in this area. There is a brass band playing in the park by the marina tonight, but the temperature is in the low 60's, plus the wind so not many people sitting listening to the concert.

Mackinaw City

Spent a quiet day, went to the grocery store with Nancy from Dream Fever, met with the group (Dream Fever, General Delivery, and LadyBug) to plan how we will proceed down Lake Michigan. Wayne and  Eddie took a taxi across the Mackinaw bridge to St. Ignace this morning to get Eddie's oil filters. Turned out to be an expensive trip, but they did get to experience crossing the big bridge. Speed limit on the bridge is 40 mph for cars and 20 mph for trucks. Apparently in high winds they close the bridge. Went for a walk between rain showers this afternoon to another new marina beside this one, Straits State Harbor, a new facility and looks beautiful but only four boats there. We ducked into the office out of a passing rain shower, the gentleman in there said that it is the most expensive secret around. One of the boats in that marina is a looper boat, Wayne met the man briefly this morning; we would like to meet them again. Bought fresh whitefish at a store on the waterfront to cook for supper.

Mackinaw City

Visited Mackinac Island today with Nancy and Eddie from Dream Fever, Louis and Louise from General Delivery, and Russ and Cindy from Ladybug. Went over this morning on the ferry, a quick ride. Mackinac Island is an interesting place. Our guide told us that horseless carriages were brought to the island when they were first available, but the noise and pollution frightened the horses, so they were banned in1898. Since then, there have been no cars on Mackinac Island. Primary mode of transportation is bicycle, foot, or by horse and carriage. In the winter, snowmobiles are used; our guide told us that the legal argument used to allow snowmobiles where cars are banned was that snowmobiles run on the snow, not directly on the roads.


Originally, Mackinac Island was known as Michilimackinac, or the “place of the great turtle” because the hump backed island in the waters that join Lake Huron and Lake Michigan looks like a turtle. The first Europeans came to the island in 1671 when Father Jacques Marquette established a mission to the Huron Indians. The Island was passed back and forth between the British and the Americans; it became American after the American Revolution, was captured by the British during the war of 1812-14, then returned to the US after the war. In the 1820’s, the fur trade flourished on the island, by the 1830’s, commercial fishing had replaced the fur trade. Since then, tourists have become the main industry. Several hotels were built to house the tourists in Victorian times, including the huge Grand Hotel, built in 1887. The hotel has a 660 foot front porch, and there is a charge of $10. just to enter the building. We had the buffet lunch there, so the $10 entry fee was taken off of our lunch bill. It was a great buffet. Had we chosen to eat dinner there instead, we would have needed to be dressed appropriately. Men need ties and jackets, and a sign says that women should not be wearing pants. The dress code at lunch is a little more relaxed.

We visited the fort, which is a restoration of the fort as it would have been in the 1880’s. They have 14 original buildings, including the guardhouse, with a black hole for prisoners needing extra discipline, the infirmary, the officers ’quarters, the bathhouse, a tea room, quartermasters office. Soldiers in uniforms from the 1800s describe the uniform and perform a rifle shooting demonstration, as well as shooting a cannon.

It was a beautiful day to visit the island and it’s 17 fudge shops, many souvenir shops and flower lined streets. However, the clouds gathered in the afternoon, and the ferry ride back to Mackinaw City was in the rain (luckily, we were inside the ferry). Predictions are for stormy weather and gale force winds for the next few days, so we will spend more time here.

Mackinaw City

We are in Mackinaw City, Michigan. Got up this morning at our anchorage to gray skies and showers, but very calm water. Rained off and on as we came across the rest of Lake Huron, past Mackinac Island and the bridge between Mackinaw City and St.Ignace. Watched out for freighters as we had read that the Mackinac area is a busy shipping channel, but none chose to come through while we were travelling. Did see many ferries crossing over to Mackinac Island, including one which is a Hydro-Jet, so it has a plume coming out like a Sea-Doo.  The ferries don't waste any time coming across the water. Sun came out this afternoon; it was a good day to tour the shopping area around the marina.