Kim’s Korner:
The last day in Charlevoix, we rode bikes with Steve and Rae from Barefoot Shoes, a Kadey Krogen Manatee. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed good Mexican food afterward.
After 10 days in Charlevoix waiting on the water heater and weather, we made our way to Leland for the night. We had delicious, fresh whitefish at The Cove and fun exploring the town and gift shops. We enjoyed a beautiful sunset from our pilothouse!
The next day we headed to Frankfort. It was the day of the eclipse and the day was hazy – don’t think it was due to the eclipse but the pictures I took just didn’t do the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes justice due to the haze. Frankfort is on Betsie Lake and after settling in and watching the eclipse on TV, we decided to bike the Betsie Valley Trail. This trail may be the best one we’ve been on yet – it took us over to the far eastern end of Betsie Lake where it turns more into a swamp, by a creek, thru forests and eventually to Crystal Lake which was crystal clear and gorgeous! The story of Crystal Lake goes that an attempt to create a navigable channel between Crystal Lake and Lake Michigan by way of Betsie Lake caused the water level of Crystal Lake to be lowered by 20 feet (which was 25% of the lake water) in just a few weeks. This drawdown was unsuccessful from a navigational standpoint but created 21 miles of beach around Crystal Lake where 1100 cottages are now located.
The following few days were WINDY – sleep last night was constantly interrupted by sounds of the lines and fenders as well as the rocking of the boat. I included one picture of a boat that had lines everywhere – we totally understand that! We enjoyed going to the beach and watching the waves and the windsurfers – one windsurfer was able to get quite high! We also enjoyed biking over to Betsie Point Lighthouse which took us by the western end of Crystal Lake.
It looks like the weather is calming down enough for us to leave tomorrow (Thursday) – we’ll see. The wind here changes quickly so stay tuned…
Pictures! Leland - Frankfort
Picture of Chattanooga
Wednesday, August 23, 2017
Wednesday, August 16, 2017
Charlevoix
Kim’s Korner:
We continued our way from Mackinaw City to Charlevoix. If you remember, the sunrise was stunning and I already posted pictures of the Mackinac Bridge. I’ve included the rest of the pictures in this blog of the beautiful clouds and rainbow during the sunrise. The water was very calm which is almost unheard of in Lake Michigan. This lake is known for getting really nasty very quickly. We arrived at the channel leading us into Round Lake and then Lake Charlevoix and had to wait for the bridge to open. The water was a beautiful color and the town was busy with people which made it very inviting. Gail and Bob from The Good Life found us and we rounded up the six looper boats in the marina and had docktails. Unfortunately, they were cut short as a thunderstorm sent us all running for our boats.
As planned, we picked up a rental car. Gail and Bob joined us and we headed to Castle Farms. Castle Farms was built in 1918 by Albert Loeb, the President of Sears & Roebuck Co as a model dairy farm. The farm was shut down 9 years later and fell into disrepair. In 1962, it was purchased and opened as an art gallery. In 1969, the property was purchased and eventually became a summer concert area – see my photo of who rocked the Castle – very impressive list! In 2001, the castle was bought once again and an extensive restoration project began. Many people tour the castle as we did to see the castle, model railroad, gardens and various collections. It has also become a very popular wedding venue and can accommodate several weddings at the same time using different buildings and gardens. Since we still had some time left, we headed to Petoskey which is supposed to be a neat town that many loopers stop at. We were not disappointed. The town, riverfront, and beaches were all very nice and we visited Petoskey State Park in the hopes of finding a Petoskey stone which is a rock that is composed of fossilized coral formed by glaciers during the ice age. The beaches here contain rocks just like southern beaches contain shells. There were so many pretty rocks that I found myself looking for ones that caught my eye as well as Petoskey stones. Gail and I both found several of the Petoskey stones although they weren’t the really obvious ones that the stores sell for a small fortune. We ate at an excellent barbeque restaurant called Pigs Eatin’ Ribs before heading back to the boat.
Charlevoix had an art festival the following day which was really very nice. I made a few purchases and then we took a tour of the Mushroom Houses with Bob and Gail. The Mushroom Houses, also known as Gnome Homes or Hobbit Houses, are an architectural endeavor of self-taught Earl Young. Over two dozen homes and four commercial properties were built from 1919 to 1970 using a variety of rock and stone found in Northern Michigan. Earl Young is known for his wide, wavy eaves, cedar-shake roofs, “icing” at the top of his chimneys, and diamond shaped window panes. As an added benefit, the hotel he designed which we visited had Petoskey stones for sale so guess who got one? The four of us headed back to the boat and shared dinner before calling it a day.
