Lake Michigan...
Was to be on the Wisconsin side but became the Michigan side
September 6 - October 2, 2023
After leaving Mackinac Island, we entered the Straits of Mackinac which took us into Lake Michigan. When we purchased the boat last summer, Danny travelled Lake Michigan to bring the boat down to meet me in Kentucky. The memories of that trip, I think, have continued to haunt him. We have seen amazing pictures of 6-8 foot waves when the wind whips up on the Lake. Usually this time of year, the winds tend to run from west to east. This section probably more than any other one is truly ruled by the wind speed and direction of that wind. My hope was to see Michigan down to Ludington on the west coast because of their beautiful beaches and rocks and the fact Danny and I had seen the upper part of Wisconsin in Door County. So the hope is to cross at Ludington to Manitowoc, Wisconsin. But we will see what the winds dictate.
Harbor Springs...
Our plan leaving Mackinaw Island was to stay in Beaver Island for a couple nights. While the winds cooperated, we would not be able to get out of there on our planned departure. There was terrible rain storms and thunderstorms with 2 strikes close to the back of the boat! So we chose to go into Little Transverse Bay in Harbor Springs. I had read some people on the Loop who had a number of good things to say about this small town. It flies under the radar for sure. Once we got situated, an older man approached us on the dock and told us there was a $100 bill under water sitting on the floor of the Bay. He asked us to come look at it. So I did, Danny stayed behind but David went with me. It was definitely money but I sure couldn't see it was $100. The water depth was 16' and we walked away. When Changing Latitude, another Looper boat, came in the next day, David asked Mike to help him with the fishing rods he had. Well they got it brought it up and it was...$1.00. We all enjoyed a good laugh on that one!
The town has a number of notable people who own property along the water. There is a 2 lane street and people who own houses on one side of the street also own land directly across the street on the water. Bon Jovi, Madonna, and the Bissell Family homes were pointed out to us(more on that later). We enjoyed the small town and the very LARGE boats near us. There were 2 Italian boats- looked like Stealth stuff with their dark grey color owned by Betsy Vos, former Head of the Department of Education. Another large boat Sterling V was across from us. Danny spoke with one of the guys on the boat that was doing maintenance and cleaning. He told Danny the next morning, he quit and was getting out of there because he was not staying in Michigan- it was too cold(he was from Ft Lauderdale). I almost thought, Danny was going to leave with him but Danny remained with me, at least for now!
While staying in Harbor Springs, I looked for someone to take us up to the most northern part of the state. There is a Michigan landmark in the small town of Cross Village called the Legs Inn. It was built with logs, stones, driftwood, and legs of tables and chairs by a Polish immigrant, Stanley Smolak. Lisa, our driver, told us the family still owns and runs the place and is now over 100 years old. The bar which a picture doesn't do it justice is carved from a single hemlock tree trunk. The restaurant is up high and you can see out over Lake Michigan to Beaver Island and 4 lighthouses. As she drove up the coast we drove through the tunnel of trees where the road is covered with the canopies of large trees. We passed the town of Goodhart where Bob Seager lives.
Lisa took us to the area with gorgeous houses called the Wequetonsing(she said people just call it we- what). She was the one who told us who lived where. She met and married someone from the Odaba tribe and they lived in California. He was a carpenter and she was a painter. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and unfortunately spent much of their 401k money at the beginning of his treatment to the tune of 62k dollars. If you are Odaba Indians, of which he was, and come back to within 100 miles of their tribe location, they can receive free healthcare which is how she moved to Michigan. While he has passed away, she has made a life here and was very informative about the area.
The white house is the Wequetonsing Post Office which Lisa said was the second oldest in the country based on the fact it has always been in this location. Certainly doesn't look like a post office to me! Lisa was able to get a picture of the 4 of us in this area looking over the Little Transverse Bay.
