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