Month: August 2019

This trip was supposed to be about 20 miles. We did an extra 15 miles, looking for an anchorage. It wasn’t a bad trip, and the extra miles were in a very nice setting. We even came across a ‘ferry’ that was bringing cars across a river, but the ferry was being pulled by cables underwater. We had to stay well away as it was moving across.

Lake Charlevoix is off of Lake Michigan. You have to go into a small river (Pine River) to Round Lake, and through that is Lake Charlevoix. Lake Charlevoix is quite large, and has a lot of water activities around it. Boats, jet skis, paddle board, kayaks, beaches, etc… Also around it are rather large homes, rentals, condos, and small hotels.

Round Lake is much smaller, but it is much closer to the downtown shops of Charlevoix. Our initial trip in, we went through both lakes to an ‘arm’ that splits off Charlevoix to an ares where anchorages were shown on the chart. We soon realized that there is going to be no public space in this area to land a dinghy and a dog, so we turned around and went back to Round Lake. That is where all of the boat/marina action was going on.

We found a spot to anchor in a very crowded harbor. We had timed the arrival perfect, as there is a draw bridge from Pine River to Round Lake and it only opens on the 1/2 hour. On our initial pass through we didn’t like the look of anchoring here due to the congestion. On our return, we scoped out a spot on the far end of the marina and gas dock. There were two boats between us and them. This put us in front of a condo complex and its docks however, and we had to stay close to them, to keep out of the middle of the harbor. We did our anchoring routine and other than being somewhat close to them, we were happy with the location. We watched another large sailboat come in after us, circle the area and select a spot on the other side. They were also flying an AGLCA flag. *Americas Great Loop Cruisers Association*

Since we were close to the downtown strip, We loaded into the dinghy with Frank and headed toward shore. In the mean time, I noticed a guy from another boat headed toward the new sailboat in his dinghy. I circled toward them to get some information. Turns out the guy gave us the code to the restrooms, told us where to dinghy dock, and gave us a general run down of the area. We thanked him and headed in.

Since we had Frank, we walked the strip, checking out the shops and boutiques that lined the street, facing the lake. There were coffee shops, cafes, bars and other shops. The other side of the street was a park that went from street level down to the water; it was set up with a pavilion on one side, and large open areas on the other. We heard a high school band preforming Mozart-like classical music and it was an amazing setting. We continued walking around the downtown area and decided on getting a fish fry and sandwich to-go. I went in and ordered, and Lauren waited outside with Frank. We switched after a bit, and then we returned to the boat to commence eating. At this point the winds had switched and our back end of the boat was facing the pavilion. What a nice dinner, listening to the ‘orchestra’ and enjoying an evening together.

The next morning after taking Frank to shore, we loaded up the bikes and went to shore. It was another two trip process. Lauren had researched and found out about these ‘mushroom houses’ that were built around the area. The architect Early Young was self taught and built them from 1919 to the 1970’s. We biked around a bit more, then figured it was time for lunch. Off of the main street there is an alley with some shops, restaurants and food trucks. We had some salads from a salad specialty shop because neither of us have been eating a lot of veggies so far, but we try! After lunch we biked around a bit, then stopped at a brewery on the water. We noticed another boat had anchored near us while we were gone, but couldn’t see the name of the vessel. While we were drinking our beers, I was searching online for a part I need for the boat. I stepped out to make some phone calls, and realized I needed some more specific information. This meant I had to go to the boat and look. I explained to Lauren the situation, and off I went to the dinghy.

When I got back to the boat, I realized the boat that anchored near us, was very close to us! This is a tight spot! I was OK with it, as etiquette is first one there stays, and if I don’t like it, I should leave. You cannot tell someone else where to anchor or not to. As I was about to get out of my dinghy, I noticed someone headed in my direction. I waited for him, and recognized him from another anchorage or dock. They are also ‘Looper’s’ on their boat “Sehla Way”. David and I chatted a few moments, then I went on board to find the information I needed. Once I had that,, I returned to land to meet back up with Lauren. I called and no answer…ok, I’ll just ride around town a bit and look fro her. I went all around and couldn’t find her. My phone battery was at 1%, so I figured I would stop and wait. I went into a shop: Cherry Republic. Everything is made from cherries. They have a tasting sample of liquors and wines, five tastes for free, or sixteen tastes for $6. Which did I choose? My $6 spent, I started the tasting. After my fourth taste, Lauren sent me a text. I replied where I was, and she joined me to help me with the samples. She had stopped in while I was on the boat and sampled all of the free food samples they have out, too. Now that we were back together, we rode around town a bit more before heading back to the boat.

Back at the boat, we noticed we weren’t as close to the other boat as before- we were dragging our anchor, again! This put us into a small tizzy. The winds had started picking up a bit, but everyone else seemed to be ok. This means we have to draw anchor and find another spot or re-try in about the same place. The thing about Round Lake, is it is also deep. More shallow around the edges, but still in 35-40 feet of water. We decided to cross the channel and try the other side. We picked our spot and dropped anchor in about 35 feet of water. After scope was let out, we drifted a bit until our bow was into the wind. We felt good about it, but winds were definitely increasing, and supposed to calm around midnight or so.

After Dinner, we decided our next stop is going to depend on the weather. Wind was forecast out of the north, but at a bit higher speed than we like. Our plan is to leave early and take advantage of the morning calm. Traverse City is about 40 miles, with Northport being an alternative about 20 miles, both to the south. Forecasts lately have been not so good with increasing winds daily…

We woke up early to almost no wind. 2 knots. We wanted to be gone before the staff arrived to the marina and saw us still docked. We left the dock at 7:30am. We arrived across the bay around 8:15am. I called on the radio and told the person answering I wanted a pump out, and a dock for the evening. He was very nice, and said it would be no problem, come on in. Usually arrivals are noon or later, like a hotel. They have to make sure the persons leaving are gone and there is space, before the next arrival shows up. At this time of year, every town we’ve been in has been slower- it seems summer is over in Michigan. The weather has definitely not been summer-like, more like fall. Once we are done with our pump out and directed toward our dock, we get settled in. Lauren has come down with a cold , but is pushing through like a trooper.

