A slower pace we found on Mackinac Island.....no motorized anything.....only bicycles and horse drawn carriages! How quiet......you hear children laughing and people walking. Our friends from Galveston, Texas arrived on Thursday, August 12. It is wonderful when you can share this trip with family and friends. Between riding bikes the 8 miles around the island, to taking horse carriage rides, wonderful dinners, and a little shopping we really enjoyed our four days on Mackinac Island. Tuesday the 15th of August we left Mackinac for the 60 miles to Petoskey, MI. Little did we know but the winds changed from the forecast and soon after passing the Straits of Mackinac, the five of us (Willi ) found ourselves in strong west winds with 5-7 foot seas! All donned life jackets as we planned our escape path in case the boat capsized. For four hours Steve stood fighting the waves, huge sprays, and zigzagging to stay on course. Finally we arrived at our destination to find the salon completely a wreck with food, appliances, books, and two cabinet doors torn from the screws that held them to the frame. But we were safe in harbour and it was good Teresa and Mark were with us to help weather the long day.
Petoskey is at the NE corner of Lake Michigan. It is a quaint town with a very pretty harbour and clock tower at the edge of the lake. Cute shops and good restaurants always make a port a good stop. We said good-bye to Mark and Teresa the next day. Willi hated for Teresa to leave and blamed me by barking at me for two hours. Kids are all the same! Another part of the trip I've enjoyed is checking out the spas.....sooo the spa at nearby Bay Harbour was calling.....these days are wonderful treats!
Steve has become quite the marine mechanic. He has repaired most everything that has happened to Here and Now. Since Petoskey had a West Marine, he was able to replace the bilge pump that had failed during the rough seas. Of course Willi always has to supervise his work.
After a couple of days the winds laid down enough for us to go the 18 miles to Charlevoix. Another beautiful 'green area' harbour. Here we reconnected with a couple of other loopers, Two Turtles and MaGoo. Laundry and grocery shopping are always on the "to do " list so we were glad these places were close. We always try to walk the town/village to experience the area and get the much needed exercise. Charlevoix is known for the mushroom houses by Earl Young. Built in the 30's, they are still beautiful today.
On our travel days,we average traveling about 50 miles at about 8.5 knots. We usually leave around 8:30 in the morning and arrive at port about 2:30 in the afternoon. This gives us time to secure and wash the boat, do laundry if needed, grocery shop and explore before dark. Most evenings we get to enjoy the sunsets.
Another good stop was Frankfort, MI, not because of the town but because our Lyondell friends Tom and Lin Kilburn were in town visiting Tom's mother. We were able to visit with the 3 of them over dinner and "cherry pie". What a great surprise!
Michigan has wonderful marinas along its west coast. After stopping in Pentwater, Grand Harbor, and St. Joseph we are now about 60 miles to Chicago by crossing over to the west side of Lake Michigan. Our reservations for the 5 days there are at DuSable Marina in downtown Chicago. Matt and Susan will be joining us for the weekend. Susie and I will shop while the guys tour the Cubs stadium and attend the White Sox and Yankees game. Life is Good!
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