The town had a typical downtown and we enjoyed good meals too! We enjoyed our dinners at Pierson's and finally New York below. It was great and we had our first introduction to a Michigan original dessert called Bumpy cake. The cake is chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream and ripples in the buttercream to look like bumps. Needless to say this plate was quickly cleaned and it was really good! Our looper friends, Mike and Allison, from Changing Latitudes, joined us for dinner. Interestingly, they live in Surry, Va and their daughter is a PhD at Mote Marine where I have done my turtle work.
One of the interesting construction ideas was the Shay Hexagon House built in 1892. The inside and outside are panels of stamped steel. Erhaim Shay was the inventor of the Shay locomotive. He was a mechanic by training and developed the Harbor Springs waterworks that he gave to the town. The house is currently being restored so no tours were available.
Another special item about this area are the stones you find on the beach. We had heard of Petosky stones and I knew some about them but never heard of puddingstone. Apparently the name came from the British in 1840. When they saw the stones they related the stone's appearance to boiled suet pudding with cherries and currants. These stones have numerous types of jasper implanted within limestone after numerous geological processes including heat, pressure, mixing of sandstone, and the volcanic process. Most of this was formed in the upper areas of Lake Huron traveling down and distributed into the northern area of Michigan. You can see the puddingstone I found incorporated into a rock fence at a home in Harbor Springs. The other picture is the large puddingstone I found in Little Traverse Bay at the beach in Petosky. I brought it up out of the water. I should have put something next to it to appreciate the size. It was about 20 pounds. I knew I could not sneak that on the boat so David helped me break it up into smaller acceptable pieces to Danny. Although I got smaller pieces, Danny still wasn't happy with his standard question, "So what are you going to do with this?" I took a close up picture of one of the puddingstones from the fence of a house in Harbor Springs.
Petosky...
So to reach Petosky from Harbor Springs, it was a 3.7 mile trip across the bay. The downtown area as well as the marina was larger. Once we got straight, we got our bikes down to get haircuts. Danny thought it was 2 miles but it was 3.7 miles, mostly uphill. Danny was further ahead of me and when I got to 2.5 miles, I called and asked him where was this place. He told me it looks like it levels off once I get to this light ahead. So I keep going and about 5 minutes later, he calls and says, I think you better go back, it's getting worse. I actually found a small salon on my ride back and the lady said she would take me if I could wait about 15 minutes. What was so funny was her father was an engineer who took a job in Williamsburg and he lived in Newport News, VA. The rest of the family came down in the summer and her older sister married someone from Gloucester with the common last name of Bohannon. The father did not like the job so he returned to Petosky at the end of one year. Danny and I jumped on the city trolley. The first stop was at the St Francis Solanus Indian Mission. A Frenchman donated an acre of land to the Catholic Church to build a mission for use by the Natives and settlers. It was started in 1859.
After we left, our next stop was in downtown and we got off by the City Park Grill. Ernest Hemingway was known to frequent the bar at this place as a young adult. He knew the area well spending summers here growing up. Hemingway recuperated from injuries he received in World War I here in Petosky. Some of his earlier writings about a character, Nick Adams, mentions many locations in northern Michigan which he enjoyed while summering in Petosky. The town has a Hemingway Trail you can follow. We ate dinner in the bar at City Park which was quite good. The bar is maintained as it was in Hemingway's time. We did window shopping landing at the brewery on the way back to the boat.
We enjoyed the sunset at the lighthouse going out into Little Traverse Bay, very close to the boat. David and I were the only ones interested in rocking hunting and we did have some success finding Petosky stones. These stones are fossilized pre-historic coral from 350 million years ago. When these waters were covered with saltwater and the corals died, they were covered with sediment and became Alpena Limestone. It is the official stone of Michigan and only found in Michigan in Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. The Harbormaster in Harbor Springs told us where to go in Petosky and we scored! We both found them in different sizes. To really appreciate them, the stones are polished to appreciate the distinct markings. Stones are a big thing in Michigan because they have so many beautiful types. Since we had accomplished our goal of finding the Petosky stones and bad weather was coming mid week, we chose to move on from Petosky to Charlevoix, leaving one day early.