Today the four of us headed to Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore which was 1 ½ hour drive away. We would be passing this by boat as we head south on Lake Michigan but I wanted to experience it more than simply passing by. Plus we had the time and a car which worked out perfectly! The park covers a 35-mile-long stretch of Lake Michigan's eastern coastline, as well as North and South Manitou islands. Chippewa legend has it that an enormous forest fire drove a mother bear and her two cubs into the lake for safety, determined to reach the opposite shore. When the mother bear reached the shore, she waited for her two cubs on the top of a high bluff. The exhausted cubs drowned in the lake, but the mother bear stayed and waited in hopes that her cubs would appear. The Great Spirit created two islands (North and South Manitou islands) to commemorate the cubs, and the winds buried the sleeping bear under the sands of the dunes where she waits to this day. The park is breathtaking! The sand dunes are huge! I’ve never seen anything like it before in my life! From a distance, we could see this huge sand dune – it looked like a snow ski slope only it was sand. As we got closer, we started seeing specs which turned out to be people climbing the huge dune. Of course, David and I had to climb it! Gail joined us and off we went. Most of you know how hard it is to walk in sand – well try climbing in sand – it isn’t easy! Once we reached what we thought was the top, we realized it was not the top at all. So after a short break, David and I started up the next incline. On the way up, a boy maybe 10 or so, was really huffing and puffing and he asked his mother how were these old people doing this? What? Old people? David and me? Can’t be! And yes – we made it to that top only to find out there was another one waiting for us if we chose. But we did not choose. It was much more fun going down the dune than climbing up! And much quicker too! After that, we decided to visit the Maritime Museum in the park and attend a re-enactment of the breeches buoy rescue drill using a Lyle Gun to save Raggedy Ann and Andy from their shipwreck. The park ranger presenting the re-enactment used volunteers and did an excellent job of explaining how it all worked. We then decided to swing by Leland (also called Fishtown) on the way back to check it out. Leland was a neat place and we may well stop there as we travel south on Lake Michigan. We checked out the town, its history and of course, we had to check out the local whitefish for dinner – we couldn’t visit Fishtown without eating the local fish! The fish was delicious, we were exhausted and we still had an hour drive home. It was another good day!
The rental car went back on Monday and a day of chores kept us busy. We were disappointed to learn the water heater would not be delivered until Tuesday afternoon – ugh! Thursday and Friday forecast bad weather days so if we don’t get to leave Wednesday, we’ll be here until Saturday. Tuesday morning we rode bikes over to Fisherman’s Island State Park and walked on the beach – very nice! We also stumbled onto the World’s Largest Cherry Pie – too bad we couldn’t have a piece!
So the water heater did arrive Tuesday afternoon and the technician began work on it. He continues to work this morning and depending on what time he is finished and how the weather looks, we may leave today. We had some fellow loopers who also have a Kady Krogen Manatee contact us yesterday and they are arriving in Charlevoix today so if we stay, we plan to meet with them. So stay tuned…
We continued our way from Mackinaw City to Charlevoix. If you remember, the sunrise was stunning and I already posted pictures of the Mackinac Bridge. I’ve included the rest of the pictures in this blog of the beautiful clouds and rainbow during the sunrise. The water was very calm which is almost unheard of in Lake Michigan. This lake is known for getting really nasty very quickly. We arrived at the channel leading us into Round Lake and then Lake Charlevoix and had to wait for the bridge to open. The water was a beautiful color and the town was busy with people which made it very inviting. Gail and Bob from The Good Life found us and we rounded up the six looper boats in the marina and had docktails. Unfortunately, they were cut short as a thunderstorm sent us all running for our boats.
