Upper Peninsula and Lake Superior

 August 30, 2023

     When last we communicated, we were headed to St. Ignace on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.   This port is a short ferry ride from Mackinac Island.   We tried without success to secure a slip on Mackinac but People book well in advance for the privilege of being on the island.  Since we maintain no schedules on our craft, this makes reserving a slip in advance impossible.   But not a problem for us in the least.  We love ferry rides too!

We had a nice ride both ways on the ferry

Ferry to Mackinac with our bikes in the back

     We arrived in St. Ignace on the 9th of August.  We took our bikes off the boat and rode around to get the lay of the town.  It is obviously the poor step-sister to Mackinac surviving only by ferrying people out to the island and selling souvenirs for less than on the island.  We found the ferry terminal on our ride about and decided we would buy tickets for the 10th and spend the day.  The tickets for Bob and I came to $104 and then they charged us for our bicycles too. An extra $18/ bicycle.   This was still a deal because renting bikes on the island was by the hour and much more than $18.  I don’t know how the family behind us - two adults and 4 kids all with bicycles managed to pay that.

     The trip to the island was uneventful and they could unload and reload the ferry in about 10 minutes.  The ferries ran constantly all day long.   Along with the ferry people arriving, there was a small cruise ship in port off loading about 290 passengers for a day of touring.   Needless to say there were lines for everything and the roads and shops were all crowded. 

    We opted to ride our bikes around the island first then go see sights we hadn’t seen on the bike ride.  The best laid plans-  everybody off the ship or ferry that didn’t have a ticket for the horse drawn carriages rented a bike to ride around the island.  The trail was a disaster waiting to happen.  Hundreds of people who haven’t ridden a bike in 15 years wobbling down a gravel path.  Luckily, most were only in it for the first few miles then they gave up and turned back.   The circumvention of the island is about 8 miles.  Once we passed miles 3 and came to a slight hill, we lost the crowds.   We really enjoyed stretching our legs and getting the blood pumping.  It was a beautiful day.

Waterfront marina from the fort

    After our ride around the island we found a nice bench to eat our picnic lunch on.   The prices in the restaurants were out of this world and the waits to get in were almost an hour.  So glad we brought some food.  Next we investigated the horse draw carriage rides.  The lines there were longer than at the restaurants.   We decided to visit Fort Mackinac instead.  As luck would have it, they were preparing to fire one of the cannons so off we went to watch - with a hundred of our nearest friends.

Fort Mackinac history

Missionary Bark Chapel

Block house at Fort Mackinac

Firing the cannon(very underwhelming)

     If you head out the back gate of the fort there is a lovely shaded path that will take you right to the Stone Arch.  We enjoyed our walk and saw very few people up here on the spine of the island.  There were no commercial businesses to entice spending.   

Arch Rock

     We had a fun filled day and made it back to our boat by 4pm.   We were planning on departing the next day for De Tour,MI - one of our favorite stops on the U.P.  We left St. Ignace early the morning of the 11th and arrived in De Tour around noon.

     Last year we were in and out of DeTour at least 4 or possibly 5 times.  We were regulars at the local pub/restaurant called The Mainsail.  We were looking forward to seeing the owner/chef/bar tender/ busboy  Desi.   We walked up after checking in to let her know we were back in town.   It felt like a homecoming.  Desi remembered us and let us know we were welcome back in her establishment.   We sat at the bar for a maneuver  schlook and Bob struck up a conversation with Mike at the other end of the bar.

     Mike had been telling Desi that he was going to Hessel for the Les Cheneaux Antique Wooden Boat Show.  Bob and I wanted to go this year (we missed it last year) but needed a ride.  Bob asked Mike if he had room for two more in his car.  Unfortunately, he did not but he told us to take his Jeep that was parked in front of his house, keys in the ignition.  Score one for  Bob.  This was too good to be true!

     The next morning we rode our bikes to Mike’s house and sure enough the Jeep was there waiting.  We drove west along the lake down highway 134 to Hessel.   This is a really big boat show that people come from all over Michigan and surrounds to see.   Hessel was the site of the first ChrisCraft dealership.  Chris Craft boats are everywhere among the Les Cheneaux Islands.  You literally can’t spit without hitting one.   Then there are the boats brought in by owners from out of state.  There were over 100 beautiful old, wooden boats in attendance.  This was a smaller show than usual because it was the first one since the pandemic.  We spent about 3-3.5 hours ogling.   It was an overcast, cool, and windy day but the turn out was still spectacular.  On our way home we stopped at the grocery and filled in a few gaps in our provisions.

