On Sunday, August 25 we left South Haven under blue skies, but with a nice breeze. We called St. Joseph from the water to see if they had slip. Thankfully they did. It was the same size as our slip at Belle Maer, so we knew we could get in. Sea Fever, Second Wind, and Q's cabin are here. Peg from Peg of My Heart (St. Joseph is their home port.) generously offered to drive us to the grocery store. All the boats got together for docktails and snacks. It was fun sharing advice and stories. Monday, we stayed in St. Joseph. Brian from the marina drove us downtown. St. Joseph has a lovely downtown. We walked the historic neighborhood enjoying the architecture of the old homes, the gardens and the sculptures. We also loved the whimsical street art downtown. We had coffee at the Golden Brown Bakery and also purchased some yummy cookies.  We then walked to Silver Beach, which was an amusement park from 1891-1971. They had magnificent carousel as well as a children's water park. The carousel had a horse with a MSU theme and one with a U of M theme.

On Tuesday we departed St. Joseph for our last port in Michigan, New Buffalo. The skies were overcast and the lake was lumpy. But, as we approached New Buffalo, the skies cleared and Lake Michigan calmed down.  Sea Fever was already there and we docked next to them.  We were then joined by a new looper friend, Mystic Sanctuary.  After a walk into town, we all went on Sea Fever for drinks and snacks.  We used the air on the boat because the heat has become intense.  Wednesday brought overcast skies and lower humidity. However, fog rolled in about 10:00. We biked to the grocery store for provisions.  We were excited when Meandering came in through the fog. After biking to the beach and around a lakefront neighborhood, Deb and Jim from Sea Fever came over for drinks and to see the boat. We then chatted with Kathy and Ken from Meandering before dinner and turning in for the night.  One of the highlights of this trip has been the friends we are making as we move from port to port and anchorage to anchorage.

We all woke up on Thursday to dense fog with very little wind.  A convoy of Summer Recess, Mystic   Sanctuary, Meandering, and Sea Fever left New Buffalo at 9:25. As we entered the lake the fog thickened. We put on the radar.and began communicating on Channel 6. For the next five hours we watched each other's back. We had about a quarter mile visibility all the way across the lake. Mystic Sanctuary left the group first to go to Calumet. Then Sea Fever and Meandering broke off to go to 39th Street Marina in Chicago. We were approaching our harbor, Burnham, but did not see the entrance until we were about 200 yards off shore. Due to the fog we did not see the skyline until later in the evening. All the boats got into their ports safely. Burnham is a very large harbor. We are directly in front of Soldier Field where the Bears play. The Bears had a game today against the Cleveland Browns. We were amazed that people used their boats for tailgating. We took a long walk on the waterfront and saw the skyline. It was extemely hot and humid. Friday was another hot day. Today we walked our paws off.  We went through the museum campus, which contains the Adler Planetarium, Shedd's Aquarium, and the Field Museum of Natural History. We are making our way to Michigan Avenue and the Art Museum. Along the way we passed the beautiful Grant Park.  Chicago is a magnificent city.  The museum has a very large Impressionist collection with many works by Claude Monet, who just happens to be my favorite artist. They also were hosting a special exhibit titled "Impressionism, Fashion and Mondernity." It was simply beautiful. Tony was not that impressed. After leaving the museum, we had lunch and made our way down the Magnificent Mile to the Water Tower building to the American Girl and Lego Store. Our goal is to purchase gifts our grandsons and granddaughters. We then took a taxi back to the marina.  The heat is still oppressive. A rather impressive storm blew in around six o'clock. It had very high winds, thunder and lightning. Tony made sure we were safe. More on Chicago in our next blog entry.

                                          

           

                                                         St. Joseph Sculpture

                                                     Home in St. Joseph Historic District

                                                            St. Joseph Street Art

Carousel at Silver Beach in St. Joseph

                                      
                                                          Fog Rolling into New Buffalo

                                                Where's the Chicago Skyline?

                                            Here's the skyline five hours later.

