Lake Michigan, Saugatuck and Chicago !

We spent almost an entire month exploring Lake Michigan along the eastern shore (The Michigan shoreline) and we wished we had the entire summer.  We started at Mackinac Island, then jumped to Beaver Island, then to Harbor Springs and Charlevoix, where we stayed for almost a week.  The water is crystal clear, but cold, and the swimming is spectacular.  We could not let a day go by without a swim, at least a brief one, in the beautiful waters of Lake Michigan or Lake Charlevoix.

It was at Charlevoix where Vince and Dave came to visit with Geoff while Patty was away visiting with her cousins in Minneapolis, we stayed at the city marina in Charlevoix (the first time on the trip where we stayed more than two consecutive nights at the same marina) and thoroughly enjoyed the quaint town. If you like fudge and ice cream, this is the town for you.

When we left Charlevoix, we headed to what could be the best stop of the trip at South Manitou Island.  The island has no dock or marina, so the only way to visit required anchoring in a spot that is magnificent, a beautiful crescent sand beach, clear clean water, birds wheeling overhead, and we shared with just a few other like minded boaters.  Heaven.  The swimming here was extra special.

 

Lighthouse on North Manitou Island

View from the top of the lighthouse

 When we left South Manitou, we headed south along the coast, visiting in turn Frankfort (where we saw the results of a fishing tournament- more Chinook salmon being cleaned than we could count), Arcadia (wonderful anchorage all to ourselves and a short row and walk to a deserted Lake Michigan swim), Portage Lake (anchored alone on a quiet cottage filled lake), and Manistee (where we had a wonderful night at anchor, then another evening tied to the seawall right in town, where we had a a superb fish fry- perch and walleye- at the adjoining Elks Club.

Dave and Carol joined us in Manistee for the Labor Day weekend, after leaving Manistee we stopped at Ludington for the night (home of the BADGER, the coal-fired car ferry that makes several trips a day across the Lake to Manitowac WI) and then on to Pentwater.

Dave, Carol, Patty and Geoff in Manistee

Pentwater is a very cute Michigan beach town and we spent two nights there after Dave and Carol left us, we visited with Winnie's long time friend Leslie..............

Leslie hamming it up for the camera in Pentwater

The next stop down the coast was White Lake, where we visited the towns of Montague and Whitehall, and their claim to fame...The world's largest weather-vane:

We then spent two nights at Muskegon and had a salmon BBQ with our friends Warren and Marty, sailors we met way up in The North Channel of Lake Huron, and Geoff had time to tour the nearby WWII submarine museum all by himself, which had an actual fleet submarine open for inspection.  Then one night in Port Sheldon (a great little anchorage- which we shared with one other boat- that boasts nothing more than it is off the beaten path.  The small lake is the source of cooling water for the nearby coal-fired electrical generation plant, so although there is incessant background noise from the plant, the lake is constantly refreshed with a daily flow of over one million gallons of cool, clear Lake Michigan water.  Very pretty and wonderful swimming.)

Next stop SAUGATUCK..............

We stayed a week in Saugatuck and had a wonderful time.  We visited the church where we married 29 years ago:

 

 On to the reception:

And then a few of our old haunts:

We spent time with Cousin Tom Dawson and his lovely wife Merrily over in Fennville. Tommy spent many years with the Chicago Fire Dept as a firefighter, but his Italian heritage gave him the background as a fantastic cook (duties he performed in the firehouse for most of his firefighting career), so they treated us to some fantastic meals, plus a real bed on dry land!  They also arranged a visit with Uncle Bob Dawson from Chicago, the person that introduced Geoff to boating on Lake Michigan as a youngster. 