Chris Craft beauty

      We had dinner at The Mainsail that night and said our goodbyes to Desi.  She suggested that we could move up there and be full time customers but we declined.(I’ve read how much snow they get!!)  we then walked down to Mikes for a nightcap with him and his wife and a group of locals.   We had a wonderful evening listening to their stories and getting many of our questions answered.  All in all a great time.  Now we really feel like we are part of DeTour.

     On August 13th we left for “The Soo”.   We decided to go up the St. Joseph Channel which is a bit longer but much more scenic and with no lakers or footers(big cargo ships) to be concerned about.   We had a reserved slip at the George Kemp Marina in Sault Ste Marie, USA and we’re looking forward to being back in the Soo.   We had planned on staying two nights but the wind gods spoke and told us we better take advantage of the next couple of days or we’d be stuck for a bit.  So our best laid plans for a visit in the Soo were thwarted.  We walked uptight USPS to mail some things to our grandkids and finally decided that we should go.  We finally got under way around noon heading for White Fish Point home to the Lake Superior Shipwreck Museum.

I need to refresh memories here.   Once we passed under the Mackinac Bridge (Big Mac) we were back in Lake Huron.  Once we pass through the lock in Sault Ste Marie we will be in Lake Superior.

       White Fish Point is a very small community and their harbor of refuge is even smaller.   There are 8 slips total and 4 are reserved for the fishermen.  When we arrived there was one slip left.  Boaters from the boats on either side came out to help us dock.   We had seen all these boats in the Soo and realized that we would all be traveling together for a number of days.   We only spent one night in White Fish, we’ll go to the museum on our way back through.

Docks of White Fish Point

       Next stop is Grand Marais, population 1300.  We arrived in Grand Marais on August 15th and docked in the harbor of refuge in downtown.  We would only be here one night to we got off the boat and walked the town.  We went to the hardware for some bits and bobs then on to the Pickle Barrel House for a quick look.  It was built for the creator of the Teenie Weenies - a comic in the Sunday papers.  It’s a cute little “cottage”  that you can stay in if you want.

Pickle Barrel House once owned by William Donahey creator of the 
“Teenie Weenies”

    Our next stop is Munising.  Not much bigger than Grand Marais but in a much more protected stop and the gateway to the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.  We were hoping to get a chance to take the guided cruise past the rocks,   We actually sailed past the Pictured Rocks coming into Munising but we had no idea what we were looking at.  Weather kept us here for 2 days. 

East Harbor Light(retired)

Munising Front Range Light

      I know I keep saying weather which is an all encompassing term.   We have not had terrible rain though we have had a few days that were  wet.  Most of the weather I’m referring to is wind and sea state.   When the wind blows on Lake Superior it has a lot of fetch.   Miles and miles of fetch and it doesn’t take much to stir up 6-7 ft. waves.   We don’t venture out in weather like that.   We look for days with winds less than 10mph, gusts less than 20mph and waves between 0-1.  We’ve learned that the winds kick up and make waves after noon most days so an early start can almost assure you smooth water for at least 3-4 hrs.   We try to take small hops so we can do them in that time range.  I guess some would call us wimps but we prefer not to become another shipwreck in the lake.

     I’m not exactly sure where we struck up our friendship with Ken Merryman but I know we were in DeTour, Sault Ste Marie, White Fish Point and Grand Marais with him.  It was in Munising that we finally got to talking and asking him about his boat and all the equipment he was carrying.   Ken spends his summer on his 1947 Owens hunting for shipwrecks in the Great Lakes. He is a member and I believe founder of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Preservation Society of Minnesota.  They are a non-profit trying to create 3D models of every shipwreck in the Great Lakes.   They use photogrammetry to make the 3D models and make them available to the public on their website 3dshipwrecks.org .  Please visit the site and take a look.  They're doing amazing work and it’s all done by volunteers like Ken.  Needless to say, we have run into Ken a few more times since Grand Marais.

