Tuesday, July 21, 2015
After our overnight in DeTour, Michigan, it was a marvelous sunrise!
This morning we have an early departure to Cheboygan, MI. After a quick breakfast while the boat engines warmed, we departed the DeTour State Marina. The temp is 56 with a cloudless blue sky.
Built in 1931, the 83-foot tall off-shore DeTour Reef Lighthouse is a strategic and historic landmark that marks a dangerous reef to help guide ship traffic from and to Lake Huron and Lake Superior via the strategic St. Marys River. A major restoration of the structure was completed in 2004. The day tours are two hours long and cost $75. For $220, you can be a lightkeeper for a weekend during the summer months. They drop you off on a Friday afternoon and pick you up on Sunday afternoon. Your job is to care for the lighthouse and assist with people who arrive for tours. The accommodations are very basic, and you need to be in good physical shape for climbing the ladders, etc. Sound like fun?!
By 6:45 am, Dream Chaser was cruising by the DeTour Reef Lighthouse and heading into the open water of Lake Huron for a four hour trek towards Bois Blanc Island. The wind is stiff at 14 mph which will affect the wave action, but tomorrow is predicted to be rougher on the water.
About 8:30 am, the waves increased varying from 3 to 5 ft. and the stabilizers went to work!
It was exciting to see the 4 mile long Mackinac Bridge in the distance and know that Lake Michigan lay beyond.
By 11:30 am, Dream Chaser had slipped into her dockage at Duncan Bay Boat Club and was secured. Lunch of crab salad lettuce wraps hit the spot. After picking up the rental car, exploration of Cheboygan and the area followed. Dinner at the Indo China Garden Restaurant was delightful!
| Wednesday, July 22- Monday, August 3, 2015 During our week in Upper Michigan, we enjoyed exploring (by car) the upper east coast area with its beautiful scenery and popular lakeshore towns. The local festivals and fairs are so much fun, so we worked some concerts and festivals into our schedule. The Duncan Bay Boat Club in Cheboygan, MI was a perfect home for Dream Chaser while we are out exploring by car. Located on the west shore of the bay, this private club (open to transients) has a wonderfully quiet harbor, super staff, immaculate facilities, pool, and friendly neighboring boaters. The current marina site, known as Duncan during logging days, was a natural harbor for freighters to drop supplies and pick up the white pine for delivery to the Midwest. The area is gorgeous!      Cheboygan is located on the shores of Lake Huron and the banks of the Cheboygan River. The Opera House is one of Michigan's Upper Peninsula's premiere music halls with a history of performers like the Glenn Miller Orchestra and Donny & Marie Osmond. We found a wonderful Thai food at the Indo China Gardens Restaurant. Superb!  We headed out of Cheyboygan, MI and were off to explore the area. Here is what we found. |
 We enjoyed our meals on the outdoor patio with a view towards Lake Michigan. The restaurant was built high on a high bluff giving a good view of the lighthouses in the distance. The best part of our visit was the authentic Polish food prepared from scratch. Mmmmm! We started with Żurek which is a soup of Polish sausage, hard-boiled egg, and red potatoes in a cream broth.  The next interesting town going south is Harbor Springs. The resort town began as a fur trading center. Then by 1858, fishermen and coopers occupied the area and business began to grow. Located on Little Traverse Bay, the town has a charm more like an ultimate boutique city and caters to the wealthy. This town, like other towns in the area, has drawn summer residents since the late 1800's to escape the heat, relax in the quiet of the area, and enjoy the clear vistas. Continuing south, you have the Village at Bay Harbor where we stopped to check out their Arts Festival which is always held the last weekend in July. Bay Harbor on Lake Michigan, is a premier resort community just north of Petoskey. Built on a quarry, the new owners transformed scarred miles of shoreline containing a massive cement plant and mining operations into a luxurious residential community. With world class amenities, it caters to the wealthy, their families, and visitors. We spent a relaxing afternoon...going from one vendor tent to another checking out the artistic creations while enjoying the views of the marina and Lake Michigan.  
Now this is a HANGING BASKET! There were dozens of these hanging along the walkways.
 As you enter Petoskey from the north, you pass through the Bay View Association of the United Methodist Church, a Chautauqua on Lake Michigan. Founded in 1875, the Bay View Association is situated on 337 terraced acres with more than 30 public buildings, about 450 quaint cottages, and two inns. It is a unique environment that offers music, worship, lectures, and seminars during the summer. It is on the list of National Historic Landmarks. The meeting hall, built in 1915, is located towards the center of the property and has open windows with shades/curtains to dim the outside light. The larger buildings and houses are grouped around the hall. As we walked the sidewalks and drove through the area, we felt like we had entered the era of the 1920's with the old houses and big trees. It felt very comfortable. This Chautauqua is a place that we could both spend time exploring and enjoying the many summer activities and the many people who are drawn here. It's an interesting concept. A Chautauqua is a cultural, religious, and political education movement that began in the early 1870's. There has been a movement to return to this environment as people are realizing it provides keys to a happy, fulfilling life. The BayView Music Festival was underway over the weekend at the John M. Hall Auditorium (built in 1915). The performance of "Ragtime, The Musical" was splendid! We were surprised at the level of talent and the frequency of such performances. It was a marvelous evening.