It was sad to leave Saugatuck, but the next leg of the journey was calling, we turned our bow towards Chicago.....well, not exactly straight to Chicago.  Lake Michigan was starting to respond to the Fall weather and the Southeast winds had the Lake bumpier than we liked, so we stayed close to the shore and hopped down to St Joe/ Benton Harbor the first night, then Michigan City IN the second night, which then gave us an uneventful ride of 40 miles across the lower end of the Lake, in a strong Southern breeze, to Chicago.

Geoff gave Patty a tour of the Chicago skyline and Burnham, Monroe, and DuSable harbors before anchoring off the Ohio St beach for the night.  We had front row seats to a spectacular lightning storm as the bolts of lightning and the thunder that followed each strike, rolled across the lakefront for hours. 

Heading South

Dear Friends and Family,

Just a little entry as Geoff is going to expound about Saugatuck and Chicago. We just completed the Illinois River. I think back to my entry about New Jersey and what a working place it seemed compared to what we had previously been through.  Well, this part of the trip is amazing for the number of bridges, plants, granaries, tows and barges.  This is a brown, south-flowing WORKING river.  Still, there is something beautiful about it.  A different way of life.  Can you imagine growing up here?  You may spend your life as a kid growing up thinking, "I can't wait to drive a tow, push those huge barges, and OWN this river!"  We have also seen the most eagles ever except for Klamath Falls, Oregon. A tremendous number of egrets, herons and white pelicans. The pelicans are beautiful white with black wing edges and fly in amazing formations. Finally, some clear, warm weather too but nowhere to swim. We enter the MIGHTY MISSISSIPPI River tomorrow. I can see it from our anchorage right now and the boat is rocking from the combining currents of the Illinois and Mississippi. Some pictures to tell the story.....

YOU CAN NAME IT....BECKY ANN!

 

EAGLES

 Oh Yeah, and we are finally seeing some rolling hills after the flatlands. Leaves are only thinking about changing their color at this point.  Maybe in Tennessee?
I also forgot to mention Asian Carp!!! Look them up.  They look like they have been in a science experiment that didn't work out very well for them.  The state is trying to keep them out of Lake Michigan or they will destroy all the nutrients for native species.  They have also been known to jump so high they land in people's boats and can knock them unconscious!!!! We went through an electric fence of sorts that is attempting to keep them at bay.  We have seen them, they are good jumpers, but not nearly as big as we thought they would be.  Met a guy in Chicago that said he and his buddies have won the redneck fishing contest several years running.  They put a horse trough in their boat and caught 428 carp in two hours.  Just another way to try to control their numbers!!

THOUGHT WE MIGHT GET A GOOD BUZZ GOING....NOTHING HAPPENED!!!! Back to beer.

A Little Michigan Story

It is early for the little Trawler Osprey.  The Great Sun is still hiding, unable to play its game with the wind and therefore the waves.  Even the fish know of the powerful Great Sun. So the fishermen and the fisherdogs must search for their bounty in the wee hours.

Trawler Osprey weaves through these workers, zigging and zagging to miss their lines. Slowly she goes, idling out of the channel and into the ocean-like Lake Michigan.  She weaves through more fisherpeople and turns south.  The lake’s vastness still carries the memory of yesterday’s north-westerly winds even as the water and wind exert their north-easterly influence, pushing against the hull.  Trawler Osprey is lifted and propelled forward by the gentle one foot swells.  Dawn breaks.

The Great Sun appears over the dunes.  How will Great Sun play with us today?  Suddenly, something happens that has NEVER happened before.  Great Sun catches fire, smoke billows from her.  Branch Cloud notices and fans the other clouds over to help.  “Hurry, hurry Cumuli, Great Sun needs us”!  Quickly, they surround her, protect her, and calm her.

An hour has passed. Trawler Osprey wonders how her travels will be affected by these events.  Is a thunderstorm coming?  Will the wind and waves suddenly become tumultuous?  Can I make it to Port Sheldon?  In the end, Great Sun peaks out with splendor and sparkle.  She lets All know that she is okay and that, once again, All may be grateful to make their destinations safely on this wondrous September day.