Ken Merryman’s 1947 Owen - shipwreck hunter

     We bought tickets for the Pictured Rock Cruise but when the time approached so did the wind.  Before boarding they informed us that there were 4-5 foot waves outside of Munising Bay where we would be going.   They offered a full refund if we didn’t want to go.   We took the refund.   All of you reading this may not know that Bob gets seasick when the waves get too big.  We didn’t want to chance that.  We’d be back this way in a week and try again.  We left Munising on August 19th for Marquette, the largest city on the Upper Peninsula at 20,600 inhabitants.   Marquette was a nice stop with lots to keep us busy.  Bob had prescriptions filled at there CVS, so our first order of business was to ride to the pharmacy to pickup his drugs.  It was a10 mile round trip and tired us both out.  There are hills on the UP.

     The next day we visited the Marquette Harbor Light and the Maritime Museum.  It was trying to rain but we decided to continue onto Presque Isle and ride around the peninsula.  This ride took us about 12 miles.  You ride along the shore of Lake Superior for almost all of the ride.  Really beautiful.  We got back to the boat just as the rain set in.

3rd order Fresnel Lens from the Marquette Lighthouse

Hard hat dive suit used by early shipwreck hunters

Bob at the Marquette Lighthouse

     I’m sure you’re tired of reading this by now,  so I shall stop here.   We are undecided as to where to venture next.   We have a first birthday party to attend in Boston in a couple of weeks .   The weather is getting more dicey and the days are getting shorter and colder.   Look for the next blog in a couple of weeks.   Till then, enjoy your adventures.

     

    

 

Moving North

August 17, 2023

       We pulled up anchor in Omena Bay on August 1st for our next destination Traverse City.   In case anyone is wondering, neither Bob or I have ever been to any of these towns and cities.   We are truly arriving in new, unfamiliar ports everyday or so.

       We arrived at the marina around 2pm and we surprised to be less than a half a mile from the restrooms!  Score one for us.  The marina was very nice with a large common area with tables and chairs and grills for the boaters to use.  The laundry and restrooms were clean and all look quite new.  The marina borders on a public park and the TART trail.  We walked to the Main Street to find a place to have a late lunch.  We ended up at the North Shore Brewery and had a nice quiet lunch.

Sunset our fist night in Traverse City

Provisioning, AGAIN!

      The following day we rode our bikes up to the CVS to pick up Bob’s prescriptions, then headed back to the boat to wash her.  We had been “bugged” in all the anchorages we had stopped in and needed to wash the carasses off the gel coat.  It was long, hot, work but we’ll worth it in the end.  Carolina looked like a new boat when we were done.

      The following day we rode to the local grocery to provision.  We enjoy walking the aisles and discovering new and unusual items.  We’ve found that most of the food, especially produce, is more expensive than at home.  Michigan is blueberry country yet they wanted $7 for a quart of blueberries.  I got the same thing last week for $4 at a Farmer’s Market.  We try to make the farmers markets if we can.  And we are now in Cornish pasty country and love to try the different varieties they have to offer.  The ones we bought from a food cart came with “yooper”  sauce.   Bob says it’s an extra spicy ketchup.  Michiganders in the lower part of the state refer to those who live on the Upper Peninsula as Yoopers. (U-Pers).  Yoopers call those who live below the Upper Peninsula “Trolls” (‘cause they live under the bridge).We try  to stay out of this controversy!

     The following day we had some nasty weather due in, so we took a ride in the morning and got thoroughly lost.  We some how lost the TART trail and ended up hell and gone from where we wanted to be.   We got back to the boat in time to batten down the hatches(literally) and ride out one wingdinger of a storm.   Our dock mates had taken their boat out for the day and still were not back.  We had winds up to 45mph and lightning and heavy rain.   As it all ended local sirens started sounding.   The fire trucks and ambulance arrive at the marina within minutes.  The firemen jumped into the rescue boat and took off for parts unknown.   We heard through the grapevine that three separate boats had capsized during the storm and there were people in the water.   We never heard the outcome but our dock mates did make it back safely though a bit shaken by the violence and suddenness of the storm.