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| Creativity was all around! |
| In
Charlevoix, we popped in and out of the shops along the main street.
Asian Fusion is a popular Thai restaurant on Bridge St., the taffy shop
has fresh delicious taffy, and The French Place has creative flavors of
rich ice cream. The harbor on Round Lake has been called the best natural harbor on Lake Michigan. The 67 slip Charlevoix City Marina is located at the base of East Park in downtown Charlevoix. It's a beautiful harbor and you can step off your boat and you are on the main street of town! There are no boat reservations taken during the week of the Venetian Festival (you have NO chance unless you know SOMEBODY!). This year the Venetian Festival was scheduled for July 18-25, so there was no hope in docking at the marina in town. Things were hopping in Charlevoix with the 85th year of the Venetian Festival in full swing. The Venetian was initially staged in 1930 by the Chicago and Bevedere Clubs with a candle light parade of boats. Over time, the locals, summer residents, and visitors embraced it and it evolved into a homecoming celebration! For eight days, there were athletic & sailing competitions, a Saturday parade, scads of activities for kids, a carnival, a boat parade, music concerts, food, and fireworks. Really a celebration!
 "Once there was a brilliant jewel that shone brightly for all to enjoy...But in trials of time, her shine grew dim and she fell into tragic disrepair. Then in 2001, something magical happened. The shine is back and she has turned into a jewel, again." Castle Farms is a beautiful farm in a picturesque setting built in 1918 by Albert Loeb, the acting President of Sears, Roebuck, and Co. The dairy farm was modeled after the stone barns and castles found in Normandy, France. At its peak it was the largest employer in the area and had its own baseball team. After Castle Farms closed, it fell into disrepair, changed hands several times, and then it returned as a music theater. Through the 1970’s to early 1990’s, it was considered “Rock n’Roll Central” hosting about 200 popular bands like The Doobie Brothers, The Beach Boys, Rob Seger, Aerosmith, and the list goes on. In chatting with some locals visiting the market, not all of the neighbors appreciated "rocking" into the night and tried year after year to get the place shut down due to the tremendous noise, the congestion due to the huge crowds, and the "unwelcomed behaviors" that resulted with many of the bands. In 2002, Richard and Linda Mueller, the new owners, began a restoration process. Within a few years, the farm was open for events such as Bridal Expos, weddings, and later the Model Railroad was added. Pizza paid for the renovation and maintenance of Castle Farms. Richard began working for Domino’s Pizza in 1967 and now owns over one hundred Domino’s Pizza stores. This market is a "little bit of heaven" to people who enjoy knitting and love to knit with creative and unusual fibers. The rich fibers and beautiful yarns "called out" to be touched. Dances with Wool, Mohair in Motion, Sheep Thrills, and Why Knot Fibers were just a few of the inviting booths. Just a visit to this market will psych you up and put a burning desire inside you to learn how to maneuver those knitting needles! These ladies know how to have fun! A few of the ladies were spinning yarn, and others were selling yarn producers, like this mohair rabbit.   Our tour brought us through the multiple buildings and then outside through the gardens where we were surrounded by flowers. There are over 13 formal and informal gardens on the property.     Back in Charlevoix...   Wednesday night the musical group “Starship” (a re-incarnation of the Jefferson Airplane with Mickey Thomas) took us back to the 60's, 70's, and 80's and provided us with an evening of entertainment outside at East Park.    What a night! Saturday night, the performances were followed by a boat parade and stunning fireworks!   |
We enjoyed Sunday morning church services at CenterPoint Assembly in Charlevoix where Doyle Dykes was sharing his music. We met Joann Way, a member of the church who experienced the loop in 1990 and 1991 with her husband in a 1986 Ocean Alexander! She still has her boat, and it carried the queen and her attendants in the Charlevoix Venetian Boat Parade. So fun to share "looper stories"!
On our way south from Charlevoix, there is a large pie pan on display commemorating Charlevoix's making of the World's Largest Cherry Pie in the U.S. The pie was baked intact in a specially constructed 14' pie tin and 18' oven. Their large cherry pie, which set the world's record, was 14'4" in diameter, 2' deep, and weighed 7 tons. The pie crust weighed 1,730 lbs and the filling weighed 12, 750 lbs. The bake time was 5 hours. The egg wash and sugar was distributed on top of the pie crust using a helicopter. Now, that's a cherry pie!