THE END.

Story and pictures by Patty Dawson with the help of the HD feature on her camera!

SEPTEMBER ALREADY!

Dave and Carol

Coho #2!!

Good friends, good food, beautiful skies.  Labor Day weekend spent biking, fishing, dancing, walking, boating, swimming, eating, drinking...lovely!  Making our way along the Michigan east coast, Manistee, Ludington, Pentwater.

Coho2 BEFORE dinner!

THE MAN CATCHES NOT JUST FISHES!!!!!

Dear All,
Please stop for a moment and thank the gods.  Geoff Dawson CAUGHT A COHO SALMON!!
We try and keep track of our expenses while on this adventure but about a month back, Geoff has held his fishing equipment expenses to himself. SOOOOO, I am not sure how much per pound this thing cost but it brought much joy!!!!
Don't get me wrong, Geoff has caught fish...even some big pike, but not THE BIG KAHUNA!
SO FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE DOUBTERS....HERE IS THE PROOF!

HE IS SURE THAT THIS WILL WORK

GEOFF'S GOOD LUCK CHARM. THE BIRDIE WATCHES OVER HIM.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GEOFF'S DREAM: FLY IN, DRINK BEER, FISH!

Michigan here we come!!

Well the landscape has changed!! We went from clear water and rocks to clear water and SAND!
So beautiful. The water is emerald green to blue-green. You think that you are in the Caribbean except that the water is 67 degrees! VERY SWIMMABLE!

We did go to Mackinac Island and yes, it is touristy but beautiful.  Gorgeous flowers, old homes, no cars, and The Grand Hotel with the biggest veranda in the US. You can look at it but can't go near unless you take a tour. We biked around the Island (8 miles) and walked through town.  The sidewalks were crowded, fun shops, five fudge stores, ice cream galore and souvenirs.

In contrast to.....Beaver Island which is 60 miles west of Mackinac.  We had heard about Beaver Island from our friend Larry in Ashland, and Janet, a nurse I worked with in Chicago.  She recently remarried and her hubby Keith has a cabin here. There is one grocery, a couple of bars and a restaurant called the Shamrock.  All the streets have Irish names and there are Irish flags everywhere.  We bicycled here too, about 20 miles out to their cabin and back.  Janet and Keith came to look at the boat and invited us to their cabin for dinner.  They said that a few friends might come over to play music, if that was okay.  Well of course! At the cabin, when we returned, were about 20 people(friends of their from Central MI), kids, fiddles, bass, guitars and a little girl named Claire who reminded me how to clog (I learned when I lived in NC).  What fun we had and sweet connections made!  Thank you Janet and Keith!

Thirty-five miles later we are on the mainland at Harbor Springs, MI. meeting up with several Looper couples that we have met and become friends with along the way.  One couple, this is their home base and others were having prop work done from problems with the rocks up north.  Geoff and I feel VERY lucky that we have had so few issues. A lot of laughs and good food and drink, of course!

From here we went the 20 miles to Charlevoix.  We actually had made a reservation for 5 days at a marina.  We usually anchor out but this weekend I was headed to Minneapolis for a Devine cousin reunion and Geoff's friends Vince and Dave came to keep him from  being lonely without me!  We both had fun and I got to stay in a hotel room with a huge comfy bed all to myself! The Reunion was planned by my sister Nancy and was a huge success. Many cousins I had never met, or were too little, or too much older for me to play with were there.  So nice to meet family.  One cousin has hand movements and expressions so much like my Dad it was uncanny!  He said that he only remembers seeing my Dad twice. When I returned to the boat, I brought Geoff a surprise of a jug of his favorite beer.  I swear that he turned a little green , his face fell, and he said, "beer???" I have NEVER seen Geoff react that way to beer.  I know how Vince and Dave kept Geoff entertained!