   

    Our last day in town we walked to Poppycocks Restaurant for lunch.   We were pleasantly surprised and had a wonderful meal.  As we walked back toward the boat we saw signs for “Boats on the Boardwalk” and decided we had to go.   Of course Bob struck up a conversation with every boat owner and John Hank, a Chris.Craft Hacker owner, convinced Bob   that we should go to Hessel the following weekend for the Les Cheneaux Wooden Boat Show. We had missed this show by a week last year.   Maybe we would make it there this time.

    We had planned on heading to Charlevoix, MI next but the “slip gods” had other ideas.  There were no slips for anytime in the near future there so we set our sights on Petoskey.  We had actually met a friendly soul on a dock somewhere who had told us to skip Charlevoix and hit Petoskey instead.  We had also been directed to Boyne City but their slip situation was the same as Charlevoix.   

    I guess you’re wondering why we’re looking for slips.   First, anchoring can be difficult in some of these very deep (over 300ft) lakes but we also grew tired of having to clean bugs off our decks.  We’d go to bed with spotless decks and get up in the morning to thousands of bugs either dead or dying on any flat surface.   We’d rather visit our ports of call than spend the day scrubbing bug bodies off our gel coat.

     It turns out Petoskey was the right place for us.  A small town packed between some steep cliffs and the lake.  Our first day there we walked into town to get the lay of the land.   The town has built a tunnel under highway 31 to access town.  Inside this tunnel they have installed an upright piano.   We happened upon the tunnel during an excellent performance by another passerby.

Street performer in the Petoskey Tunnel

It was a great welcome to town.

     The following day we decided to ride the Little Traverse Wheelway to Charlevoix to see what was so special about this town.  It was a 20 mile ride (one way) along the shore of Little Traverse Bay.  Just beautiful with very little traffic.  We got to Charlevoix in good time, changed into street clothes and started visiting this port town.   It became obvious that our boat was not big enough or fancy enough to dock here. We watched a 60ft. Fleming come in and dock.  He was not the largest boat in the harbor.

      Highway31 cuts right through downtown Charlevoix and the traffic was nonstop.  We walked the waterfront and found a new sidewalk cafe to stop for lunch.  After lunch we found our way to the “Mushroom Houses”. These houses were designed by Earl Young.  There are 31 of them in Charlevoix. You can rent one if you’d like.  The roofline of the houses mimics the shape of a mushroom hence the name.  We did not take the tour since our time in Charlevoix was short.  We did manage to buy a few souvenirs to remind us of this day in Charlevoix.  The ride back was uneventful but seemed longer than

The ride there.  Needless to say we were in bed early.

Ready to ride!

        

Charlevoix South  Pier Light

     We had a wonderful time in Petoskey.   We made the acquaintance of Tony Cabana.   He is the owner of a shop in Petoskey that sells unique t-shirt and other gear.   Checkout his tees  at www.dunworkin.life. we are now the proud owners of two of his tees.

     Our next stop will be St.Ignace MI in the Upper Peninsula.  Look for our next blog in a week or so.

         

Racine and beyond.

 July 26, 2023

        When we left you last we were finishing our visit in Milwaukee preparing to move south to Racine.  The Racine marina at Reef Point proved to be more than we bargained for.  They had 921 slips and the marina was so huge they couldn’t get out to your slip in time to help tie up.  Luckily the restrooms and showers were halfway down the central dock, so closer than most had been so far.

        We needed to stop here to pick up parts that we had ordered and had delivered to the marina.  My head(toilet) had a vacuum leak that needed repairing for it to work properly.  The parts were waiting for us.  Thank goodness.  Bob obviously had his work cut out for himself.  After retrieving our parcels we went to the marina saloon and had a well deserved maneuver schlook.  

       We needed to stretch our legs so we got our bikes off the boat and took a little ride to familiarize ourselves with the area.  Racine is a large city of 77,000.  We wanted to see what their Lake Michigan Pathway was like.  We had plans to ride to the Wind Point Lighthouse the next day.

        On July 13 we outfitted our bikes with panniers, baskets, and buckets and left for Wind Point Lighthouse.  We planned to view the lighthouse then continue on to Aldi to provision then back to the boat.  The weather was perfect- about 77 degrees and only a mild breeze.

          It took about 25 min. to ride the 6.5 miles to the light.  Very pretty ride along the lake most of the way.

