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:
Monday, July 31, 2017
Midland through Covered Portage
Kim’s Korner:
While at Beausoleil Island, David looked at the alternator which was only putting out about 11 volts. The alternator had been worked on in Jacksonville and the installation had been poorly done as David found un-crimped connections which had come loose the day we left Jacksonville. He looked it over again while here and found a wire that needed some tightening. Since an electrician was coming to look at another boat, David had him look at the alternator and since we had an old spare as well, he took that to check it out to see if it would work or what it would take to make it work.
We moved to Bay Port Yacht Center in Midland while we waited for the alternator. Guess what? The alternator put out about 14 volts that day – coincidence? While we waited for the electrician and our spare alternator, we had a new town to explore. We enjoyed fantastic ribs at Dillon’s Wood-Fired Pizza with Anne and Tim before they left the next morning – we would catch up with them at some point. We also had a delicious dinner at The Explorers Café during our stay. Midland is known for their murals – the worlds largest is there painted on the side of grain silos in the harbor – very neat! We biked on the Trans-Canadian Trail again and after some really big hills ended up in Penetanguishene, another interesting town on the Georgian Bay.
The electrician returned with a newly refurbished alternator since the old one was no good. The next day, we left for the Ladas Bay anchorage. The Georgian Bay is just gorgeous! The rocks turned to calico – black, orange, and white and have ridges in them from the glaciers that formed them. When the sun comes out, the water is clear and blue.
Our friends, Bob and Gail, on The Good Life happened to contact us and we realized we were very close to one another so they came to the same anchorage. We hadn’t seen them since the Statue of Liberty. At Ladas Bay and then Hopewell Bay the following night, we explored in our dinghies, had dinner and played chicken foot – it was good to catch up with them. I saw a loon land very close to us and Gail got some amazing pictures of it! We visited Henry’s Fish Camp for pan-fried pickerel and haddock. Henry’s is world famous and can only be reached by water or air. We were lucky enough to see a seaplane takeoff while there.
At Eureka Point anchorage, we caught back up with Ivanhoe as well as the other boats we’ve been with on and off since we entered Canada. We dinghied over to Ojibway Hotel, an old historic hotel that is open 70 days a year, for ice cream, walking trails and a few groceries. We returned here several times while we were waiting out the rain.
We finally got to use our kayaks! It’s been since January since we last used them due to the fact there really hasn’t been any opportunities to use them. If the weather is good, we are usually moving with Overtime. If the weather is bad, the weather is bad for kayaking as well. At least the kayaks are up out of our way so it isn’t like we are tripping over them all the time. What a place to get to use them – the Georgian Bay! David located what he called “The Land that Time Forgot”. I thought he was crazy as you had to paddle thru grass and lilies but it was beautiful once you got through all that! And just a little buggy. We also paddled over to what the locals call “The Hole in the Wall” – a narrow channel that small boats can use where locals gather on two very small beaches and jump off the cliffs into the water.
We moved to the Bustard Islands and anchored for two nights, again waiting for the rain and winds to pass. This anchorage is another beautiful setting with a dozen boats anchored here. David had to do a “Mediterranean style anchorage” here where he dropped anchor and then tied the rear of the boat to a tree to keep the boat from swinging 360 degrees, allowing more boats to anchor in an area. After a dinghy ride to explore the immediate area, we enjoyed dinghy-tails (tying all our dinghies together) with other boaters.
After 8 nights at anchorages, we headed to the Sportsman Inn Marina in Killarney to provision before heading out again. On the way, we passed through Beaverton Bay and Collins Inlet which were absolutely beautiful! I took so many pictures – sorry for them all – and I didn’t include a fraction of them. Killarney, originally known as Shebahonaning (“narrow channel”), is indeed a narrow short channel that is bustling with boats, sailboats, dinghies, kayaks, sea planes and helicopters. To provision, we used our dinghy to tie up to the docks of the different stores where we needed to go. Such a different world than I am accustomed to!
The next day, we headed to beautiful Covered Portage Cove for two nights of anchoring. We hiked to the top of the cliffs where a gorgeous view awaited us. The water is an emerald green. We picked wild blueberries, swam and hiked up the other side the second day to an observation deck which overlooked the cove as well. This has been our favorite anchorage so far.
I almost forgot – the alternator is still putting out 14 volts. It must have been the wire that David tightened.