As planned, we picked up a rental car. Gail and Bob joined us and we headed to Castle Farms. Castle Farms was built in 1918 by Albert Loeb, the President of Sears & Roebuck Co as a model dairy farm. The farm was shut down 9 years later and fell into disrepair. In 1962, it was purchased and opened as an art gallery. In 1969, the property was purchased and eventually became a summer concert area – see my photo of who rocked the Castle – very impressive list! In 2001, the castle was bought once again and an extensive restoration project began. Many people tour the castle as we did to see the castle, model railroad, gardens and various collections. It has also become a very popular wedding venue and can accommodate several weddings at the same time using different buildings and gardens. Since we still had some time left, we headed to Petoskey which is supposed to be a neat town that many loopers stop at. We were not disappointed. The town, riverfront, and beaches were all very nice and we visited Petoskey State Park in the hopes of finding a Petoskey stone which is a rock that is composed of fossilized coral formed by glaciers during the ice age. The beaches here contain rocks just like southern beaches contain shells. There were so many pretty rocks that I found myself looking for ones that caught my eye as well as Petoskey stones. Gail and I both found several of the Petoskey stones although they weren’t the really obvious ones that the stores sell for a small fortune. We ate at an excellent barbeque restaurant called Pigs Eatin’ Ribs before heading back to the boat.
Charlevoix had an art festival the following day which was really very nice. I made a few purchases and then we took a tour of the Mushroom Houses with Bob and Gail. The Mushroom Houses, also known as Gnome Homes or Hobbit Houses, are an architectural endeavor of self-taught Earl Young. Over two dozen homes and four commercial properties were built from 1919 to 1970 using a variety of rock and stone found in Northern Michigan. Earl Young is known for his wide, wavy eaves, cedar-shake roofs, “icing” at the top of his chimneys, and diamond shaped window panes. As an added benefit, the hotel he designed which we visited had Petoskey stones for sale so guess who got one? The four of us headed back to the boat and shared dinner before calling it a day.
Today the four of us headed to Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore which was 1 ½ hour drive away. We would be passing this by boat as we head south on Lake Michigan but I wanted to experience it more than simply passing by. Plus we had the time and a car which worked out perfectly! The park covers a 35-mile-long stretch of Lake Michigan's eastern coastline, as well as North and South Manitou islands. Chippewa legend has it that an enormous forest fire drove a mother bear and her two cubs into the lake for safety, determined to reach the opposite shore. When the mother bear reached the shore, she waited for her two cubs on the top of a high bluff. The exhausted cubs drowned in the lake, but the mother bear stayed and waited in hopes that her cubs would appear. The Great Spirit created two islands (North and South Manitou islands) to commemorate the cubs, and the winds buried the sleeping bear under the sands of the dunes where she waits to this day. The park is breathtaking! The sand dunes are huge! I’ve never seen anything like it before in my life! From a distance, we could see this huge sand dune – it looked like a snow ski slope only it was sand. As we got closer, we started seeing specs which turned out to be people climbing the huge dune. Of course, David and I had to climb it! Gail joined us and off we went. Most of you know how hard it is to walk in sand – well try climbing in sand – it isn’t easy! Once we reached what we thought was the top, we realized it was not the top at all. So after a short break, David and I started up the next incline. On the way up, a boy maybe 10 or so, was really huffing and puffing and he asked his mother how were these old people doing this? What? Old people? David and me? Can’t be! And yes – we made it to that top only to find out there was another one waiting for us if we chose. But we did not choose. It was much more fun going down the dune than climbing up! And much quicker too! After that, we decided to visit the Maritime Museum in the park and attend a re-enactment of the breeches buoy rescue drill using a Lyle Gun to save Raggedy Ann and Andy from their shipwreck. The park ranger presenting the re-enactment used volunteers and did an excellent job of explaining how it all worked. We then decided to swing by Leland (also called Fishtown) on the way back to check it out. Leland was a neat place and we may well stop there as we travel south on Lake Michigan. We checked out the town, its history and of course, we had to check out the local whitefish for dinner – we couldn’t visit Fishtown without eating the local fish! The fish was delicious, we were exhausted and we still had an hour drive home. It was another good day!
The rental car went back on Monday and a day of chores kept us busy. We were disappointed to learn the water heater would not be delivered until Tuesday afternoon – ugh! Thursday and Friday forecast bad weather days so if we don’t get to leave Wednesday, we’ll be here until Saturday. Tuesday morning we rode bikes over to Fisherman’s Island State Park and walked on the beach – very nice! We also stumbled onto the World’s Largest Cherry Pie – too bad we couldn’t have a piece!
