Are There Hobbits in Michigan?

On Monday (July 28) we had a lovely surprise visit from Looper friends Gerald and Cheri Wallace.  We had last seen them on the Erie Canal at Brewerton, NY. They didn't do the Loop via Canada, but continued west on the Erie Canal into Lake Erie and then into Lake Huron. They were waiting out the windy Monday in the town of Alpena, MI, but had rented a car and made the drive to Mackinaw City. It was great fun to catch up.

Gerald and Cheri Wallace

Mackinac Bridge as seen from Mackinaw City. Too bad
it was too windy to cruise.

The winds started diminishing on Monday evening, and based on the weather information at hand we decided that we could leave Mackinaw City on Tuesday (July 29). I was relieved--the enforced proximity to so many fudge shops was making me antsy. We didn't have perfect conditions for cruising--it was cloudy and still a bit breezy--but the waves were handled easily by the boat, and tolerated by the crew. It wasn't horrible, and the fact that I can write that means that I must be getting more used to some of the rolling motions of the boat. It's just a good thing that neither of us have a propensity for getting seasick.

Leaving Lake Huron and entering Lake Michigan

After 58 miles and 7 hours we were happy to surf into the channel leading to Charlevoix, Michigan. And I really do mean "surf"--the waves coming into the entrance to the channel were pretty impressive.

Charlevoix is a lively, neat, cute tourist town in northern Michigan. One of its claims to fame is several houses built in the early-to-mid 20th century by a local builder and realtor named Earl Young. Variously called "mushroom homes", "gnome houses", and "Hobbitland", the defining features of the houses are the liberal use of stone, curved cedar shake roofs, and unusual chimneys. Some of them really did look as though they could be the residences of Tolkien's Hobbits.

The "Half House"

The house was cool, but the wall was pretty impressive, too

Mushroom house with an amazing garden

Downtown Charlevoix overlooks Round Lake on the east. Within just a few blocks its residential neighborhoods to the west  front Lake Michigan. The local beach had very soft sand.

Charlevoix beach and the lighthouse at the channel entry

A Tuesday night band concert in the park

Our destination today was the village of Leland, about 35 miles south of Charlevoix.  Leland was formerly a commercial fishing town. The "Fishtown" section of the village contains many of the original, century-old wooden shanties that were used for various activities of the fishing trade. Some of the buildings are still used for the limited amount of commercial fishing still being done, but most have been converted into small shops.

Fishtown shanties

The symbol for the local fish shop, of course!

When we started our cruise this morning the sky was grey, and so was the water. It was rather monochromatic and not at all enticing. About an hour away from Leland the skies started clearing. Once that happened, Lake Michigan took on a beautiful blue color. We also started seeing shoreline with relatively high sand dunes, in essence, sand dune cliffs. The total effect was striking.

Van's Beach, looking toward the
 cliffs to the south-
the photos don't do the scene
 justice. Really soft sand!

CARIB II in the Leland Township Marina

Sand dunes at the Lake Michigan shoreline

We have to give the State of Michigan kudos for their wonderful marinas. Every one of the five that we have stayed at so far have been just beautiful. The docks are in great shape, showers and bathrooms are clean, and the staff have provided excellent service.

If only we could be so complimentary about the weather--it's way too cold for July!

Mackinac/Mackinaw

By Thursday (July 24) the winds had diminished enough for us to leave De Tour Village and head into Lake Huron toward the Straits of Mackinac (pronounced mak-in-aw; between Michigan's Upper and Lower Peninsulas). Although we didn't have a reservation, we were fortunate to be able to get a slip for the evening at the Mackinac Island State Harbor marina. We could have stayed at one of the mainland marinas and taken a ferry over to the island for the day, but--despite some wake from the ferries--staying in the midst of the island atmosphere was special.

De Tour Passage lighthouse

Mackinac Island Harbor waterfront

Fort Mackinac overlooking Mackinac Island Harbor

Mackinac Island is one of those places that, if the tourist crowds can be ignored, truly has a "frozen in time" feel to it.  The entire island is listed as a National Historic Landmark. Only 8 miles in circumference, 80% of Mackinac Island is a state park. With a few exceptions, automotive traffic has been banned from the island since 1898. This leaves walking, bicycling, and horses as the modes of transportation. The smell of exhaust has thus been traded for the aroma of equine droppings. There are an incredible number of architectural gems. And there are fudge shops everywhere.