My collected stones starting at 12 o'clock- a puddingstone, a charlevoix stone(finer coral than the Petosky stone), chained coral(you wouldn't believe the beautiful jewelry they make with this stone!), and the Petosky stones.
Danny is constantly looking at weather and wind apps as things can change on Lake Michigan in a matter of hours. So we try to be proactive so we don't get held up for too long or end up further north than we would like to be.
Charlevoix...
Charlevoix has been known for years as a tourist town. While the town was founded in 1868 based on the lumber trade, once the railway came to town in the late 1800's, tourism became key. The year round population is 3-5,000 with summer increasing to 15-20,000 people. We had heard good things about staying here. When traveling to this area, you enter a canal off Lake Michigan and have to have a bridge opened in order to pass into Lake Charlevoix. The good thing about this stop is the fact being on the lake would protect us from winds off Lake Michigan. You can see Danny as we enters the canal at the Charlevoix Lighthouse. We walked out there later to take pictures. We were greeted by people watching the boat traffic and the dog leading his crew in the canal. The clarity of the water was amazing all the way to the bottom and 15 feet down!
Since we missed the opportunity to get a picture at the Petosky Light, we got one at the Charlevoix Light. While at the brewery, there was a picture on the wall by the bar showing it during winter! YIKES!!
As the Loopers are making their move towards Chicago, we are seeing people we have not seen in a few months. A couple we met a couple years ago, Steve and Kathy Hollenberg, have a 400 Red Mainship, Red Pearl. The marina actually had us next to each other as they pulled in on Sunday afternoon. It was good to see them.
The claim to fame and the number one attraction in town are the Mushroom Houses. Earl Young who grew up in Charlevoix loved rocks and incorporated them in the houses he built. He became a certified stone mason in 1916. The tour we took was wonderful and I will show you some of the interesting points. Our guide told us, Earl would find rocks in Lake Michigan and pull them out with pulleys and horses and save them in secret locations, sometimes burying them. Young was also noted for building the roof first and putting the house to fit under not giving much attention to the kitchen and bathrooms (very small). Many of the houses now are vacation rentals. The first house we saw was called the 1/2 house because the neighbor next door would not sell more property to Young to extend the house. Other characteristic of his homes include use of limestone, diamond shape windows, and a "snowcap" chimney.
The Thatch House, Young's 1st house, built in 1919 was purchased in 2015 by a South African engineer. He had thatch purchased in the Netherlands and put on the house by an Irish architect taking 1 year. It is also a rental house sleeping 15-20 people. Just amazing! Boulder Manor took 8 years to find the boulders to finish one house. You can appreciate the rocks. While there are plenty of other homes we saw, I will end this section with the last boulder Earl Young brought out of Lake Michigan which weighed 7 tons and was used to label the development Boulder Park!
Our second evening ended with a great meal with 4 other couples at Terry's of Charlevoix and a part of a rainbow on the way back to the boat. We ate well here- Smoke on the Water- breakfast, Bridge Street Tap Bar- Lunch, and Terry's of Charlevoix for an outstanding dinner. The wine bar we went to hoping for a good time and rated highly was very disappointing and comical. Another story to tell.
Frankfort...
We left Charlevoix originally going to Leland. The call for the winds the next 48 hours after the day we left was for high winds coming from the west. Danny looking at the marina didn't feel there was enough protection for the winds being predicted to stay there, so we pushed on for 72 miles to go to Frankfort. We left at civil twilight or 20 minutes before sunrise. There were quite a few fishing boats out fishing for salmon. We saw some of them and they were quite big! Lots of rain and the boat moved side to side which I did not tolerate well. Up and down, I can tolerate but not side to side. After dry heaving several times, I laid down upstairs with my eyes closed. Of course when Danny had to go to the bathroom, I was forced to drive the boat.