So the water heater did arrive Tuesday afternoon and the technician began work on it. He continues to work this morning and depending on what time he is finished and how the weather looks, we may leave today. We had some fellow loopers who also have a Kady Krogen Manatee contact us yesterday and they are arriving in Charlevoix today so if we stay, we plan to meet with them. So stay tuned…
Wednesday, August 9, 2017
Mackinaw City to Charlevoix
Kim’s Korner:
We made our way on Lake Huron, passing Mackinac Island and arriving at the city marina in Mackinaw City, MI. Mackinaw and Mackinac are pronounced the same – ending sound like naw. We took our bikes on a ferry over to Mackinac Island the following day. This was definitely the tourist stop – people, restaurants and gift shops everywhere! It was almost a culture shock as the last few weeks in Canada were spent in the exact opposite. Only bikes, horses and horse drawn carriages are allowed on the island as forms of transportation. I’ve never seen so many bikes! The Grand Hotel which is known for having the longest covered porch resides on the island – it was impressive. Flowers were planted everywhere – even the private homes took part in planting gorgeous flower gardens. The best part was riding our bikes on the 8-mile path around the island. We climbed 207 steps to see Arch Rock where the views were spectacular! The water was beautiful - colors ranging from green to turquoise to blue and at times, I could see gold flecks in it. It was really interesting to see and experience this island for the day but a day was plenty for me – too many people! The following day, we enjoyed riding our bikes on the Northwestern State Trail to Lake Paradise. Another beautiful lake! And let me just say that we have really enjoyed all these biking/walking trails we have encountered – really nice! They are used by snow mobiles in the winter. We also took in Mackinaw City – gift shops, historical landmarks, restaurants, ICE CREAM! And I have to say – it was sooooo nice to go into a grocery store and be able to find the things I wanted. The grocery stores in Canada were nice but they did carry different products than we do which was surprising to me. We love Wheat Thins and even they had a different shape and slightly different flavor to them – who would have thought?
So… cruising is fun but we all know that there are always things that need fixing on a boat. We now had encountered one of those issues that had to be fixed. Our hot water tank was leaking and of course, the tank is in one of those hard to reach places hidden behind the engine that David can’t really see. We were back in the mode where we would turn the water off at the breaker panel when we weren’t using it which is a real pain but a necessity at this point. We located a marina in Charlevoix which is well respected for their service department and made that our next stop. After having the technician look at it, the hot water heater needs replacing as we had expected. Because of its location, to replace it would require a good part of the engine would have to be removed. David was not in favor of this so the plan is to “retire in place” this water heater (sounds like a nuclear plant) and add a new one which will then have to have pipes and electricity run to it. David is having a few other minor things done as well since it looks like we will be here for 5-7 days while parts are ordered and installed. We expected this and I now have a rental car reserved. Charlevoix has a lot of places within driving distance that I would like to see so we’ll take this opportunity to do just that.
I almost forgot to mention – we left at 6:00 AM from Mackinaw City and the sunrise was stunning! It lasted for quite a while due to the cloud cover and I couldn’t stop taking pictures of the Mackinac Bridge!
We made our way on Lake Huron, passing Mackinac Island and arriving at the city marina in Mackinaw City, MI. Mackinaw and Mackinac are pronounced the same – ending sound like naw. We took our bikes on a ferry over to Mackinac Island the following day. This was definitely the tourist stop – people, restaurants and gift shops everywhere! It was almost a culture shock as the last few weeks in Canada were spent in the exact opposite. Only bikes, horses and horse drawn carriages are allowed on the island as forms of transportation. I’ve never seen so many bikes! The Grand Hotel which is known for having the longest covered porch resides on the island – it was impressive. Flowers were planted everywhere – even the private homes took part in planting gorgeous flower gardens. The best part was riding our bikes on the 8-mile path around the island. We climbed 207 steps to see Arch Rock where the views were spectacular! The water was beautiful - colors ranging from green to turquoise to blue and at times, I could see gold flecks in it. It was really interesting to see and experience this island for the day but a day was plenty for me – too many people! The following day, we enjoyed riding our bikes on the Northwestern State Trail to Lake Paradise. Another beautiful lake! And let me just say that we have really enjoyed all these biking/walking trails we have encountered – really nice! They are used by snow mobiles in the winter. We also took in Mackinaw City – gift shops, historical landmarks, restaurants, ICE CREAM! And I have to say – it was sooooo nice to go into a grocery store and be able to find the things I wanted. The grocery stores in Canada were nice but they did carry different products than we do which was surprising to me. We love Wheat Thins and even they had a different shape and slightly different flavor to them – who would have thought?