Looking around, we notice several other Looper flags. Here we are again, catching up with everyone. Funny how there are some marinas we see a bunch, others none. Once the bikes were ready, we went out to explore. Apparently we are training for a Tour de France, or something like that, because this was another day of long biking, but it was worth it. I have to say, Michigan has done a wonderful job with their lakefront access and bike/walking paths. All very well kept, clean and well connected.

First biking destination: Bay Harbor. This is a wealthy resort town, about 4 miles away, that has everything to offer, and a bay that has million dollar yachts and homes. We walked around the downtown area, and got some lunch, which we enjoyed out on a picnic table overlooking the bay. There was a restaurant next to us with an acoustic guitar player, so we had live entertainment too! After lunch, we headed back toward the marina. We needed to get some dog food, and thought there was a store near by that would have some. Nope. We biked back to Petoskey and up the main road. When I say up, I mean up a steep hill, to the point we were walking the bikes up them. The hill was a main road/highway which had a lot of traffic, so we stayed on the sidewalks. We ended up stopping after a couple miles, and found a Walgreen’s, where we could get a small bag of food for Frank. He wasn’t completely out, but it was coming to the end and this would last us until we could get to a larger store with cheaper prices.

Now that we had the dog food and returned to the boat, we re-hydrated and prepared for another bike ride. This time we were going the other direction and following the bike path. I wasn’t sure of our final destination, but we did stop at Kilwin’s Ice Cream and Fudge Shop. Tasty ice cream they have there. We continued on for about 4 miles or so, and ended up at Petoskey Brewery. We enjoyed a couple of pints on the patio and read about the history of the building. We also were deciding on our next stop, which is Charlevoix. Finally we had to leave, as we wanted to get back before dark. We stopped and had a spectacular sunset overlooking the water. We also did some searching for the Petoskey stones that are unique to the area and found some souvenirs.

Now we’re back on board, and tired from all the biking. Lauren prepared dinner, and we eat and lounge around. Later Lauren retires, and I am contemplating going to bed, when I decide to go out for one last smoke. Usually I sit on the back ‘porch’ area, but tonight I decide to sit on the front, as the wind is blowing and I was hoping it would block the chill. I am looking out on the dock and see movement in a shadow. A small animal seems to be on the dock- it looks like a cat. It looks like our cat! Alice had got out and actually jumped to the dock. The cats are allowed to roam the boat when we are outside, and they have never made any attempt to leave or jump onto the docks. We do keep a close eye on them, and we do usually close the screen door when we are outside and they are inside. When she decided to go for a stroll, we’ll have no idea. She could have been out for an hour or ten minutes, but either way, it gave me a startle!

I jumped off of the boat and almost tripped myself right into the water! Alice was a bit startled at the sudden movement and started to go toward a neighboring boat, which looked kind of similar to ours. I called her name and she stopped, unsure of what was going on!? In her moment of hesitation, I grabbed her, and brought her back inside. Her new nickname is : “My Little Runaway”, and I can’t stop singing that song!. Once All was secured and all animals accounted for, I retired for the evening.

Our next stop in this vacation-like week is Charlevoix, another destination place with lots to do, and some strange houses…

The weather forecast was not great for today. We left at 7am with 8 knots of wind. Remember, we were in an alcove so it didn’t feel that bad when we were departing. We also had looked at the weather where were going, and it didn’t look like it was going to get much higher. It took us 5 hours to go 31 miles. It was another ‘not fun’ ride.

At one point, Lauren came upstairs and said the couch had actually slid across the room and was wedged against the refrigerator! This was a small bonus, as the day before the refrigerator had popped open somehow and spilled all of the contents about the room. We were lucky nothing broke, but it was still a mess to clean up!

After the 5 hour ride, we came to the cute little town of Harbor Springs. The charts we have show an anchorage, and as we came around the corner to the alcove the town is in, we were met with lots of boats moored on mooring balls. We scoped out an area and thought we would be good, and started to drop the anchor. When we do this, I am on the bow of the boat and giving Lauren directions for anchor rode and direction if needed. One of the questions I always ask is: “depth?” usually it is in 5 feet to 12 feet, and sometime a little deeper, but not much if we’re staying for the night. Lauren: “79 feet…”. Wait- What?! we cannot anchor in that deep of water! We carry 300 feet of line, plus 30 feet of chain. Normal technique is 7 to 10 times the depth of the water. We do not have 553 feet of line to do this! Hmmm…at this point, we look closer to the chart and see it is indeed very deep in the harbor, and gets a little more shallow closer to land. The harbor is not very large, so there isn’t a lot of room to pick from due to all of the moored boats. There are two marinas here, one private yacht club and a city marina. I decide to call the city marina on the VHF and ask about a ‘day dock’. A lot of public marinas have these day docks- you can stay for free, usually for a few hours, but aren’t really an overnight dock.

We were getting over the lack of anchorage, and the windy ride had us a little stressed. The marina responded they did have a day dock available, and go ahead and pick where you want to be. There was only one option, as one side was loaded with dinghies from the moored boats, and there were a couple of boats already at the day docks. We approached and made a good landing in the wind. Once tied up and secure, Lauren took Frank and I walked over to the office to check in. The girls running the office said we were good there, and we didn’t have to check in. I inquired about a time limit, and they said they weren’t busy, so it’s all good. I asked about areas around town and got a map. I have become better at my recon missions and reporting back to The Admiral.