Frankfort was a nice town with a Main Street with nice stores, restaurants. lighthouse, and a very nice beach to walk as well to see the sunsets. I tried to put together a group trip to Sleeping Bear Dunes but between some people moving down the coast and the cost for some being prohibitive, we didn't go. Another reason to come back. This is where there are very high sand dunes right next to Lake Michigan. The Ojibwa tribe believe following a fire over on the Wisconsin side many years ago, a bear and her 2 cubs swam across Lake Michigan. The mother made it to the top of the sand dune but the cubs did not and their spirit became North and South Manitou Island (Also another place we didn't get to visit. And yes, I have added it to my list to come back to see!). You can see the tall dunes of Sleeping Bear Dune Park from Lake Michigan as viewed from The Other Woman.
The Point Betsie Lighthouse, the most photographed lighthouse on Lake Michigan, operating since 1858 was another highlight. Frankfort is located on Betsie Bay, originally called Aux Bec Scies by the French. As we approached Frankfort on Lake Michigan, we passed the lighthouse. Betsie Bay is where the Odawa communities would come from different locations in the summer to fish. The community developed following a schooner being brought into the bay during a bad storm. The owner was an investor who purchased and developed the land. Lumbering was the main business followed by growing fruit. Once the railroad came to Frankfort, the population increased as well as a tourism sector. The Frankfort Lighthouse was built in 1873. The lighthouse was on the tip of land off Lake Michigan. We had the added excitement of seeing a seaplane. The United States Coast Guard in 1934, placed a station here to provide search and rescue, boat safety, and ice rescue services. We enjoyed the town.
You can catch a selfie of us getting rained on while walking near the dunes outside Frankfort. We were able to join other Loopers at the Old Town Grill and Tap for dinner. Since I couldn't get to Sleeping Dunes, Danny and I rode our bikes to Crystal Lake. It was quite a large body of water. What we found out when we got there was back in the late 1880's there was an ill fated plan to try and connect Crystal Lake with Lake Michigan. The project failed and caused Crystal Lake water levels to drop. While there was great concern then, this lowering of the river allowed development of this area for vacation homes around the lakes. While Danny was nice enough to ride with me there, he was less than thrilled as he was COLD.... Sunsets continue to be amazing...
Manistee...
Leaving Frankfort, Lake Michigan was like a lake and many boats were out fishing for salmon. We saw an interesting contraptions off the sides of a boat fishing. We hope to ask someone with our next stop. Initially we were going to do a short stop to Portage Lake but all the marinas were closed for the season. So our next stop was Manastee and the water continued to be like glass. We were actually in 30 feet of water and could see down to the bottom without difficulty.
Manastee was also a nice small city. Back in the mid 1800's it was a port due to its deep water off Lake Michigan to ship lumber to Chicago. In 1881, 10 years later a business agreement allowed the train to come through the area affecting business from the marine perspective. Some investors kept the port going but as people travelled by car it became less important. There were a number of factories making women and children clothes, gloves, underwear, and shoes. Another finding in Manastee was salt. Many of the lumber magnates developed salt factories. The salt company started in Manastee. Morton salt still owns a facility here. The Century boat company also started here although in the 1983 it moved to Panama City, Florida due to disagreements with the unions. What I found interesting is the Century boat company started here in 1928 and in 1940 began building disposable assault boats used in World War II. They also built a boat for kids called the Pee Wee. The Milwaukee House was a hotel for those people in the late 1800's who worked across the street at the ironworks company.
Leaving the Betsie River on the way to Ludington, you can see the boat with 3 yellow item to right.
Ludington...
Prior to approaching Ludington, the Michigan shoreline pokes out a bit which is where the Big Sable Point Lighthouse stands at the Ludington State Park. The appearance of the lighthouse looks like locking Legos in black and white pieces and the lighthouse keeper's home in the background. I have enlarged the picture.