Northwest Lower Michigan is a rich region for agriculture with great soil and moderate temperatures due to its location to Grand Traverse Bay of Lake Michigan. We are in the Charlevoix area at a perfect time, because the cherries were ripe and ready to pick.
We stayed in the Charlevoix area for two nights, and our motel was on the edge of town right next door to the BBQ joint, "Pigs Eatin' Ribs Smokehouse". They also, had a trailer setup for the Venetian festival in town. For two days, the smell of BBQ filled the motel parking lot and met us as we opened our motel door each morning. Then, the BBQ smell would waft out along the main street in town, as we strolled down the sidewalks. Finally, before we left town, we succumbed to temptation and ordered chopped brisket topped with caramelized onions, smoked gouda, and mustard. It was worth every calorie!
Back in Mackinaw City...
We explored Mackinac Island on two separate days enjoying gorgeous weather. Our first excursion was via the Star Line Ferry to Mackinac Island which was a 5 mile crossing that took about 20 minutes. Our second crossing to Mackinac Island was a delightful cruise with our family on Dream Chaser with dockage at the Mackinac Island State Harbor.
Mackinac Island is an enchanting island atmosphere with an historic waterfront village that draws huge numbers of tourists. No motorized vehicles are allowed, so horse-drawn carriages and bikes abound.
You enter a realm of Colonial houses, lawn cricket, and locals dressed in period clothing. As you step off the boat, Ft. Mackinac looms above you. There are two distinct smells as you debark the boat, horse manure and fudge. The island collects and exports 6,000 lbs of horse manure a day!
First on our list was the Grand Hotel. Known for its wonderful buffets, we chose lunch in the huge dining room and were seated at a table by the window overlooking the town and harbor. The tables were laden with fruits, salads, shrimp, oysters, cold meats & cheeses, breads, prime rib, fish, smoked fish, chicken, pasta, potato dishes, breads, and vegetables. Oh, and of course desserts. Superb!
The Grand Hotel, the world's largest summer hotel, is one of the main attractions on the island. Built in 1887 by two railroad companies, its magnificent colonial porch is the longest in the world. The Grand Hotel is built of Michigan white pine. Hundreds of rocking chairs were lined up on the huge porch for weary visitors to relax, sit a spell, and enjoy the beautiful lake views. There are inviting formal gardens with, long stairways, and inviting porches.
We enjoyed our time on the island and avoided the temptation to indulge in fudge.
Over the long weekend...
Our adult kids and grandson joined us in Mackinaw City for a few days to enjoy the beauty of the area.
We cruised over to Mackinac Island on Dream Chaser.
Dream Chaser slipped into her dockage at the Mackinac Island Municipal Marina, and it was time to explore.
Carriage tours of the island abound, but we chose to bike the eight mile trip around the island. We joined the crowds and set off to explore.
On Saturday, August 1, our family finished breakfast, piled into the Expedition, and drove south.
On the highway heading out of Mackinaw City towards St. Ignace, mini cars were lining up to cross the Mackinac Bridge in the event known as the "Mini on the Mack". The bridge, "the Mighty Mac", is 26,372 ft. long, spans the Straits of Mackinac, and connects the upper and lower peninsulas of Michigan. For the last four years, a group of mini car owners has attempted to break the Guinness World Record at the "Mini on the Mack". Their challenge was to get more than 1,451 mini cars to cross over the Mackinac Bridge, the longest suspension bridge in the world. In the evening, there was a celebration in St. Ignace, and we could see the fireworks at dusk over Moran Bay. We're not sure if they broke the record.
We wanted to share the cherry picking experience with the family, and we are out of cherries, so... We returned to King Orchards south of Charlevoix and had a great time picking 21 lbs. of cherries! Ryan, our son, climbed the trees to pick the ripe clusters towards the top. The rest of us picked what we could find within our reach. Mmmmm!
In Charlevoix, on the west side of town (Park St. & Clinton St.), there are fairy houses and mushroom houses; irregular stone houses with wave like roof lines. This house below was under construction, and you can see how unusual the roof is. We joined a 4 pm tour through the house. Very unusual!
On our return to Mackinaw City, we drove through the Chatauqua at BayView in Petoskey and then on to Cross Village. We enjoyed a delicious dinner and great views at the Legs Inn Restaurant.
Back in Mackinaw City, at the Conkling Heritage Park, we checked out the "Rendezvous in Mackinaw" (an 18th century trade fair). The purpose of the encampment in the park (the participants camped all weekend) was to educate the public by presenting the Native Americans, French, and English peoples as they lived and traded in the 1700's and early 1800's in this region. We strolled among the tents and teepees as people in period dress acted out what life was like back in those days and had items for sale.