We boated around Lake Charlevoix for several days, resting from our weekend and anchoring out while awaiting a weather window to head the 65 miles to South Manitou Island.  This is a National Park off the east coast of MI.  Heaven.  White sandy beaches to explore, white cedar trees to hike through, shipwrecks to snorkle, a lighthouse to climb.  Ahhhh.  Could have stayed there for a week but the only bay is facing east and darn if the wind didn't change to that direction.  

Up until now, we have been mostly in protected areas.  Lake Michigan is a huge, open body of water that the wind loves to play with.  We have to plan our passages carefully.  Well, all for now.  I am waiting for Geoff.  He rode his bike to a Napa for fuel filters while I am at the library using the internet. Our kind of work day. We are having fun but we do miss you all!

GORGEOUS B&B ON MACKINAC ISLAND

JANET AND KEITH ON BEAVER ISLAND

MUSIC TO CLOG TO!!!

LOOPERS: DAWNTREADER, ALWAYS 5 O'CLOCK, MOORING DOVE, OSPREY

SISTERS

 

 

HIKING SOUTH MANITOU

LOOKING FROM THE LIGHTHOUSE...SO CLEAR

SOOOOO BLUE!

CLAIRE OFFERING ME INSTRUCTION

Back in the USA!

The beautiful Benjamin Islands

Sunrise as we head back to the USA!!!!

We are still in Lake Huron but headed west and south.  MICHIGAN! We are excited for this portion of the trip. We were MARRIED in Michigan so it has a special meaning for us. Tomorrow we are going to Mackinac Island, Upper Michigan and will bicycle all around as there are no cars on this island. I hear it is touristy but gorgeous so we will let you know.  From there we go to Beaver Island where a friend has a cabin and can give us the insider's tour.  On to Charlevoix after that, where I will leave the boat for four days to go to a Devine cousin reunion in Minnesota and Geoff has a few buddies (Vince and Dave) joining him since he would be soooooo lonely without me! Hmmmmmm. Should I be worried????

Don't you worry though, your tax dollars are hard at work.  The Canadian Customs patrol talked to us at Little Current and lectured us about not having the proper numbers, so they issued us one, THEN we got boarded by Homeland Security while heading towards the US border (yes, picture an aluminum boat with flashing blue lights and men with guns), AND THEN once we were docked, another officer did the official check-in and confiscated our tomatoes, peppers and mangoes. Whew...they got the fruit and vegetables but missed all our criminal activity!

We will miss Canada and the beautiful anchorages but I have taken a lot of pictures to remember them by.  One of the most beautiful was BENJAMIN ISLAND.  One of the most exciting was John's Island, I looked up to see an otter swimming across the harbor we were in.  Never knew they were such fast swimmers......only compared to THE BEAR I saw about a half an hour later swimming across in the opposite direction  in the distance.  All I could see was this huge black head floating across.  Way cool but no pictures! That night when I got up to check for the Northern Lights, about a dozen bats were circling the boat.  I haven't seen any before or since!

Today we are in Les Cheneauxs or the Snows as locals call them. Just one more group of beautiful islands with cabins on them for us to explore.  I tried to swim today.  Got on my suit, pushed down the swim ladder, stuck my feet on the first rung and STOPPED.  The water is gorgeous green and clear and sooo inviting but 63 degrees.  Sixty-seven I could do briefly but I chickened out on 63! In fact, I am sitting in the boat right now with my fleece on and I added an extra blanket to our bed last night.  But alas, no smoke from fires.  I am sorry for the condition of the Rogue Valley and remember when it has been socked in, even at Squaw Lake.  I hear that it is even worse this year.

Well, my current goals are to see the Persied meteor showers, the Northern Lights, and a piliated woodpecker.  Any tips for any of these items, send them my way.

Now that we are back in the States we have our  phone back on so we feel a bit more with the program.

All for now.    Patty

Fireworks at the Haweaters Festival almost right over our boat!

Good Morning Earth