                                                            Soldier Field

                                                   Michigan Avenue Street Art

                                                              Grant Park Garden

                                                               Woody made from Legos

                                                     Storm coming into Burnham Harbor

Monet at Art Museum

We left Holland around 10:00 on Tuesday after pulling up a very very muddy anchor chain and anchor.  There was filth everywhere.  (Thank God for rubber gloves.) We proceeded to Saugatuck. The approach is through the Kalamazoo River which is narrow with banks full of beautiful homes and lush vegetation. We followed the guide and anchored where we were supposed to, at least that is what we thought.  Along comes a paddle wheeled tour boat, whose captain announces we are in his channel.  So we pulled up anchor and moved the boat. It was a little shallower than we are used to but the anchor held.  We took the dinghy into Saugatuck. What a wonderful town.  It is an artist's village, with many beautiful galleries. We also found the Uncommon Ground Coffee Shop.  It was the best coffee to date on the trip.  After coming back to the boat, we were serenaded at 6:00 by a carillon playing "Let There Be Peace on Earth." During the night we were hit with an amazing lightning and thunderstorm with rain and some pretty good wind gusts.  Thursday brought overcast skies and rain off and on all day. We stayed at anchor, but didn't leave the boat until dinner. We ate at an Irish Pub, called Chequers.  Friday we headed to South Haven. There we found Always 5 O'Clock already docked. Then Meandering came in along with Q's Cabin. We had docktails with all of them.  Saturday morning there was a wonderful farmers market in town. We also found a marine store.  Of course there was a coffee shop. We had snacks with all the loopers including Second Wind in the marina club house because it was very hot and sunny.  After dinner, we walked to the South Haven Pier and saw a magnificent sunset. It was the perfect way to end the day. 

                                                       Garden in Saugatuck

                                                             Garden in Saugatuck

South Haven Light 

                                                                    South Haven Sunset

South Haven Sunset

                                                      South Haven Maritime Museum

Sunset in South Haven

After going home for four days and enjoying Dominic's first birthday party, we returned to Muskegon with the car loaded with supplies and clothes. On Monday, Augusgt 19th we resumed our adventure. Our destination was Grand Haven, a short trip from Muskegon.  Docking was a bit of a challenge due to a strong breeze.  Tony handled it successfully. Downtown Grand Haven was a short walk from the marina. We found the coffee shop (of course). We also walked parts of the board walk along the river. We found a pop corn storn and bought a small bag. Another looper boat, Always 5 O'clock, pulled in next to us. It was a 40' Mainship. They were from Florida.  Before dinner we enjoyed a glass of wine on their boat. The highlight of the evening was watching the musical fountain from the top back deck of the boat.  It was glorious. Today we journeyed to Holland.  We anchored in Pine Creek, which is a bay in Lake Macatawac. It was very peaceful.  We took a dinghy ride and the new motor worked perfectly. The weather has finally warmed up. Yea!!

Dominic Enjoying His First Birthday Cake

                                                             Street Art in Grand Haven

                                                          Street Art in Grand Haven

                                                         Part of a Train in Grand Haven

                                                                  Holland Light

                                                        Anchorage View in Holland

                     Saw several dune buggies on this dune between Pentwater and White Lake

                                          Old Lighthouse as we entered White Lake

                                               Tony found his dream golf cart in Muskegon

Our trip from Pentwater was perfect. Lake Michigan was very calm. We saw several dune buggies as we approached White Lake.  After we docked in White Lake, a 39' Nordic Tug pulled in. We met Pete and Carolyn from Mystic, Connecticut, who have been on the loop since May.  Whitehall and Montegue are both on the banks of White Lake.  On  Tuesday, Augusgt 13, there were small craft warnings on Lake Michigan so we stayed in White Lake.  The wind was strong the entire day.  Wednesday we woke up to calm winds even though it was chilly.  We journey to Muskegon and docked on Great Lakes Marina. They give discounts to loopers.  Tony found his dream golf cart at this marina.  Note to children dad wants this golf cart for his birthday, or maybe Christmas, or even Father's Day. Summer Recess will stay in Muskegon as we go home for the celebration of our grandson's first birthday. Our adventure will resume on August 19th.