Pictures:
20170716 Midland
20170719 Ladas Bay, The Archipelago, Ontario
20170720 Hopewell Bay, The Archipelago, Ontario
20170721 Eureka Point, The Archipelago, Ontario
20170725 Bustard Islands, Ontario
20170727 Killarney Ontario
20170728 Covered Portage Cove Anchorage
While at Beausoleil Island, David looked at the alternator which was only putting out about 11 volts. The alternator had been worked on in Jacksonville and the installation had been poorly done as David found un-crimped connections which had come loose the day we left Jacksonville. He looked it over again while here and found a wire that needed some tightening. Since an electrician was coming to look at another boat, David had him look at the alternator and since we had an old spare as well, he took that to check it out to see if it would work or what it would take to make it work.
We moved to Bay Port Yacht Center in Midland while we waited for the alternator. Guess what? The alternator put out about 14 volts that day – coincidence? While we waited for the electrician and our spare alternator, we had a new town to explore. We enjoyed fantastic ribs at Dillon’s Wood-Fired Pizza with Anne and Tim before they left the next morning – we would catch up with them at some point. We also had a delicious dinner at The Explorers Café during our stay. Midland is known for their murals – the worlds largest is there painted on the side of grain silos in the harbor – very neat! We biked on the Trans-Canadian Trail again and after some really big hills ended up in Penetanguishene, another interesting town on the Georgian Bay.
The electrician returned with a newly refurbished alternator since the old one was no good. The next day, we left for the Ladas Bay anchorage. The Georgian Bay is just gorgeous! The rocks turned to calico – black, orange, and white and have ridges in them from the glaciers that formed them. When the sun comes out, the water is clear and blue.
Our friends, Bob and Gail, on The Good Life happened to contact us and we realized we were very close to one another so they came to the same anchorage. We hadn’t seen them since the Statue of Liberty. At Ladas Bay and then Hopewell Bay the following night, we explored in our dinghies, had dinner and played chicken foot – it was good to catch up with them. I saw a loon land very close to us and Gail got some amazing pictures of it! We visited Henry’s Fish Camp for pan-fried pickerel and haddock. Henry’s is world famous and can only be reached by water or air. We were lucky enough to see a seaplane takeoff while there.
At Eureka Point anchorage, we caught back up with Ivanhoe as well as the other boats we’ve been with on and off since we entered Canada. We dinghied over to Ojibway Hotel, an old historic hotel that is open 70 days a year, for ice cream, walking trails and a few groceries. We returned here several times while we were waiting out the rain.
We finally got to use our kayaks! It’s been since January since we last used them due to the fact there really hasn’t been any opportunities to use them. If the weather is good, we are usually moving with Overtime. If the weather is bad, the weather is bad for kayaking as well. At least the kayaks are up out of our way so it isn’t like we are tripping over them all the time. What a place to get to use them – the Georgian Bay! David located what he called “The Land that Time Forgot”. I thought he was crazy as you had to paddle thru grass and lilies but it was beautiful once you got through all that! And just a little buggy. We also paddled over to what the locals call “The Hole in the Wall” – a narrow channel that small boats can use where locals gather on two very small beaches and jump off the cliffs into the water.
We moved to the Bustard Islands and anchored for two nights, again waiting for the rain and winds to pass. This anchorage is another beautiful setting with a dozen boats anchored here. David had to do a “Mediterranean style anchorage” here where he dropped anchor and then tied the rear of the boat to a tree to keep the boat from swinging 360 degrees, allowing more boats to anchor in an area. After a dinghy ride to explore the immediate area, we enjoyed dinghy-tails (tying all our dinghies together) with other boaters.
After 8 nights at anchorages, we headed to the Sportsman Inn Marina in Killarney to provision before heading out again. On the way, we passed through Beaverton Bay and Collins Inlet which were absolutely beautiful! I took so many pictures – sorry for them all – and I didn’t include a fraction of them. Killarney, originally known as Shebahonaning (“narrow channel”), is indeed a narrow short channel that is bustling with boats, sailboats, dinghies, kayaks, sea planes and helicopters. To provision, we used our dinghy to tie up to the docks of the different stores where we needed to go. Such a different world than I am accustomed to!
The next day, we headed to beautiful Covered Portage Cove for two nights of anchoring. We hiked to the top of the cliffs where a gorgeous view awaited us. The water is an emerald green. We picked wild blueberries, swam and hiked up the other side the second day to an observation deck which overlooked the cove as well. This has been our favorite anchorage so far.
I almost forgot – the alternator is still putting out 14 volts. It must have been the wire that David tightened.