The skies were overcast and threatening, but we got the bikes ready anyway. We secured the boat and made sure all windows were closed, and the top was buttoned up. I was speaking to a guy in a boat next to us, and commenting on the weather. He said he was staying there too, until this passed. We took off to explore the town, figuring if it rains, we’ll duck into the closest bar or cafe and wait it out.

Off we went! we biked around the downtown area and stopped at a bakery for some stomach fuel. We continued on the downtown area for a bit, and decided to return to the boat. I was in need of some specific supplies, and thought I’d take a quick ride to the store. Boy was I wrong about quick- the first gas station I encountered after going up ridiculous hills I had to walk the bike up, was closed. There was a woman at the pump asking me how to pay? I was confused, and asked about the credit card reader on the pump? She replied there isn’t one, and she just put $25 of gas in her car- someone must have left the pumps on! Not my problem, so I continued up the road to another plaza. I found a hardware store and retrieved the items I needed. The ride back was a breeze, as it was mostly downhill.

Upon returning, I went and bought a bag of ice from the office, and again made sure we were fine docked there. Part of this second confirmation was because I knew they would be shutting down around 8pm and knew we might not be back from our next excursion. The last reason was because I was planning on staying here the night. I did not want to try to find an anchoring spot at night in the wind.

Confirmation done, we headed back out on the bikes toward Pond Hill Farms, and the ‘Tunnel of Trees’. This took us back up the hills, which I’ve now done twice. Lauren had researched this farm, and it was 5.5 mile bike ride there, through the tunnel of trees. We were not impressed with the ‘tunnel’, as it was more like a road lined with trees. The views were amazing looking out over the bay and the lake, but the trees did not reach and cover the middle like I would expect a tunnel to be. The ride was pleasant enough, for a 5+ mile ride. It was mostly back roads, with lots of space and little traffic.

Pond Hill is a farm store, livestock barn, cafe, winery, and brewery. We like this. Rolling up to the farm, we leave the bikes in an area off to the side and head in. The place is super cool, built on a hill, with a store on the lower level, and cafe/tasting room upstairs. We wander around the store for a few minutes, before we bolt upstairs to the tasting room. We have been enjoying the ciders that a lot of places seem to be doing now. I chose a cider, and Lauren chose a beer. Both were delicious! We took our beverages outside, and enjoyed the sunshine that had now peaked out from the clouds. It was still windy, but at least we had sun! We got another round, and walked around the livestock barn, where the goats and chickens are kept. Then we explored where the pigs are penned. Sufficiently quenched, we were getting ready to leave, and I wanted to get some hard cider to take back with us. In to the store we go, and we pass some baskets I hadn’t noticed when entering: sling shot ammo. I looked at Lauren, and she knew I was going for it! I purchased my cider, some marinara sauce, and the ammo. We then went to the slingshot field they have set up, with barrels at varying distances and heights as targets. Target practice done, we collected the bikes and headed back to the marina and the boat.

By the time we returned, it was close to 8pm. Just as I had planned, the staff was gone for the day. Lauren wasn’t too thrilled about the plan, but we really didn’t have much other choice. We took Frank for another walk, and made dinner. I was relaxing outside and people would stroll by, looking at the boats and the water. Those that looked at me, I would say hello, and maybe converse for a bit. That’s what I do, and people always ask about the boat. One of the guys that came along was Roger. We started chatting, and he was great. He lives in town, and knows everyone. When I explained how I felt bad for staying late there, he said “Don’t worry about it! This wind is bad, and you shouldn’t go anywhere. If anyone says anything to you, tell them I said it is OK!”. We exchanged cards, and chatted a bit more, until he had to go walk his dogs.

We ended the night, planning our next stop. Petoskey is the plan, and it is only about 4 miles across the bay. This should be easy…

Today we were going to travel under the Mackinac Bridge, through the Straights of Mackinac, to get to Beaver Island. The wind was at 3 knots when we left. We left fairly early, as we have come to understand mornings usually are the lightest winds, and we wanted to get out of there before the ferries started churning up the waters.

We approached the bridge, and slowed down a bit to marvel at the structure. This link will give the stats and history: Mackinac Bridge – it is quite fascinating to read.

After we passed the bridge, we came to the Straights of Mackinac- this is a narrow waterway between Michigan’s Lower and Upper Peninsulas. The main strait flows under the bridge and connects the two Great Lakes, Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. There are very shallow shoals and rocky areas on either side, so you have to pay attention to the markers and charts. There are also a lot of freighter traffic that comes through here. As we came through, we could feel the current sometimes slowing us down, and sometimes pushing us. A little bit later, the wind started to pick up and got to 9 knots, but it was coming from the north, so that put us on beam waves, which made for a little rocky ride.

We arrived to Beaver Island around 2:45pm, and made our way to the anchorage. The north part of the island has a little alcove, which is good protection from wind in almost all directions. There were a couple of small marinas, and several boats anchored around. We saw a boat Lauren has followed on Facebook, called Stinkpot. They are also doing The Great Loop. We anchored near them, as this was one of the few places not occupied, and close to land for us.

Once we were settled and felt secure with the anchor being set, I took Frank for an exploratory walk. I noticed there were a few dinghies on shore in a sandy area, so I headed in that direction. Closer, I realized I wouldn’t fit another boat on the little ‘beach’, so I maneuvered to the side and found a soft landing spot among the rocky shore. Across the street was a small brewery (notice the theme here?) and a small grocery store. We walked around a bit, and retreated back to the dinghy. As I was getting in, another couple was getting in their own. Me, making conversation: “Hello! any good vegetables at the market?” (I noticed their grocery bag). “Some…” in a not so friendly tone; “see that post over there? That’s the property line, you should stay on this side or they might yell at you.” With that they got in and departed for their boat. I seem to have been on the ‘wrong’ side- probably not the last time! I should clarify, they weren’t mean, and they did tell me so I wouldn’t get in trouble, but they did seem a little stand off-ish. Oh well.