Downtown crowds

Horse carriage taxis and tours

Collecting garbage and recyclables

We weren't too crazy about the tourist hordes in the downtown area, so we hopped on our bikes and cycled the perimeter road in the direction opposite most of the other bicycle traffic.

Lon on the perimeter road--dodging Mackinac Island
land mines (horse droppings) 

Site of British Landing in War of 1812

Cutting inland and climbing the
stairs to Fort Holmes

Uh oh--another cemetery for Pat
 to explore.  This was the Fort Mackinac
 Post Cemetery. Most of the headstones are marked
"unknown"

Gravestone of Susie,
 a 14-year old wife
(1885)

The Grand Hotel purportedly has the longest porch in the world.
 The hotel was built with railroad and steamship company funds.
It costs $10 for non-guests to enjoy the view from the porch.

Ice cream in Mackinac Island; we passed
on the fudge

On Friday (July 25) we left for Mackinaw City on the Lower Peninsula to fill up our fuel tanks and do some preventive maintenance on the boat. Mackinaw City is definitely a tourist town, with lots of modern hotels/motels, mini-golf, a mini-zip line, and shopping (including--of course--fudge). Three ferry companies transport lots of people to Mackinac Island for day trips. We are close to restaurants and a movie theater--and last night we were "treated" to the less-than-dulcet tones of "Whispers of the North", a Gordon Lightfoot Tribute Band, in a free concert in the park adjacent to the marina.

The Gordon Lightfoot tribute band in concert

One of many places to get
 an ice cream fix in
Mackinaw City

Leaving no doubt as to what "Wienerlicious" serves

The weather is not looking favorable for the next few days, so we are here until at least Tuesday, and possibly later. 

Back in the USA

We rousted ourselves out of bed at 5:15 a.m. on Tuesday (July 22), waking to a beautifully clear and still morning in Meldrum Bay, Ontario.  The sunrise had a "red sky at morning, sailor take warning" appearance, which is why we were underway at 6 a.m.--thunderstorms and wind were predicted for the afternoon, and we wanted to get to our destination for the day well before then.

Our "red sky at morning" as we left Meldrum Bay

Five hours and 40 miles later we pulled into the dock at the Drummond Island Yacht Basin, Drummond Island, Michigan.  Although we enjoyed our three-and-a-half weeks in Canada, it felt good to be "home" and see the Stars and Stripes flying at the marina.

Now we know we're back in the USA

Drummond Island is a US Customs checkpoint. When we entered Canada, all we had to do was have "Captain Lon" telephone Canadian Customs, answer a few questions, and get an entry number for posting on the boat. US Customs requires face-to-face check-in for most mariners, which meant we ended up hosting two Customs agents on CARIB II. They were pleasant and professional, but I think even Zipper was a bit subdued by having armed law enforcement on the boat--she checked them out but she didn't hiss or yell. We had a bit of contraband seized--a portion of a Canadian-grown bell pepper. What we wish they would have seized were all of the Canadian born spiders that took up residence on CARIB II during our cruise through the north, but no such luck. Apparently there is no quota for spider immigration.

By shortly before 1 p.m. we were tied up at the dock at De Tour Village, Michigan. About an hour after that a thundershower rumbled through and the wind picked up during the rest of the afternoon. We are not fans of getting up early, but we are so glad we did because it allowed us to finish the North Channel safely and comfortably.

We'd had wonderful cruising weather the previous two days as well.  On Sunday morning (July 20) we awoke to fog in Little Current, but it lifted by late morning.

These are the times when a bit more wind would be good

Lon enjoying the front
 deck while underway

We spent Sunday evening in the town of Gore Bay, which is the judicial center for Manitoulin Island.

Gore Bay Town Docks

Gore Bay Judicial Center

You have to look hard for ice cream
in Gore Bay. The only indication was
a small sign in the window of
Betty's Convenience Store

Evidence of ice cream success

Going to the beach
seemed like a good idea . . . 

 . . . but it was a little cold for this Florida wimp

Gore Bay may also be a center for B&B's, judging by the number we saw, but they seem to have met with varying degrees of success.

c.1891, but history wasn't enough
to keep them in business

The Stone House c. 1900

The Queens Inn looked like
 it was doing well

On Monday (July 21) we continued our tour of Manitoulin Island towns, cruising to the former fishing village of Meldrum Bay near the west end of the island.  It was peaceful, remote, and brought to mind the quote "it's not the end of the world, but you can see it from here." It had a well-regarded restaurant, the Meldrum Bay Inn, but our cell phone service was non-existent and internet nearly so--which is why, if we were going to be held in port because of weather, we wanted it to be somewhere not quite so isolated.