As you come into the canal off Lake Michigan, you see the Ludington North Breakwater Lighthouse built in 1924. You can appreciate the size with Danny at the bottom of the North Breakwater Lighthouse. Danny and I walked out to the lighthouse where we saw guys catching King and Steelhead Salmon. They told us that the Coho Salmon will be coming in soon. The channel coming in from Lake Michigan was deepened and widened in 1975.
You can see this guy and his wife caught LOTS of king and coho salmon. The state of Michigan have these great fish cleaning stations at their marinas. This one has 4 arms on it and people are really good we have noticed with picking up and cleaning up after themselves.
The town of Ludington had been called the village of Pere Marquette. Like many towns along the shore, lumbering was the main industry with sawmills on the coast in 1880. Boats and tugs were built in the harbor and lumber sent to Chicago and Milwaukee. By 1920, the forests were depleted and the saw mills closed. Commercial fishing was also a significant industry and then became overfished. The state of Michigan stocked Lake Michigan with salmon to help the industry. A Life Saving Station was built in 1879 at the entrance to the Ludington Channel which the Coast Guard took over. The building is currently the museum of the port. It was built so on the first floor were 3 large bays where boats were kept inside to protect them. At the opening of the bay doors were rails out to the water, so for any issue the boats needed to address, they were out on Lake Michigan, quickly.
One of the big items here is the Badger. This ship is the last operating coal fired steam engine car ferry in operation on the Great Lakes and largest ever built in the United States. The reason these were created was to transport rail cars across Lake Michigan to Wisconsin. Ferries started in 1892 but the Badger did not start operating until 1953. It operated year round and was able to brake ice in the winter. Within a few years, the development of the railroad progressed significantly and the use of the ferry was not profitable and stopped operating in 1980. The ship has been sold multiple times since 1980. It transports travelers, cars, and commercial freight trucks between Ludington and Manitowoc, Wisconsin and operates from spring to mid September. Unfortunately when we arrived, the Badger was not operating, the day before was its last day of the season. My understanding is one of the best things to see is when this ship comes into port and docks. It is 6650 tons and has no bow thruster to help the boat dock.
We had great ice cream at the House of Flavors. I enjoyed ice cream here both days- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup and Pistachio Almond- excellent! Behind the cash register at The House of Flavors was a Life Magazine story on the shop (it has been in business 75 years this year) and kids coming in to get malts. They would dip their straws in the malt drink with the paper still on the straw and then blow the paper up into the ceiling where it would stick. Initially, the owner was upset until he realized the kids were buying 2 malts instead of one to make sure they were successful in making the paper stick to the ceiling. The picture in Life shows you how it looked. Again sunsets are amazing...
Our hope was to cross to Manitowoc in Wisconsin. We had plans to see friends from Florida. The weather did not cooperate 3 days in a row!!! Our next stop was Grand Haven. Danny had visited this town last year when he was bringing the boat down to Kentucky to meet me. We went to Charlotte for our granddaughter's 2nd birthday for a few days and had to switch our reservations from Milwaukee to Grand Rapids. Of course, the morning we left for Charlotte, we got an email that a group had left for the Wisconsin side and made it. Also found out that same night, Ludington had an incredible display of the Northern Lights...a day late and a dollar short...UGH! David sent me the facebook post. UGHUGHUGHUGH!!! Can you believe it????
Grand Haven...
Our way to Grand Haven was a long one, 72 miles but to travel on the Michigan side was tolerable. Leaving before sunset allowed us to see the sun come up in the east and interestingly, a very red rainbow on the west side where we could see it raining in the far distance. We were able to see Little Sable lighthouse and more sand dunes.