Once back on Klondike, Lauren and I figured we could try to get the bikes to land from the dinghy. This is going to be something hard, or it could be easy; I don’t know yet. We figured it will be a two trip process, as I don’t think both of us could fit with the two bikes. I brought the bikes to the back of the boat and readied the dinghy- I got in and Lauren handed a bike off to me through the back gate. I then put it on its side across the front, and repeated for the second bike. Once loaded, I went to shore, being careful to stay on the ‘right’ side of the post. I unloaded them, locked them together, and went back for Lauren. Success! We now know we can do this, it wasn’t too bad of an ordeal, and this opens up opportunities for us when we are at anchor.

Lauren had researched a bit about the island and area we were on it, and wanted to bike to a lighthouse. We headed in the direction, and got to where she wanted to be. We wandered around and she took some pictures, then it was off to find a lake that is on the island. Lake Font is a loon preserve and fishing area, and is Beaver’s second largest lake in surface area. We were looking at the google maps, trying to figure out how to get there, as we were cruising down back roads and bike paths. I saw a younger girl walking down a road, and stopped to ask her how to get there. “follow the path, and take a right at the end. When you see a bar, stay to the left.” Guess what I was thinking? When I see the bar, we’re stopping! So we continued on, following the instructions given. It was a mile or two, and we were still following the path. Hmmm…where’s this bar she spoke of? At the end of the path, there was a post in the middle, which splits into two paths; This was the bar(!) she spoke of!! No thirst quenchers for us!

So we followed the path to the left and eventually found the lake. We had to ditch the bikes, as it was surrounded by sand and brush. We walked a ways up to get close, but it the area we were was wild and overgrown, with the water levels so high, there was no shore really to speak of, and we could see houses or rentals a bit up the hills we were walking around. We did see the lake, and some wildlife (snakes!) and went back to the bikes for the trek back.

Coming back we stopped at the grocery store, and got some supplies for dinner. We reversed the process to get the bikes back to the boat. Lauren first, then back for the bikes. Hand them up to her, and then secure them back in the front with the bungees. We finished the smoked trout Rob had brought us, and went to work figuring out where we were headed tomorrow.

Little Traverse Bay is on the agenda- there are a couple of harbors there it looks like we can anchor at, and it’s not far from Petoskey, which is a resort area and known for its unique stones. It is also on the way to Traverse City, as we’ve had to decide which way we want to go south: Michigan side, or Wisconsin side. We have chosen the Michigan side.

We left the island, and headed for the city. Mackinaw City reminds me a bit of Geneva on the Lake, for the cheesiness of it. That is not a bad thing, just a lot of mini golf, candy and ice cream shops, restaurants. and of course the brewery and distilleries we found.

Coming across from the island, it is only a 7 mile trip. We made it in a little over an hour. The weather was good, a bit windy, but the real grind came dealing with all of the ferry traffic. Ferries were coming and going in every direction. The wakes caused by these boats were something we had to be aware of and anticipate.

Once we got to the dock, we found our slip and got tied up. Lauren needed to do some laundry, and I had mechanical stuff to do. It is amazing the difference of the facilities we’ve come across. Some are newer and super clean, some older and well used. Even laundry has been up and down: anywhere from $1.00 to $3.50! For one load, not including drying!

Now that we were done with our chores, we took the bikes out to explore. We rode around the town and made mental notes of where things were and what we wanted to do while we were here. It was a brewery at the top of our list of ‘thing to see’!

We stopped in and had a pint, and was chatting with the bartender, who also told us of a couple of distilleries in the area. Now we’re talking! She directed us to a town center, which had live music, shops, wine tasting room, and the distilleries. We went to the first one and had a flight. We went to the second one, and had a flight. Now we’ve had several tastes of rum, whiskey, bourbon and vodka. Yay! We ended up buying a bottle of bloody mary mix from one of the distilleries- we were drunk and it tasted so good. It still tasted good the following days when we drank bloody mary’s!

We made our way back to the boat and had dinner. Fireworks started around 10:30, and we sat on the back deck, watching the display. Frank wasn’t so impressed as he doesn’t like the loud booms that go with them, and they were being shot off fairly close. He huddled between us and waited for them to end. Once finished, we retired for the evening and prepared for another long travel day as we had chosen Beaver Island for our next stop, which is about 40 miles away.

We made it! This post will be long as we spent two days here, and there is a lot going on!

This was the goal. Getting to Mackinac Island on our own boat, to explore and see the island and all it has to offer. We had to make reservations, and this was the soonest we could get them, thus the slowing down and side trip to Soo Ste. Marie.

If you’re not aware, the island has no motorized vehicle of any kind. Bikes and horse drawn carriages are the only modes of transport (except for a firetruck and ambulance, and one or two power wheel chairs I saw). Even the delivery vehicles are horse drawn carts. There is also no shortage of fudge and ice cream spots! There is a large, fancy hotel on the island: The Grand Hotel. From Wikipedia: Constructed in the late 19th century, the facility advertises itself as having the world’s largest porch. The Grand Hotel is well known for a number of notable visitors, including five U.S. presidents, inventor Thomas Edison, and author Mark Twain.

Also notable is The Fort: Fort Mackinac became the scene of two strategic battles for control of the Great Lakes during the War of 1812. During most of the 19th century, it served as an outpost of the United States Army. Closed in 1895, the fort has been adapted as a museum on the grounds of Mackinac Island State Park.