The extent of downtown Meldrum Bay

Looking out over the bay

We decided to spend the full day today in De Tour Village so that the clouds could clear out and the wind subside a bit more. We are happy to have cell phone and internet service again.  The marina overlooks the De Tour Passage, a connector between the ports to the north (including those on Lake Superior) and Lake Huron. Ships are a common sight in the channel.

Freighter heading south toward Lake Huron

Getting a view toward Lake Huron

Biking in the area around De Tour Village

The absolute best view at the marina was the two leash-trained cats walking the docks with their owners. We were told that the one-year old cats started training on the leash as soon as they were weaned. Unfortunately, Zipper has no sense of peer pressure and will not be shamed into emulating them.

It was an even better sight watching them walk
down the dock

Completing Another "Big Water"

It may be cold, but the sunsets have been spectacular.

Sunset over Big Sound Marina and Parry Sound on July 16

We left Big Sound Marina at 6 a.m. on Thursday morning (July 17), hoping to be able to do a long, one-day crossing of Georgian Bay (70 miles) to Killarney.  The wind and weather forecasts were promising, but as we left the protection of the coastal islands we discovered that Canadian maritime forecasting could be just as misleading as American maritime forecasting.  Although the waves were a bit larger than forecast, they weren't terribly huge--maybe 2-3 feet--but with our intended direction of travel they were hitting us abeam, making for an uncomfortable ride. We didn't want to deal with that for 7 hours, so we did an about-face and proceeded to the alternate small craft channel. Our destination for the day then became the town of Britt, formerly a sawmill town about 5 miles inland from the Georgian Bay on the Byng Inlet.  Getting there required us to go out in Georgian Bay and deal with the waves for a couple of hours, but that was a lot better than 7 hours. And then it was a pleasant ride down the protected Byng Inlet.

Boathouse on Byng Inlet near Britt

We're still in "cottage country"

Here's hoping they have air mattresses for their sleeping bags

There were quite a few "loopers" in the two marinas in Britt, all of us getting out of the wind and waves on the Georgian Bay. "Happy Hour" discussions included the weather and cruising plans.

Another early morning on Friday (July 18)--a 6:30 a.m. start in our second attempt to cross Georgian Bay. This time we cruised with Loopers on M/V Lindy and M/V Sanctuary. Although not absolutely necessary, there is a comfort factor in having other boaters close at hand when making the big water crossings. And there might be a bit of "misery loves company" as well. The first hour out of the Byng Inlet was "rocky and rolly", but the water settled down as we proceeded and it turned out to be a pretty good day for crossing Georgian Bay. Because we were now further north our open water crossing was only about 40 miles or so. Considering how much I love "Big Water" (not), it was a relief to enter the channel leading to the town of Killarney.

Lighthouse at the entrance
 to the Killarney channel

The ever-present rocks in this part of the world

Killarney used to be operated as a fish camp by a company out of Detroit, Michigan, and wasn't incorporated as a town until 1999. Prior to 1962 the only way to access Killarney was by water transport. We stayed at the Sportsman's Inn Marina on the main channel, conveniently located close to the (one) main street and its attractions, and within biking distance of the lighthouse.

The main attraction (for us) of downtown Killarney-
the place for ice cream cones

Taking a selfie by the
Killarney lighthouse

Pat on the rocks by the Killarney lighthouse

Life is simpler in this part of the world--one of the attractions in the evening was the "Boat-In Theatre" sponsored by the Sportsmans Inn & Marina. 

Boat-In Theatre at the Sportsmans Inn & Marina

Sorry to say, we were too tired after a couple of early mornings and long cruising days to enjoy the movie.

Today we cut ourselves some slack and limited our cruising to 23 miles.  We are now officially off Georgian Bay and are spending the evening in what is considered the first town of the eastern end of the North Channel, Little Current. The town is located on Manitoulin Island, which is the largest freshwater island in the world and separates the North Channel from Lake Huron proper. 

Swing bridge to enter Little Current

Way too convenient--located at the Little Current
 Town Dock--fish & chips and ice cream

We are hoping to take advantage of what is supposed to be good weather over the next few days to make our way west along the northern shore of Manitoulin Island and cross back into the United States at Drummond Island, Michigan on Tuesday, July 22.