I have mentioned before the up and down movement of the boat I can handle but the side to side motion, not so much. The last hour we had the side to side motion. I sat quietly with my eyes closed. The Beach House separated from us at the Muskegon exit off Lake Michigan so they could pick up a car to visit their son and we kept going. We did see the lighthouses marking their entrance into Muskegon.
Grand Haven was larger than the previous towns we have come to except maybe Charlevoix. The marina where we stayed was a private rental thanks to someone through the looping group. We did not want to stay at the municipal marina due to swells that can come in from Lake Michigan when we were gone to North Carolina. The walk into town was 3 miles round trip so this allowed us to get our steps each day. The first day since we got here late, Danny wanted to go to Tip-A-Few, a dive bar that they were renovating the kitchen last year and the captain with him, told him how great it was. So we were there the 1st night. The next day our goal was to go out to the lighthouse, the keeper's house and the catwalk coming in from Lake Michigan. The catwalk had the boards removed from it as I am sure the town did not want anyone up that high and was used when the waves were horrendous for use by the appropriate personnel. We enjoyed seeing the clear water and the roughness of the water, significantly worse than the day before when we came into the harbor. Also got to witness the swells at the municipal marina so we made a good decision to secure a private spot!
There were 3 breweries here- Bursurk, The Armory, and Danny's favorite, Oddside. He says they to date have had his favorite beer called- Beer Me Lager. At this brewery, they did not have food so you brought your own in, which we got from the Toasted Pickle. It was very good. The other place we ate twice was the Paisley Pig which had a very varied menu and a good wine list! The second day, we toured the local museum. Native tribes had been in this area since 800 CE. Three tribes formed the "3 Fires of Confederacy" which were the Odawa (in the west), Potawatomi (in the south), and Ojibway (in the east). When Europeans were trying to find a quicker water route to Asia, they found the tribes and also discovered beaver. With the completion of the Erie Canal, people moved west by way of boat and wagons. As settlers came into the area, the Native tribes were introduced to advanced tools and weapons. Like many of the towns, it started as a fur trading post in the 1820's. John Astor had set up a post here as well. I mentioned him before and the fact he was the first American multimillionaire due to this business. Anderson Cooper has recently coauthored a book which was just released about the Astor family which includes the start of his fortune with the fur trade. I look forward to reading it. Many of the American and European men who come here married women from the Indian tribes which were helpful to their business. Beaver pelts were big business as the pelts were water repellent and designed as hats, shoes, and coats. Trading posts were called forts even though they were not. It was very primitive living and when there were no more beavers, they would move on to the next post. Thank goodness, the fashions changed to silk otherwise it is most likely the beaver would have become extinct. There was a beaver top hat on display at the museum.
As more people came to the area, lumbering became important. Eastern white pine was logged typically in the fall. This allowed farmers to also take part in the labor. Logs were loaded on sleighs and pulled down the river in winter and then floated down the river. There was a display of the Great Log Jam of 1883, where heavy rains and high winds made for serious issues in movement of 80 million board feet of lumber. Roads were developed from dirt roads to "corduroy" roads. These corduroy roads were logs laid perpendicular to traffic which provided better travel.
In the late 1800's, Grand Haven was also a popular resort due to its "Magnetic Mineral Spring" and tourism has continued to this day. The US Army of Engineers maintains the Grand Harbor Project. The depth of 23 feet makes Grand Haven one of the deepest harbors on the Great Lakes. Each year 35 thousand cubic yards of sand have to be dredged each year to maintain the harbor. That is a whole lot of sand! In 1929, there were terrible storms on Lake Michigan causing the loss of 4 ships and many lives. Following this in 1932, Coast Guard cutters were stationed here to prevent similar experiences. One of those ships, the Escanaba, was activated for World War II. In June 1943 while escorting a convoy from Greenland to Newfoundland, the ship was hit by an enemy submarine and sank with only 2 people surviving. Also noted was active duty Coast Guard men had to leave their stations to serve in World War II. Congress approved the creation of USCG Women's Reserve in 1942. It was nicknamed SPARS. Throughout the United States, 10,000 women served from 1942-1946 in many jobs under SPARS. The program was demobilized on June 30, 1946.