Pictures:
20170716 Midland
20170719 Ladas Bay, The Archipelago, Ontario
20170720 Hopewell Bay, The Archipelago, Ontario
20170721 Eureka Point, The Archipelago, Ontario
20170725 Bustard Islands, Ontario
20170727 Killarney Ontario
20170728 Covered Portage Cove Anchorage
Monday, July 17, 2017
Kirkfield, Ontario to Beausoleil Island
Kim’s Korner:
We have covered some miles in the last month and all these small towns and locks are running together! We have had to traverse some extremely narrow channels. Before we enter, David makes a Securite call over the radio which announces which channel we are entering and which direction we are heading and to please announce yourself if that will be a problem. Then you just hope that if anyone is in the channel, they’ll let you know. We’ve also had some very shallow canals to travel – these are man-made, cut out of rock and are very narrow as well. Currents make things even more interesting. This area is rock, rock, and more rock – no more soft sand as in Florida. Several of our fellow loopers have missed a buoy, hit a rock which caused damage and has had to wait on repairs. It’s definitely scary but the area is beautiful at the same time.
The last two locks on the Trent-Severn were interesting. The Big Chute was definitely the highlight of the Trent-Severn. This “lock” actually puts you onto this “chute” which lifts you out of the water, over a road and back into the water on the other side. They really have it down to a science and seems hum-drum to them but for me - I definitely had an adrenaline rush after it was over! The last lock is very small and only one boat our size can fit in it at a time. We were warned as we waited on the blue line that when you leave the lock, we would be in very swift currents and have a very narrow channel to go through. We were to give a securite as we left the lock as the channel was not big enough for two boats to pass each other. Oh my gosh! We hit that current and it was like riding a slalom course through that channel – wheeeee!!! David’s arms were sore afterward from having to keep Overtime between the buoys. Crazy!
We are officially off the Trent-Severn Waterway and on Georgian Bay which is supposed to be a beautiful cruising area. It is nice to be done with locks for a while. Our first stop is Ojibway Bay on Beausoleil Island which is a Canadian National Park. It is beautiful here and we have a gorgeous view from our aft deck! This park has docks in several places and we are tied to one of the docks along with six other boats – no power or water. There is an outhouse – that’s about it. We got here just as the rain started – ugh! More rain! I also was disheartened to learn we had lost one of our new fenders – at least we are done with the locks for now.
There is a huge mix of houses here. Near the bigger towns, you will see the big, expensive homes. But most of the time, you will see these awesome small cottages, many on their own island. We assume many of these cottages have probably been in the family for generations. Many of them are only in use during the three months during summer as these lakes freeze during the winter. We have had several 60-degree mornings and we still see kids out swimming while we are wearing our fleece.
Wildlife – I’ve been hearing loons early in the morning while I’m just waking – they have a wonderful song. I finally saw one and have seen a few so far. Just as we got into the Georgian Bay, Anne spotted an osprey that had just caught a huge fish – so huge, it couldn’t fly with it. The osprey had the fish pinned on a rock with a seagull only a few feet away just waiting. It was very interesting to see – I only wish we knew how the story ended. I also spotted a deer from our window who had come to the bay to drink water around dinner time – so neat! I took pictures from inside the boat so as not to scare him. We are hoping we might see some black bear and moose – we’ll see!
We started out on a hike to Fairy Lake and after only 500 yards, turned back for our thermacells. Bugs, bugs and more bugs! And they were biting! This was really the first time we had used the thermacells and they worked great! I could hear bugs near my ears and things flying into me but nothing bit – whew! We passed Chimney Bay – a popular anchorage – and saw kids swimming and skiing. We continued to Fairy Lake which was beautiful! A momma loon and her chick were swimming – a hawk flew over and the momma let him know real quickly to just keep moving. We returned to the boat for docktails. We even learned that Ray and Leise are good friends of Rob and Glenda, friends who are doing the loop and who we traveled with for a while – it’s a small world!
We also got our dinghy down and took a ride – we finally had a sunny day – Yay! We haven’t had the dinghy down in months and it was great to use it again. We went to Picnic Island for ice cream and checked out Honey Harbour. We’d heard about Canadian weekends on the water and boats and people were out in droves on this sunny Saturday
We have covered some miles in the last month and all these small towns and locks are running together! We have had to traverse some extremely narrow channels. Before we enter, David makes a Securite call over the radio which announces which channel we are entering and which direction we are heading and to please announce yourself if that will be a problem. Then you just hope that if anyone is in the channel, they’ll let you know. We’ve also had some very shallow canals to travel – these are man-made, cut out of rock and are very narrow as well. Currents make things even more interesting. This area is rock, rock, and more rock – no more soft sand as in Florida. Several of our fellow loopers have missed a buoy, hit a rock which caused damage and has had to wait on repairs. It’s definitely scary but the area is beautiful at the same time.