Quite a history

          Next stop is Aldi’s.  Another 3.4 miles over to the grocery.  It was a good Aldi’s, very busy and lots of choices.  We go through fruit and vegetables pretty quickly.  A weekly trip to a grocery is almost mandatory.  With our bike laden and very unstable, we started back to the boat.

         The next day, Friday, was our wedding anniversary.  After Bob worked on the head, we decided to go into town to a local pub for linner.  It was advertised as an Irish Pub but was called Ivanhoe.  We decided to give it a try and we were not disappointed.  The food could have been terrible (it wasn’t) but the Smithwicks beer made up for any shortcomings. We had a very enjoyable linner then headed back to Carolina for a late afternoon snooze.   We would be leaving early tomorrow crossing Lake Michigan to South Haven, MI.   This is a trip of about 60 miles in open water.  We have gained a healthy respect of the Great Lakes  and are very careful when choosing weather windows.  This one looked like a good one.  

The 60 nm would take us about 8 hrs.  We have lots of daylight to play with but the marina offices tend to close early so chances are we’ll get there after closing.  We have an assigned slip and charts to get us there.  We were on the water by 8:45 but we would lose an hour crossing the time zone.  We found out as we were leaving that the Hook Race was taking place that day.  There were sailboats everywhere waiting for their start time.  We threaded our way through them and set our course on the autopilot.

     Within a minute we were heading 180degrees opposite of our intended course.  Bob reset the autopilot and once again it corrected itself by 180degrees.  I guess Carolina didn’t want to leave Racine.  I took over the helm, hand steering, while Bob went to trouble shoot this new issue.  All he could find was that the magnetic compass used by “Otto” our autopilot was surrounded by boxes of wine.  Had “Otto” been drinking?  He uncluttered the compasses space and we tried again.  That seemed to help so we were on our way to South Haven.    We arrived in the marina after hours.  When we found our slip it was already occupied.  The people in our slip said we could take the slip 3 down from ours.  It was a different side tie so I had to move all the fenders and spring lines across to the port.   What a royal pain.  The woman on the offending boat said, “we’ve all had to move fenders!”  Turns out they’re a problem to the marina.  They come in and take what ever slip suits their fancy then makes someone else move.  We made sure the next day that our slip was not rented for the next 3 days so we wouldn’t be left with no place to stay.  That’s a real crappy thing to do, by the way.  Taken a slip you are not assigned to creates a multitude of issues for everyone except the offender. 

      We enjoyed our stay in South Haven.  We ate lunch one day at Captain Lou’s.  We found some good bike trails to ride and some cute shops to look in.  We stayed through some very unsettled weather( high winds and huge swells).  

Great spot on the river for lunch

The obligatory topsail cutter for sunset cruises

Pier light

Pier light from shore

Marinas foliage

     We hoped to stop in Grand Haven next but there were no slips available and anchorages were few and far between.   In the mean time, I developed a sore tooth.  I was concerned that it was an infection under my crown, so we opted for Holland, a bit bigger town.  We could also get a slip there.

     On July 17th we set our course for Holland, MI.  Holland is a city about the size of New Bern about 34,000.  We arrived in Lake Macatawa at the Eldean Shipyard.   This marina is barely off Lake Michigan and not very near the city of Holland at all but it was a great facility.  The dock master helped us find a taxi and could take us into town.   Bob started calling after we docked looking for a dentist who could see me.  I was in so much pain, I could barely talk.   Finally Dr. Rogers and Lakeside dentistry said he could fit me in at 4:30.   

     After numerous x-rays and much tapping and biting,it was determined that my upper left molar needed a root canal.  Dr. Rogers said they didn’t do the but could refer me. The pain was substantial and I was less then happy waiting another day for relief.  He gave me a referral and all kinds of phone numbers and a prescription for amoxicillin to keep infection down.   The next day we started calling at 8am.  They could all see me in AUGUST!  I called Dr. Rogers’ office back and his receptionist gave me another doctor to try.  He was local, which meant at least one more day in Holland, but we didn’t care.