The marina where we stayed allow us to see much bird life due to the vegetation on small inland ponds. We saw Trumpeter swan(supposedly th heaviest bird in North America and largest species of waterfowl), Eagles, and my favorite duck who I have never seen in the wild- the Wood duck. The swans were consistent every morning, the eagles high in trees late afternoon and the wood ducks in the evening at dusk. I would walk every night to see the wood ducks at the pond. Their colors are amazing. While most were males, which was the most colorful, I did see one female!
The eagle was a frequent visitor and he was directly straight across the river from our boat. Another item we saw at the marina that were very prevalent were monkey pods. I have never seen them in a natural presentation. At the marina, there were hundreds of them floating in the water. My Mom would make beautiful floral arrangements incorporating dried monkey pods. It was nice to see them in nature. Sunsets were not our best position in Grand Haven but the sunrise sure was!
Saugatuck...
The forecast could not have been better to travel to Saugatuck. Winds were light and no wave action due to the winds being out of the east. We certainly lucked out again. The 3 hour travel went quickly as I am still studying the areas we are going to see since we were to be in Wisconsin. This area is an eclectic town with a number of art galleries. Also there are a number of beaches and hiking trails to see with one being Mount Baldhead and Oval Beach.
You can see the entrance to the town of Holland which is just north of Saugatuck. Just one beautiful home after another on the Kalamazoo River as we motored up to the marina. This one house was my favorite. It had an Albermarle boat which was unusual up here.
Another interesting thing we saw is the Yacht Club in downtown is called the Singapore Yacht Club. We thought it was odd until we saw a historical board telling the story of Singapore. Apparently the town of Singapore was at the opening of the Kalamazoo River into Lake Michigan. It was developed in hopes of rivaling Chicago and Milwaukee in the 1830's. Lumbering was its main economic force. By 1870, there was no more lumber and the town closed. It was said the sands ultimately covered the town. We certainly saw the significant sand dunes along the area where the town was earlier in time. There were obvious signs of fall but the colors were beautiful walking into town as I caught the yellow leaves behind Danny!
There was a cool home that was at one time a gristmill that backed up to the marina. While staying in Saugatuck we saw a steady stream of boats being moved out of the water into storage for winter.
The downtown area of Saugatuck was a great town and a little larger than other towns. Really enjoyed the area galleries and the different pieces of art. Of course Danny did not accompany me to the galleries. Just beautiful things when you have a home to put them in...LOL. The sites around downtown had open spaces. I had to ask about this tree. I thought the trunk was amazing. It is a Black Locust. While we saw only black squirrels in Canada, here they have black and grey squirrels all getting their acorns for the winter.
Something I had not seen before, but of course Danny knew what it was, a fire hydrant with long red metal rod in the air. When it snows and the fire hydrant is covered with snow, this tells the fire department where the fire hydrant is located.
One day we traveled by dinghy across the Kalamazoo River to Douglas and walked up to Mount Baldhead by stairs(303 straight up) and then down the other side by the sand dune to Oval Beach. At the top of Mount Baldhead is a radar station built in 1956 looking for information from the north related to Russia. The information was then sent to Fort Custer in Battle Creek, Michigan. The white radar dome is a landmark visible for miles. The station was deactivated in 1968 and sold to the city. There were great views of town and back down to the marina. Due to the heavy forest grown, you could not see Lake Michigan. So we made it down the sand dune, enjoyed the beach and Lake Michigan. David found more rocks and I found no river glass!
Looking out at a calm Lake Michigan and back up towards Mount Baldhead, you can see the mounds of sand. We enjoyed Saugatuck! Our food places were Phil's Bat & Grill, Mitten Brewing Co., Uncommon Roasters, Southern, and Borrowed Time. Southern was an excellent southern food restaurant which I thought was quite surprising for Michigan.