August 6 was our second day in Manistee. We walked to downtown and of course found a coffee shop. We had drinks with Ken and Kathy aboard Meandering and after dinner walked to the beach for the free jazz concert. We were awakened during the night by a rather intense storm complete with lightning, thunder, and pouring rain.  The following day we decided to stay in Manistee because the weather outlook was not good. At the cocktail hour we had a first 'chicken party' with Kathy and Ken.  on our boat. (You have a chicken party when you are afraid to leave a port due to inclement weather.) Thursday, August 8 dawned with beautiful skies and calm winds. We said good bye to Meandering and made our way to Ludington. We passed Big Sable Light House on our way. After anchoring in Pere Marquette Lake in Lundington we took the dinghy and tied up on the wall at the municipal marina. Downtown was nice with a coffee shop. We then proceeded on our quest to find Jim and Carolee who both taught in Troy. Jim was also a fishing charter boat captain for many years. Thanks to the help of a gracious lady, who loaned us a phone book, we found their house and spent a delightful afternoon talking with them and then planned dinner for the next evening. Friday we docked at the Harborview Marina. It had great accommodations. We met Jim and Carolee at Steamers for dinner. During the meal the car ferry, S.S. Badger went by. They came to see our boat. We were glad to have visited with them. Saturday was cool and overcast as we headed out to Pentwater a short 10 mile trip. We anchored in Little Bayou. There we saw Meandering and Erben Renewal. Pentwater was hopping because it was Homecoming Weekend.  There were Spartan fans all over the place. We found out George Perles was born in Pentwater. They had a grand parade with Spartan band members past and present,  antique cars, and even one float celebrating U of M. The highlight of the parade was the clown band, a group of local musicians in various types of costumes. They play very well. Manistee, Ludington, and Pentwater were a lot of fun.

Dinghy in Ludington

Big Sable Lighthouse

                                                S.S. Badger (car ferry) in Ludington

                                              Waterside Sculpture in Ludington

                                             Dinner with Jim and Carolee in Ludington

                                              Sailboat Regatta in Pentwater

                                                        MSU Band in Pentwater

Special message to Jim and Carolee Fenner. We accidentally deleted your email. We will be in Ludington Thursday. please let us know how to contact you.

Two Minx eating a fish in Manistee

Swans by the boat in Frankfurt

Garden in Frankfurt

Sunset in Frankfurt

Pointe Betsie Lighthouse

Sand  Dunes along the Lake Michigan Shore

                                               
On Saturday August 3rd we had a bumpy ride from Leland to Frankfurt. But we didn't mind because of the breathtaking views along the Sleeping Bear Lakeshore. During this leg of our trip we also saw our first two Lake Michigan freighters and passed North and South Manitou Island and the Point Betsie Lighthouse. As we travelled and saw Sleeping Bear Point and the Manitous, I thought of the legend of the mother bear and her two cubs. We anchored in Frankfurt. We again saw Erben Renewal. We took the dinghy to town and walked the main street. Then we found a market and bought a few groceries.  Imagine taking a dinghy to go grocery shopping.  On Sunday we stayed in Frankfurt.  We noticed there is a constant parade of fishing boats going out and coming in.  We decided to treat ourselves to lunch in town. To work up an appetite we walked to the pier where there was a magnificent view of the sand dunes.  We went to Stormcloud Brewery (recommended by a couple in Leland). We had a conversation with the owner. He was so interested in our Great Loop story that he took our picture and said he was going to put it on his facebook page.  Monday was an easy trip from Frankfurt to Manistee. We met two looper couples. Meandering is from Ottawa Canada and Fredrica Lady from St. Simons Island, GA. We enjoyed sharing experiences and stories, while watching two minx having a salmon dinner  We are sure we will meet these folks again.