       Dr. Hazelwood said he’d see me during his lunch hour.  Praise the Lord!  Of course, nothing is ever easy.  Our taxi was 20 minutes late, making me that late for an “I’ll squeeze you in” appointment.  The taxi driver refused to take money for the trip(he had driven us the day before too and knew about the painI was in).  The doctor was more than helpful.  At first they were just going to do a temporary fix but when he heard our summer/fall plans, he finished the job completely.   His next patient had to wait an extra 30minutes but they were taking care of her.  I know a root canal is not a wonderful experience usually, but this time it was.  The kindness and caring of these doctors was above and beyond.  

       Now we had weather moving in - I say that but it was basically big wind bumping up the lake.  If the waves get to two feet with a period less than 6 seconds we stay home.  That’s what was predicted so we decided to see Holland.   There was a great bike trail from our marina into town - about 6 miles.  We had already taxied into town and back twice for appointments at $40. a trip.  We knew the way by heart and had spied some of the things we wanted to go back and see. The day after my root canal we loaded up the bikes and headed toward Windmill Island Garden to see the authentic windmill.  It was a lovely ride, cool and along shaded paths right near Macatawa Lake.  

Authentic Dutch Village(gift shop)

Authentic bridge minus the counter weights

Bob on a grinding wheel

Archimedes’ Screw

Very scenic authentic windmill - carted over in pieces and reassembled by a Dutch artisan

Us at the windmill

     They actually grind wheat and oats here but their master grinder found other work during the pandemic closure and the new master has not yet arrived.  They were also doing some repair work on the sails.  It’s quite impressive to walk through.

     We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Holland even though it was an emergency stop but now it was time to move on.  We decided to anchor out for a few nights and enjoy the quiet. We chose a stop in White Lake for our anchorage.  On the Eastern shore of Lake Michigan most of the towns/inlets are formed by rivers or canals leaving an inland lake.  We cruised off Lake Michigan into a canal that connects White Lake to Lake Michigan.  At the far eastern end of White Lake is the town of Whitehall.   We had no desire to go to a town so we find a secluded anchorage near Birch Brook and put our hook down for the night.  It was lovely.  The next morning we encountered our first mussels.  We had about 150 ft. of anchor chain out and 100 ft. Of that was covered with little tiny mussels that had to be brushed off.  It took us about 20 minutes to get all the chain cleaned and back onboard.  Hope this never happens again!

        The following day we continued north up Lake Michigan to Ludington.   There we were hoping to catch-up with an old Texas sailing club friend.  Unfortunately she had a prior commitment and could not meet us for a dinner on the town.  Maybe next time we’re this way we’ll catch you Katie.  We did take some time to ride the bike trails and see the town.

      Next stop would be Manistee it was just a one night stop but it just so happened that it was the night a laker would pass through the narrow channel from Lake Michigan into Lake Manistee. It was a sight to behold.  He had to hold position a stern of our docked trawler waiting for the bascule bridge to open.  What a sight!

Manitowoc making her way into Manistee Lake

    Next stop on our agenda was Frankfurt.  The municipal marina is in Lake Betsie just through a short channel from Lake Michigan.  We were docked along the water front and the Betsie Valley Trail a walking/biking trail.  We had planned on staying just one or two nights but a blow came through and we extended our visit.   This gave us time to ride the bike trail and get our propane tanks refilled.  We also discovered the most awesome cafe for breakfast.  The Lighthouse Cafe was about 2 miles along the bike trail.  We had to wait 25 minutes for a table and 30 minutes before our food came but it was so good, all is forgiven.  It’s no wonder people lineup outside before they open at 7.

Bicycles laden with propane tanks for the stove

Frankfurt Ironworks

Bell Tower in Elberta 

Marina from the Elberta side of Betsie Lake

        We also rode to the old iron works and train round house in Elbert.  Some very nice bike riding in this part of Michigan.  We enjoyed our stay in Frankfurt and made some new friends too.

      Now we really have to put it in gear.  We left Frankfurt on July 30th and cruised to South Manitou Island to anchor for the night.  A very nice, protected anchorage with a sandy bottom.  No mussels this time though there were water skiers and a number of fast boats cruising through.  Luckily for us, no bugs!

       Next day we cruised to Omena Bay, just south of Sutton Bay in Grand Traverse Bay.  We anchored for the night here also.  Very quiet bay, very little traffic, and water so cleat we could see our anchor.  Great holding in sand.

       NEXT STOP TRAVERSE CITY!