So back to arrival before I get into the stories: We traveled 18 miles in 2 hours and 45 minutes. As we approached the island, the ferries were coming and going in all direction, causing a lot of wakes from all directions! Once we got through that, I called on the VHF and was directed to a slip. We approached and there was a bunch of traffic, but we found our slip and docked without incident. Whew!

Once we were finished tying up, I called the person from Hyde Park whose name I will not mention (Rob K.!) and told him we were secured and to find out where he was. He had just left his dock and was heading our way! It only took him 20 minutes to come across to the island and find us! He tied up to our boat, and we had a celebratory cocktail!

Rob had told us he wanted to take us to the Grand Hotel for champagne and sit on the porch; at this point I did not realize how grand the hotel was, nor was I aware of the “world’s largest porch”. We walked there, taking in the scenery and the smells of the island- picture this: sweet fudge aromas one moment, then pungent horse manure. yay. The horses will be horses, and they let loose whenever they feel like it- the puddles are not water, so avoid those!

There were people everywhere-riding bikes and carriages, walking around and just a general sense of vacation! The island feels like you should let loose and take it all in… When we approached the hotel after a short 15 minute walk, there is a charge for walking the grounds; we paid the fee and was given a ticket and we were on our way!

The hotel is massive- it is also expensive to stay at: the cheapest rate I saw online was around $700/night! We wandered around the halls and went to an upper level where the porch is. It has every reason to proclaim itself as the worlds largest, but we had noticed there was another bar on the top level and really wanted to go see the view there. The hotel requires tie and jacket at their restaurant, and we figured if we could go to the top now, we should! We found the bar overlooking the water and ordered cocktails enjoying the magnificent views from our perch way on top of the hotel. It was magnificent! What a way to succumb to the island life!

After cocktails, we made our way down to the gardens, and wandered around for a bit. There were flower bed after flower bed of colors and species that you will never see unless you come here. We made our way back towards downtown, and was getting thirsty again. There are many options in town, but we wanted to be by the water. Mary’s Draught House was the answer! So we wander in to the back patio bar, and we see there are a few seats available…Who is at the bar, but a couple who had helped Rob the previous day with his boat across the lake on St. Ignace! What a small world! We all have a pint and chat for a bit, then we have one more.

Eventually Rob has to get back to his boat, as he has to cross the lake back to his marina/ hotel. Lauren and I go back with him, and retrieve our bikes. We see a sunset coming and decide to bike around the island to the far west side, so we can get a better view. The sunset was awesome, and we head back toward town. At this point, we’ve had a few beverages, and need some food. We see a restaurant that has piqued Lauren’s interest: Sea Biscuit. We order some dinner and relax even more reveling in the scenery and atmosphere of this cool island. The day would not be complete if we didn’t have some local fudge- boy was it delicious!

Day 2 started with breakfast at The Chuck Wagon. They serve breakfast and lunch and close in between, and we just made it for breakfast! We got there around 10:15 or so, and at 10:25 they switched to ‘closed’. No worries since we were in! We had a hearty breakfast, and we knew we needed energy as we planned on biking the eight mile ride around the island- that is how big the island is- 8 miles around. As I came back to the boat, I notice more ‘Looper’ flags, so I wandered around and introduced myself to those who were on their boats. I exchanged cards with a couple of them…

Rob joined us after we ate breakfast and he rented a bike at one of the many bike rental shops- Remember, there is no other option: bike, walk or horse carriage. We started out trip and soon came across the first attraction: Arch Rock. This is a natural rock bridge soaring 149 feet above the Straits of Mackinac that appears to be suspended in midair. To get to the viewing area, we had to park the bike and walk 209 step (they claim that! I think it was a few less, but I didn’t include the landings and I lost count…) to the top. It was worth it, and we have pictures to prove it.

We continued on, after huffing it up and down the (209ish) steps and saw stunning views around every turn. There were constantly people passing and being passed as we biked the trail. Luck for us (me) the trip is mostly flat, around the perimeter of the island. We made a few stops along the way for pictures and views, so it wasn’t all that bad of a ride, for 8 miles!

We returned the rented bike and retired to the boat for much needed refreshments. We had all worked up a thirst! After relaxing for a bit, the Admiral announced it was time for a trip to The Fort. To The Fort we went! We paid our admission and walked to the top of the vista which is an excellent place to have a defensive fort. The views from up here were marvelous. I can see why they would have the highest point overlooking the Straights, and could see any ships approaching. The grounds are now a museum, with period costumed actors showing how life was in the 1800’s. There were even cannons being shot every hour, as well as taps in the evening, and ceremonious flag raising and lowering at the appropriate hours which could be heard all over town. Each building within the walls of the fort were now museums recreating life of the time of yore.

After spending a couple of hours at the fort, we had again worked up a thirst. Our mantra has been to not repeat visit, so we chose a new watering hole. This time it was The Pink Pony. They have a bar inside, and one outside, along the water, close to where the ferry’s pick up and drop off visitors. What a way to spend an early evening. The rum runners were delightful, as well as the appetizers we put away.

Once again, it was getting to be a time Rob had to think about departing, as he didn’t want to travel in the dark. This was such a pleasurable time, I did not want it to end- so I broke out another cocktail before his departure. We sat around a chatted about boats and areas he will be visiting on his adventure, as he will continue on to other parts of Michigan where his family has some history and he can explore.

Once Rob left (Thank You, Rob!) Lauren and I took the bikes for another spin. We went back out to see another sunset, and take in a little more of the island vibes. This is somewhere everyone should visit, as it is truly unique in every way. By the time we were done biking, we had a little hunger coming on, so we stopped at yet another new place and got some food. We then had some more fudge, and retired to the boat for the last evening…but it doesn’t stop here: Checkout isn’t until 1pm tomorrow, so we have a whole morning/afternoon to bask in the island ambiance.

