Keweenaw Peninsula on the UP

 September 2,2023

        We left Marquette, after a nice visit, picking up prescriptions, and re-provisioning, and decided we would head for the Portage Canal thought the Keweenaw Peninsula.  They were predicting a day of good weather and this would be a long days ride.   It’s a nine hour cruise if we go all the way to Houghton- the only major town on the river/canal/lake.

     We are always wary of weather changing quickly and leaving us in a bad spot.  There is one harbor of refuge to duck into along this section of Lake Superior.  It’s called Big Bay but it is open to the north and our winds will be from that direction.  We really don’t want to have to stop there.

     On our passage we did pass a few interesting sights,  first we saw McIntyre Island.  My maiden name is McIntyre so this was special to me.   We also passed Lighthouse Island which had the prettiest lighthouse constructed of stone.   On entering the Portage  canal, we spied a lovely old barn, well  cared for and still in use.

Mc Intyre Island

Lighthouse on Lighthouse Island

Beautiful old barn on the Portage Canal

      We left at 7am and had 1ft wave and crisp weather.  We arrived in Houghton at about 4pm.  The facilities there are marginal but brand new.  There is a town wall with power and water that they charge $50/night (based on boat size) to use.   Unfortunately they had put up a cable fence to keep people from falling in but this made it difficult for us to get off our boat.   There were no nearby restrooms to use and no showers at all.Luckily for us, our holding tanks were empty and our water tanks were full.

Carolina on Houghton Town Wall - Michigan Technological University in the background.

     Houghton is a college town.   The Michigan Technological University is here.  The town population is 8,386 and the student body at the school is 7,074.  We happened to be in town the weekend that the students returned.  There were college students and their parents everywhere.  We ran into a man we had seen in Marquette on his sailboat.  He was local and gave us some great suggestions for places to visit.  

Antique wall painting in Houghton

     Houghton was a mining town. The Quincy Copper Mine began operation around 1846 but didn’t begin to pay dividends to investors till 1868.  The mine operated until 1970 in one capacity or another.  The students from the university now use the mine to practice techniques and observe failures.   At one time a university class was held in the mine.

Piece of pure copper extracted from the Quincy Mine

     We visited the mine and took the tour of the underground tunnels.   The ambient temperature in the mine is a constant 43 degrees(brrrr).   The lower levels of the mine have flooded due to lack of use and many springs that tickle into the mine.  We came prepared.  We wore our heaviest coats and our sea boots. We had to take a taxi up to the top of the mountain to get to the mine entrance.  The hills were too steep for us flat-landers to ride up on our bikes.   Everyone was given a hard hat and off we went into the mine.

Haley, our tour guide and a large chunk of pure copper left behind when  the mine closed 

Cold, dark, and wet!  We wore our sea boots and we’re glad we did.

Largest steam hoist in the world!  Used for running the man cars, bailing cars and 

skip cars carrying the copper to the surface.

    After our adventure into the mine, we decided to walk back to the boat.   It was only about 1.5 miles and we needed the exercise.   Google maps is amazing!  It took us right to the staircase we had seen on our way up the hill which lead us right to the Portage Lake Lift Bridge.

     The Portage Lake Lift Bridge is a wonder in its own right.   It is the widest and heaviest lift bridge in the world.   There are four lanes of traffic that cross the upper deck of the  bridge.  It is a double decker bridge and used to have train tracks on the lower level.   That level is now used in the winter for snowmobiles.

Portage Lake Lift Bridge

Portage Lake  Lift Bridge in up position for the passage of boats

       We had now reached a point where we had to decide if we were going to continue on to Isle Royale or turn back and head to the Soo.   We had a hard date in the Soo to fly to Boston for our granddaughters first birthday.  Discussions of shortening days, less predictable weather, shorter weather windows,etc. occurred and we decided that we would enjoy another day or two in Houghton then head back toward the Soo.

       Bob and I visited the “Birth Place of Professional Hockey”.   In 1903-04 the Portage Lake Hockey Club became the first organization to pay its players.  They played at Dee Ice Rink or “The Dee” .  The building looks like it’s about to fall down but it is still in operation.

Dee Hockey Rink

We enjoyed our time in Houghton and plan on coming back here sometime in the future.  Now it was time to make our way back to The Soo and catch a plane to Boston.   We would retrace our steps stopping in Marquette, Munising, Grand Marais, and Whitefish.

      It was early (6:30) when we left Houghton.  We had a beautiful sunrise but when we got to Lake Portage we had thick fog.  We could see about twenty feet in front of  the boat.  Radar and AIS were on and it was still scary!  We spent one night in Marquette then moved on to Munising.  We got in early enough to book our selves on the Pictured Rocks Cruise that afternoon.  I’ll include some pictures but they don’t do it justice.

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Look at how clear the water is and such a beautiful color

     The following day we walked to another waterfall in Munising.   We weren’t expecting much but we’re pleasantly surprised.

Horseshoe Falls, Munising, MI

           We  left Munising and continued on to Grand Marais and then Whitefish Point.  Whitefish Point is the home of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum.  I must say, I never seen a body of water so proud of their shipwrecks.  Needless to say, we needed to visit.  Luckily for us, we ran into Dwayne in the “marina” parking lot and he handed us to complimentary tickets to the museum - as long as we spent money at his wife’s gift shop.  Not a problem for us.  We rode our bikes down to the museum and were very surprised to see at least 50 cars in the parking lot.  We are in the middle of absolutely nowhere. Population 575 - miles from any kinds of services.  The museum was wonderful.

Bell recovered from the Edmund Fitzgerald

2nd Order Fresnel “Clamshell” Lens

 Newtsuit used to explore deep wrecks

Rudder from an early schooner wreck

Hard Hat drive suit used by early wreck explorers

    I’ll leave you here at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum.  Really worth the trip if you’re ever up this way.  We will continue on to Sault Ste Marie tomorrow.  I’ll save that adventure for the next blog.

Till then, safe travels.

P.S.  I almost forgot.  Bob had to take a dip in the lake so he could brag that he’s had a swim in all the Great Lakes.

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.