South Haven...
We had a short ride on Lake Michigan to South Haven. Again, lucky to have calm winds and not coming from the west. This town has been around since 1869. The main employment was centered around lumber, shipping, fishing, and fruit. There was no fur trading here. Commercial shipping peaked in the 1930's and ceased in the 1960's due to the development of the highway system. Many steamships were built here and visited here with people coming from Chicago and Milwaukee. This was another nice town with a developed downtown and waterfront area. Danny and I walked up to the Farmer's Market where I was introduced to a new dessert. The woman at the table said it was a Michigan thing. Called a "bloomy"- it is a brownie 1/2 the usual thickness on top of a chocolate chip cookie. I would have taken a picture but it didn't last long enough to get one. They also had a very nice maritime museum which I toured and enjoyed watching them set up for a wedding that evening.
The lighthouse as you enter the Black River off Lake Michigan was originally constructed of wood in 1871 but the current one with steel has been there since 1916. I walked out to it at sunset one night while we were there. When it had a lantern, it was lit 10 minutes before sunset and had to be replaced at midnight. It was said to be seen 11-15 miles out depending on the weather.
The steamships traveling to South Haven advertised heavily during the 1918 Influenza epidemic selling clean fresh air and clean surroundings on the boat. The maritime museum also had a display of luggage. The round top trunks were often used by wealthy people so other suitcases would not be stacked on them to cause damage. Also when it rained, the rain would fall off this luggage easier and keep things drier. The 1929 Chris Craft Cadet with the original engine called "Merry Time" was there to whisk away the couple after the wedding. The boat was given by a collector to the museum several years ago. It was absolutely beautiful.
Our first night in South Haven, we enjoyed docktales at the marina where we had 16 boats waiting for the locks around Chicago to open.
We enjoyed eating at Taste(tapas bar) and watched the Georgia-Auburn game and Admiral Jack's for drinks.
Michigan City, Indiana...
Again, Lake Michigan was good to us as we travelled 58 miles down to Michigan City, Indiana. We will only be here for 1 night as we prepare to spend a few days in Chicago. Our schedule has changed multiple times due to the work on the locks around Chicago. Someone in an earlier flotilla group (we have been broken down into groups of 16) needed to go later so we switched with them. We will be the second group to go through the locks. In Michigan City, we filled up with diesel and pumped out the holding tank. Of course, Danny checked out Shoreline Brewing Company and saw the Cowboys on TV. They won and he was happy. I went and walked the beach and came back to watch the sunset and the passing of the International Space Station from upstairs on the boat.
This is not the Lake Michigan Danny described to me from last September. As you enter into the river at Michigan City, Indiana, you have the Michigan City Pierhead Lighthouse on your left and the NipsCo Nuclear Power Plant on your right.
Walking to Shoreline Brewery, we walked past the Confederate Monument to the men who served from Indiana. We also had to cross an iron railing bridge that was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930's. It was a beautiful bridge and the 4 of us were not standing in the correct place while it was getting ready to open. Despite repeated bells and horns we kept standing there until the guy came out of the little bridge house and told us to get off the bridge...LOL. So he thinks we are all dumb asses but he will never see us again!
Hopefully you have had time to read my last post about some of our logistics getting back to Kentucky!
Many years ago, my grandmother had my Dad go to a numeralologist. The woman told my Dad his oldest daughter (that's me) had been on earth many times before learning the virtue of patience and I would be coming back again after this life. I would say my patience has been tested numerous times and especially in the last few weeks so maybe I won't need to come back again.....
Next up- Chicago!
Locks 133
Bridges Openings 51
TOTAL MILES TRAVELLED 5,074.33 miles
TOTAL DAYS 323
TRAVEL DAYS 121
Comments
Post a Comment