And so it goes on; We awoke to a cool morning, and went for breakfast at Ryba’s Pancake House, which doubles as an ice cream shop in the evenings. I had pancakes and Lauren had avocado toast something with eggs. both were yummy. We took advantage of having water to wash down the boat, and get re-organized before we had to leave, Lauren went for another bike ride while I did maintenance stuff, We pushed the time to the very end- I started the engine around 12:50pm, and the dock hands came over inquiring “if we were ready to depart, and do I need a hand?”. They assisted us with departure, and we turned a course toward Mackinaw City, which is on the mainland, and only about 7 miles from the island.

With mixed emotions, we headed for our next port. While it was quite enjoyable and vacation-like, it was also a little overwhelming being around so many people and having to see everything we could in a short amount of time, and spending vacation-like money. This is why people need a vacation from their vacation!

We Departed Carlton Bay around 11am due to a heavy fog. When we woke up to leave, Lauren noted the fog and said “we should just go back to sleep and wait it out.” Great! I am always down for sleeping in!

Lauren had also checked the weather for the day- it was ok in the morning and early afternoon, but rain was expected around 3pm. Since we had scouted out our next location, we knew we didn’t have far to go. I had mentioned Government Bay, and we really had a hard time finding it on the charts. It is a part of the Les Cheneaux Islands, and is just south of Cedarvile and Hessel, which are both popular ports along the way. Cedarville just finished the weekend of their antique and wood boat show, which is one of the largest in the country.

Knowing we had a short hop made it easier to go back to bed for a bit. We finally got going after taking Frank to shore around 9:45am, and motored toward our destination. We only went 17.6 miles to the next stop.

Government Bay is sandwiched between La Salle Island and Hill Island. Again we had to maneuver in a shallow and rocky passage between a couple of other islands to get to where we wanted to be.

We found the bay, and saw there were a few other boats anchored. There was a very large yacht and a few other boats anchored on the north part, and one other boat on the south end where we came in. We decided to stay on the south side, as we like to not be near others, and it was closer to shore for Frank. The shore I speak of is an island called Government Island (duh! gov’t bay!) and is un-inhabited, but has some camping areas for the adventurous types.

We explored the island a bit with Frank, and ended up going back to the boat before the rain. This was not an exciting evening, as it did rain a little, we made dinner, and that’s it! Nothing to story tell about, and nothing happened, just an easy and lazy day on the water.

Tomorrow we plan on getting to Mackinac Island early afternoon and checking it out. We do have a friend joining us for our first visitor of the trip! He is staying at St. Ignace (west of Mackinac Island) and will be bringing his boat over to hang out with us.

Sorry for the delay in updates, but I will again try to keep up!

This morning we awoke and planned on leaving Soo Ste. Marie…Our planned course was south, taking us back toward De Tour, and we knew we didn’t want to repeat a stay there; not because it was a bad marina or town, but because we want to find somewhere new each time we stop.

We also knew that we had options, should the weather not cooperate. Now we were going south, and we had the current in our favor. Our plan was to get to De Tour area, and see what time we would make it there. If we were moving fast, we would go out to Lake Huron and anchor at one of the anchorages we had scoped out both in passing and via charts. If we were short on time, we would go back to De Tour, or Harbor Island.

We made the trip from Ste. Marie to Lake Huron in 5 hours and 45 minutes. We were moving at an average of 7.6 knots, and went 44 miles! This is by far the best speed traveling we’ve had since starting!

We had left around 8am, and had a soft 2 knot wind when we departed. The trip back was a bit different in areas, as we took the ‘down bound’ passage. There are areas where the river splits, and one side is for ‘up bound’, and the other for ‘down bound’. Since we took the one side up, it made sense to take the other down. We passed some sights we didn’t see on the way up. There is a home made to look like a freighter on land…legend has it the retired freighter captain drove his ship on the shore and retired.

By the time we were coming back to Lake Huron, we had one freighter catch up to us and was gaining on us quickly. I was staying to the side of the channel, and we were approaching a bend in the river…HONK HONK HONK HONK HONK! This is 5 blasts of the horn from him- my knowledge of horns, from ships or bridges, 5 blasts means DANGER/WARNING! What the hell!? I’m out of the way! What should I do?

I called him on the VHF, as at this point I can read the name of the ship. “Klondike to Roger Blough…” His response: “go to channel 8″. Channel 8 I go…”This is Roger Blough..” Me: “This is Klondike, do you want me to stop, or get out of the way? I’m confused about the horn?” Him: ” Sorry about that- our owner is sitting on the beach over there- it was a salute to him. You’re good on your course.” Me, laughing: “roger that!”

That was one radio contact, the other was also out of the blue as we passed Lime Island (bird poop and feather island): “(mumble, mumble) Klondike…” I heard the transmission and heard our boat name, but there was no one around! “mumble, mumble) Klondike” came again! Me: “this is Klondike, channel 8 please?”…”This is Captain Ron! I see you just passed me. Why don’t you stop here?” OMG! He was anchored at Lime Island and saw up pass; I explained we had already stopped there and looking for a new spot. He suggested Carlton Island as an anchorage, saying no one else goes there, but he likes it. OK! We will look into it!

So we get to De Tour and realize we are making good timing. Our options were to go either right or left once we reached the lake. Both anchorages didn’t look too far from the mouth of the river. We decided to turn toward the west, Carlton Bay as suggested, as that is the direction we will be heading. At this point the wind had picked up to around 7 knots…we were going into the waves, so the ride wasn’t too rough, but the wind was supposed to pick up some more, and rain was at 50% chance.