The last two locks on the Trent-Severn were interesting. The Big Chute was definitely the highlight of the Trent-Severn. This “lock” actually puts you onto this “chute” which lifts you out of the water, over a road and back into the water on the other side. They really have it down to a science and seems hum-drum to them but for me - I definitely had an adrenaline rush after it was over! The last lock is very small and only one boat our size can fit in it at a time. We were warned as we waited on the blue line that when you leave the lock, we would be in very swift currents and have a very narrow channel to go through. We were to give a securite as we left the lock as the channel was not big enough for two boats to pass each other. Oh my gosh! We hit that current and it was like riding a slalom course through that channel – wheeeee!!! David’s arms were sore afterward from having to keep Overtime between the buoys. Crazy!
We are officially off the Trent-Severn Waterway and on Georgian Bay which is supposed to be a beautiful cruising area. It is nice to be done with locks for a while. Our first stop is Ojibway Bay on Beausoleil Island which is a Canadian National Park. It is beautiful here and we have a gorgeous view from our aft deck! This park has docks in several places and we are tied to one of the docks along with six other boats – no power or water. There is an outhouse – that’s about it. We got here just as the rain started – ugh! More rain! I also was disheartened to learn we had lost one of our new fenders – at least we are done with the locks for now.
There is a huge mix of houses here. Near the bigger towns, you will see the big, expensive homes. But most of the time, you will see these awesome small cottages, many on their own island. We assume many of these cottages have probably been in the family for generations. Many of them are only in use during the three months during summer as these lakes freeze during the winter. We have had several 60-degree mornings and we still see kids out swimming while we are wearing our fleece.
Wildlife – I’ve been hearing loons early in the morning while I’m just waking – they have a wonderful song. I finally saw one and have seen a few so far. Just as we got into the Georgian Bay, Anne spotted an osprey that had just caught a huge fish – so huge, it couldn’t fly with it. The osprey had the fish pinned on a rock with a seagull only a few feet away just waiting. It was very interesting to see – I only wish we knew how the story ended. I also spotted a deer from our window who had come to the bay to drink water around dinner time – so neat! I took pictures from inside the boat so as not to scare him. We are hoping we might see some black bear and moose – we’ll see!
We started out on a hike to Fairy Lake and after only 500 yards, turned back for our thermacells. Bugs, bugs and more bugs! And they were biting! This was really the first time we had used the thermacells and they worked great! I could hear bugs near my ears and things flying into me but nothing bit – whew! We passed Chimney Bay – a popular anchorage – and saw kids swimming and skiing. We continued to Fairy Lake which was beautiful! A momma loon and her chick were swimming – a hawk flew over and the momma let him know real quickly to just keep moving. We returned to the boat for docktails. We even learned that Ray and Leise are good friends of Rob and Glenda, friends who are doing the loop and who we traveled with for a while – it’s a small world!
We also got our dinghy down and took a ride – we finally had a sunny day – Yay! We haven’t had the dinghy down in months and it was great to use it again. We went to Picnic Island for ice cream and checked out Honey Harbour. We’d heard about Canadian weekends on the water and boats and people were out in droves on this sunny Saturday
Saturday, July 8, 2017
Bobcaygeon
Kim’s Korner:
We keep meeting up with this small cruise ship that cruises on the Trent-Severn Waterway. It was built to fit into the smallest lock and we finally got to see it lock through. The front bow folds up (see picture) to fit into the lock and the top half of the pilothouse lowers to fit under bridges. The cover over the back deck also folds down. You can barely see the captain in the pictures with his head protruding, through a hatch, above the lowered pilothouse roof to maneuver the ship under the bridge into the lock. The top of his head was inches from the bottom of the bridge – I wonder if he gets hazardous pay. It was very cool to watch.
We made it to Bobcaygeon and made the most of the town during the afternoon. First was the Kawartha ice cream factory – yummy! Then it was laundry, grocery shopping, tourist shopping, docktails with about 8 other looper boats that we’ve been running into every other day or so, and grilling out dinner. It was a long day but we accomplished a lot.
We keep meeting up with this small cruise ship that cruises on the Trent-Severn Waterway. It was built to fit into the smallest lock and we finally got to see it lock through. The front bow folds up (see picture) to fit into the lock and the top half of the pilothouse lowers to fit under bridges. The cover over the back deck also folds down. You can barely see the captain in the pictures with his head protruding, through a hatch, above the lowered pilothouse roof to maneuver the ship under the bridge into the lock. The top of his head was inches from the bottom of the bridge – I wonder if he gets hazardous pay. It was very cool to watch.
We made it to Bobcaygeon and made the most of the town during the afternoon. First was the Kawartha ice cream factory – yummy! Then it was laundry, grocery shopping, tourist shopping, docktails with about 8 other looper boats that we’ve been running into every other day or so, and grilling out dinner. It was a long day but we accomplished a lot.
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