So… cruising is fun but we all know that there are always things that need fixing on a boat. We now had encountered one of those issues that had to be fixed. Our hot water tank was leaking and of course, the tank is in one of those hard to reach places hidden behind the engine that David can’t really see. We were back in the mode where we would turn the water off at the breaker panel when we weren’t using it which is a real pain but a necessity at this point. We located a marina in Charlevoix which is well respected for their service department and made that our next stop. After having the technician look at it, the hot water heater needs replacing as we had expected. Because of its location, to replace it would require a good part of the engine would have to be removed. David was not in favor of this so the plan is to “retire in place” this water heater (sounds like a nuclear plant) and add a new one which will then have to have pipes and electricity run to it. David is having a few other minor things done as well since it looks like we will be here for 5-7 days while parts are ordered and installed. We expected this and I now have a rental car reserved. Charlevoix has a lot of places within driving distance that I would like to see so we’ll take this opportunity to do just that.
I almost forgot to mention – we left at 6:00 AM from Mackinaw City and the sunrise was stunning! It lasted for quite a while due to the cloud cover and I couldn’t stop taking pictures of the Mackinac Bridge!
Friday, August 4, 2017
Baie Finn to Drummond Island
Kim’s Korner:
Baie Fine (or Finn) is an 8-mile fjord leading to the “Pool” at the far end. We anchored in the Pool which is known for the number of weeds you will find on your anchor when you pull it up. We were not disappointed. While there, we hiked to Artist Lake and Topaz Lake which are located within the Killarney Provincial Park. David climbed down to the edge and jumped in Topaz Lake – it is known as a great swimming hole as well as for its stunning topaz color and white granite cliffs surrounding it. When we went to leave, we were informed that a 15-year-old girl and her dog were missing. Those of us who were there broke up into pairs and went on different trails in the search. A while later, we were notified that she had finally been able to find a spot with cell coverage and had made contact with her family. She was okay and had just gotten turned around on the trails – she was heading back although it would be almost 3 hours before she was back to the boat.
We stopped overnight in Little Current to provision. We had tried to in Killarney but the store was very limited and expensive on what they had. Little Current was the last town that had good provisioning capability before getting back into the US.
We went to Kagawong which is a very small town known for Bridal Veil Falls, a natural waterfall where everyone in town gathers to cool off. We enjoyed ice cream, a refreshing swim in the lake and barbeque for dinner.
We also had to make some decisions since bad weather was approaching. The last place on my list that I really wanted to visit was the Benjamin Islands but due to the bad weather, we decided to skip these islands and begin heading to Drummond Island where we would re-enter the US and clear customs. We wanted to be sure we left enough time to spend on Lake Michigan. We spent one day traveling to Meldrum Bay – the water was like glass and we could see storms on our starboard side but we stayed dry except for a few sprinkles. We spent one bumpy day traveling to Drummond Island. It was bittersweet knowing we were leaving Canada – we had enjoyed our 43 days there very much. It was also a really good feeling to be back in the United States.
Baie Fine (or Finn) is an 8-mile fjord leading to the “Pool” at the far end. We anchored in the Pool which is known for the number of weeds you will find on your anchor when you pull it up. We were not disappointed. While there, we hiked to Artist Lake and Topaz Lake which are located within the Killarney Provincial Park. David climbed down to the edge and jumped in Topaz Lake – it is known as a great swimming hole as well as for its stunning topaz color and white granite cliffs surrounding it. When we went to leave, we were informed that a 15-year-old girl and her dog were missing. Those of us who were there broke up into pairs and went on different trails in the search. A while later, we were notified that she had finally been able to find a spot with cell coverage and had made contact with her family. She was okay and had just gotten turned around on the trails – she was heading back although it would be almost 3 hours before she was back to the boat.
We stopped overnight in Little Current to provision. We had tried to in Killarney but the store was very limited and expensive on what they had. Little Current was the last town that had good provisioning capability before getting back into the US.
We went to Kagawong which is a very small town known for Bridal Veil Falls, a natural waterfall where everyone in town gathers to cool off. We enjoyed ice cream, a refreshing swim in the lake and barbeque for dinner.
We also had to make some decisions since bad weather was approaching. The last place on my list that I really wanted to visit was the Benjamin Islands but due to the bad weather, we decided to skip these islands and begin heading to Drummond Island where we would re-enter the US and clear customs. We wanted to be sure we left enough time to spend on Lake Michigan. We spent one day traveling to Meldrum Bay – the water was like glass and we could see storms on our starboard side but we stayed dry except for a few sprinkles. We spent one bumpy day traveling to Drummond Island. It was bittersweet knowing we were leaving Canada – we had enjoyed our 43 days there very much. It was also a really good feeling to be back in the United States.
Pictures:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)