The bay we were heading to we were not familiar with. We kept looking at the maps and charts, and trying to figure out where it was. At this point, we had been heading into the waves for about an hour, and wind was up to 9 knots and the clouds were threatening. We finally saw where the opening was to the bay, and turned a course in that direction. We slowed down on our approach, as it was a shallow area. There was another boat fishing, but no one else around on a boat. As we got closer, we could see there were a few houses back here, and a road/highway that ran along the back side.

We found a spot in about 7 feet of depth and dropped anchor. We did the usual anchor watch, and after about an hour, it looked like we were starting to drag. I had been watching the tree line and triangulating our position, as well as setting our alarm which will sound an alarm and alert us of either shallow water and/or anchor radius. Before the alarm could go off, I felt we were moving toward shore- not good!

I jumped up and told Lauren to man the helm, I’m starting the engine and we’re moving! We got the engine started and I raced up to the front of the boat to my anchor position…”Forward” I shouted to Lauren; She put it in gear, and we started pulling up anchor chain. I noticed a cloud of mud kick up once she engaged the throttle- this means we were too shallow! Good thing we moved when we did or we would have ‘been grounded’! We pulled forward to deeper water and dropped anchor again. We went through the anchor steps, and ensured we were secure, again. Best I can figure was the wind had shifted, and the anchor got pulled out by being pulled in the opposite direction. It would (hopefully) re-set, but we had anchored fairly close to land, so we didn’t have the luxury of waiting for it to re-set.

Once we were secure in our new anchored spot, I took Frank for his shore visit. We had a little area we could explore, but not much due to it being private property around the bay. There were a few people that came out to look at us as we anchored, but other than that, no one else was around.

These types of anchorages are cool with us, as we do like the solitude and serenity of a quiet anchorage. The rest of the night was dinner and cocktails, watching the sunset, and figuring out our next stop. The weather doesn’t look great for tomorrow, and I was told of another anchorage called ‘Government Bay’, but we cannot find this on the charts… Who knows where we’ll end up!

Well, today went as planned!

We awoke and departed the Waiska Bay and made our way back to the Soo locks. When we woke up, there was a lot of fog, so we went back to bed for a short spell to let it burn off. Besides, the locks don’t open until 9am, so no sense getting there too early!

The trip was only going to be 13.9 miles, so only a few hours at most. We were now going down river, so we had a current pushing us now! This is so much better than fighting the current! We left around 8:45 and got to the lock around 10:15am. I again called on the radio, and the lock master told me it would be about 15 minutes. This seems to be a theme here… We waited at the line, and due to no wind, were able to just float in place and wait. So much better than having to constantly maneuver and jockey around.

It was the same lock master coming back, and he inquired how the night was. Those Canadians are so darn polite! He joked it was easier for us this time, since we knew what to do now. It really was easier and less stressful, even with the tourists gawking and watching, waiting for something to happen! The lock is actually approachable in areas, and I was chatting with some people as we were waiting to be lowered.

Once at the bottom, we were let out and the marina was right around the corner. We approached and I made VHF contact, and was directed to a dock. We found it and tied up by 11:30am.

I forgot to mention this small problem that has been making me crazy the last couple of days: we were listing pretty good to starboard, as if the boat was too heavy on one side. It started off slow, then became more pronounced in the last day. What could cause this? I did get some diesel fuel the other day, but I put an even amount on each side. The tanks have a hose between them that should allow them to self level. I checked the levels of each tank, and verified the starboard side was much more full than port side. This was making me crazy. I changed fuel filters thinking that may help. It didn’t. Now we’re in this marina and it is very clear we are listing even more. I had turned off the fuel tank for the trip here, thinking if there was a clog, I would find out once fuel stopped getting to the engine. The engine ran well the whole morning. DUH! I f’ing turned off the wrong one! I got turned around entering the engine room. Stupid mistake! Now we had used even more fuel from the lower tank, and were tilted even more! I so badly wanted to get fuel in the other tank to level off, but knew that since we were already docked, I wasn’t going to do that now. Maybe tomorrow. My brain was going crazy with why and how to fix. I am somewhat mechanically inclined, and will attempt to do whatever I think needs to be done. I checked the fuel levels again, and opened both fuel tank fill ports at the same time. Usually I do one at a time. I verified the uneven amount and wanted to scream.

Lauren had made lunch for us, and was waiting for me to finish my post trip engine room/bilge check. Once done with that, I retrieved the bikes and off we went! We rode around the city (American side) and checked things out. We got lost (just went the wrong way- twice!) and then made it to the downtown area. Very charming. There are a couple of breweries, restaurants, hotel, mini golf, lots of souvenir shops, etc.. What you would expect at a place like this on the border- it reminded me of Niagara Falls.

We stopped at the Soo Brewery for a pint and some rock ’em sock ’em robot battles. Lauren won. We continued on to the Soo Lock Museum and viewing area where the freighters come through. In the museum we checked out a movie loop they had playing- this is where we found out ther are 4 locks, and each is named after military generals or engineers. There is one lock called the “Poe” lock- say that out loud and we cracked up like school kids. There is also a McArthur, Davis and Sabin. The first locks were constructed around 1855 and the are is the 3rd oldest settlement in the USA. There are several museums around town, and we only went to the lock and a small ship wreck museum on the same government grounds. All of this was run by the US Army and Department of War. You’d think we have had enough of ship wrecks by now.

We were told of their ‘famous’ Mexican restaurant “The Palace”. We took a short ride to a grocery store a half mile away or so, and returned to the boat to clean up and walk Frank before dinner and that’s when I noticed it- Whats this? The boat is not listing anymore? How could that be? Here is my theory- somehow a vacuum was created at some point and/or the fuel vents are clogged (maybe bugs in there?) but when I opened both tanks ports at once, it evened out?! I still will continue to monitor this, but after verifying fuel levels in each tank, they are indeed even now.