On the schedule for the city's Music in the Park, tonight, was "Cool to Duel Pianos". It was a very entertaining duo which presented a great variety of music and entertainment for the crowd. Lots of laughs!
We were very happy to have all our adult kids join us in our celebration of the completion of the Great Loop in 2015! We are now seasoned Gold Loopers!
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When we decided to pursue this Great Loop adventure, several of our friends responded with "you're what?!". Many wanted to join us and a few just worried about whether they would ever see us again. One interesting question was, "what about pirates?" Answer: the Great Loop doesn't take us to the coast of Africa. North American pirates haven't been around for a few hundred years.
Once we started the boat engines and tossed the lines, it became a life changing, unforgettable journey!
We began our two year journey from Madeline Island Yacht Club on August 3, 2013 and joined the Great Loop at DeTour, Michigan. Our 42' Ocean Alexander (trawler) was the "perfect" boat for cruising the loop. The process of choosing a boat which will meet all your needs on the Great Loop is a daunting task. We were newbies at big boats, but checked out dozens of boats and learned quickly. Dream Chaser, originally the Queen Bee, had everything we needed and more. Our draft of less than 4 ft. allowed us to access more areas and motor through the shallows of the shoalings without incident. For bridge clearance, our normal height of 21 1/2 ft. turned to a height of 16 ft by lowering the electronics tower. With the bimini top down, we could clear 13 ft. The lowest bridge clearance we experienced was 15.5 ft. and, it definitely got the crews attention when we squeezed under! Steve was thrilled to have twin non-turbo, diesel engines. From his business background, he knew that when a turbo engine goes out, it ends up to be a $20,000 repair bill. The stabilizers, not typical on most boats, brought us through stormy waters, the Gulf of Mexico, and across the Atlantic from the Bahamas when many boats waited for calmer waters. Dream Chaser performed beautifully and constantly impressed us!
The Great Loop is the route of circumnavigating Eastern North America by water. We cruised in a counterclockwise direction from Lake Michigan, down the Illinois, Mississippi, Ohio, Cumberland, Tennessee, and Tombigbee Rivers to the Gulf of Mexico. We took side trips: the Tennessee River to Chattanooga, TN, wintered in the Florida Keys, spent three glorious weeks on the blue waters of the Abacos in the Bahamas, and cruised Cayuga Lake, one of the finger lakes, to Ithaca, NY. In the spring, we cruised up the east coast, through NYC and the Hudson River Valley to the Erie Canal. We explored all the Erie Canal, the Otsego Canal, and Thousand Islands before we stored Dream Chaser for the fall and winter. In May 2015, we continued our journey up the Hudson River to Lake Champlain, the Chambly Canal, and the St. Lawrence Seaway (exploring Quebec by car). The Richelieu Canal took us from Montreal to Kingston, Ontario. The Trent-Severn Canal brought us into Georgian Bay and then to the North Channel of Lake Huron. Dream Chaser crossed wake at DeTour, MI and continued on to Mackinaw City, MI.
Dream Chaser has cruised about 7,500 miles on rivers, lakes, canals, waterways, inlets, the Gulf of Mexico, and the BIG water of the Atlantic Ocean. At 8.6 mph, you don't miss much along the way.
We have cruised all 5 Great Lakes, locked through over 238 canal locks, and who knows how many bridges we've encountered! We've anchored in rivers, lakes, in the middle of cities, and solitary places like the Everglades. Our dockages have varied from tying up to barges along the river bank... to quiet canal walls...to popular hot spots like Key West... to marinas in large cities like Chicago, New York, and Ottawa. Along the way, we developed an expertise with the electronics; became weather watchers; developed an understanding of tides & currents; became pros at dropping the anchor; became skillful at reading channel and buoy markers; and learned all of Dream Chaser's normal "sounds". A bit of advice...If something sounds strange...check it out!
On August 10, 2015, Dream Chaser became the "perfect" boat for a family from Duluth who are planning to begin the Great Loop within the next year or so. It is our understanding that Dream Chaser will become the JennaLou II. Her boat survey and sea trials were in Mackinaw City on August 3 (exactly two years from the time we began the Great Loop), and she performed beautifully! It has been very difficult to let her go, but our plan from the beginning was to complete the loop and sell the boat. We have other adventures awaiting us!
We have been blessed with this opportunity to travel and experience the sights, sounds, and people along our way. Our hope is that you have enjoyed this blog and have gained insight into the Great Loop adventure. We wish you well in your journeys where ever they may take you.
This is our last posting on the Dream Chaser blog.
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