We ate dinner at The Palace, and walked down ‘the strip’ a bit more. We ended up getting some ice cream to enjoy and made our way back to the bikes and then the boat. I scrubbed the boat down now that the sun was not so hot (it needed it!) and Lauren did some tidying up of the inside. After another walk with Frank to gawk at a mega yacht that had docked next to the marina, we retired to watch the Indians beat the Twins. Tomorrows plan is up in the air- we want to head back to Lake Huron and get closer to Mackinac, but we don’t want to stay in De Tour again; the only problem is there aren’t any marinas out past De Tour, and we don’t want to go the opposite direction of Mackinac. It will also depend on how fast we go coming back down river, with the added bonus of the pushing current. We have loose plans, but tune in and I will let you know where we ended up!

We awoke to a calm sea state, and sunny skies. The wind had passed. Our plan was to leave Lime Island and head to Soo. I guess we should have had a better thought out plan, as I was excited to go through the locks, and Lauren wanted to see the city. We ended up somewhere in between, yet so far away. Let me explain: The trip to Ste. Marie was about 30 miles, giver or take. We left ‘bird poop and feather island’ and headed up St. Mary’s River. We left at 8:30am and had to fight the current all the way up. We arrived at Sault Ste. Marie around 1:45pm. That was a long 5+ hour trip.

At this point, we didn’t really have a plan devised; we were here! What to do now? how about go through the lock and lose our ‘lock virginity’! Great! We approached the lock and I radioed in to the lock master, after having googled what to do. He was polite and responded it would be about 15 minutes, as he was bringing someone down now. I did also tell him this was our first time! I should clarify about the locks: there are two sides- the American side, and the Canadian side. The American side is actually 4 locks, and mostly commercial traffic. The Canadian side is smaller, and mostly pleasure craft. You do not have to check in or out of customs using the Canadian lock. On our trip up we were sandwiched with giant freighters in front and behind us, but we were all going about the same speed, so we fell in line. Earlier on the route, we were passed by two freighters moving up river, but they are in constant contact with the locks, so once the order was made of traffic coming and going, they had to slow down. Back to our first lock- he told us to pull up to ‘the line’ and wait. There is a sign posted where to stop. There is also a stop light on the side, which will indicate when to stop or go. The wind had started to pick up as we were getting to the city; not like yesterdays wind, but enough to blow us around a bit. As we were sitting there waiting, we had to keep doing circles to get back to ‘the line’. It’s a good thing there wasn’t anyone else waiting for the lock! After about 15 minutes, the lock in front of us started to open, and a couple of small boats were coming out. I waited on the side until they passed, was given the green light, and approached with caution.

Going ‘up river’, the lock was going to lift us up and bypass the rapids of the river, where the water falls 21 feet. There is a lot of history here that I will touch on at a later date. We approached and Lauren had prepared fenders and lines to the starboard side as the lock master had directed us to tie up on. There are rubber lines that come down the sides of the lock wall which you are supposed to wrap a line around and then secure it to your boat. This being our first time, we weren’t even sure how long of lines were needed? We had read about the middle being most important, but weren’t sure. To top it off, this is a tourist attraction, so there is a gallery of people looking down, watching, taking pictures and videos, and all I wanted to do was get in the lock and have a smooth landing against the wall so Lauren could secure us. It went mostly as planned, we came up to the wall and Lauren secured the mid ship. I put the boat in neutral and ran down to assist with the lines. Lauren now had the rear line secured, but now the front was starting to swing out! She grabbed a pole and was able to snag the rubber line on the wall- she then secured that as well. In the mean time, I could tell water was coming into the lock, and we were starting our ascent up. Lauren was able to get some pics from the experience. As we neared the top, I was able to speak to the lock master. He was friendly and said we did great for the first time. He said he saw we were secure mostly, so he started the process, as we were the only one in the lock. I asked about marinas or anchorages, and he said not many around other than the city (which we just passed) and maybe by the casino? Ok- we’ll figure this out. He noticed Frank (who was now barking from inside the cabin) looking out the window and I explained how we couldn’t trust him to not jump off! He replied he’s had to chase a few dogs that do jump!

The whole process took about 45 minutes- waiting, raising, and out. So now we’re out to the end of St. Mary’s River, under the International Bridge, headed to where? Lake Superior is around the corner, according to the charts. At this point, we’ve been traveling about 6.5 hours pushing up the river and are getting tired. We are now looking at the map, and there is no sign of marina, casino, or anchorage within the next 30 miles. Hmmm…where is this casino I’ve heard about from two people?

We continue forward as I’ve decided that there is a bay we should be able to anchor in that looks fairly protected. This is another hour away. Oh well- we made it through the lock and are now in Lake Superior! At this point, we really just want to find somewhere, anywhere to stop for the day. We come to the bay, and Lauren and I do the anchoring maneuvers after deciding on a spot. There were a few houses along the water, and 2 people on a jet ski zipping about. I took Frank for his land reprieve, and saw the jet skiers coming in toward the houses. We were in the dinghy at this point, so I motored over to say hello and inquire about the area. They told me it is a shallow bay, but there were a few places it stays about 9 feet deep. We were anchored in 5.5 feet of water, but felt okay with this. We were tucked in, so protected from wind and waves. I asked about a casino around here, and they pointed across the bay to a brown building- that is the Indian Reservation Casino which everyone had mentioned- we made it!

We did not go to the casino, and only went to shore a few times to walk Frank. We were the only boat in the bay, and we enjoyed the scenery and a good sunset. Lauren prepared dinner and we discussed the next days plan. She wanted to go to Soo and stay there so we could explore. We knew from earlier that there are two marinas in the city, one American, one Canadian. She called the American marina and inquired about dock space- they had some available. So now our plan is to leave early tomorrow morning and get to the city by 11ish so we can spend the day looking around. I like a good plan!

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