Leaving the Great Lakes Behind

September 17,2017

I must admit that I was pretty happy to enter the Chicago Lock. As pretty as the Great Lakes were, as nice as all the people I met were, and as good as so many of the dinners were the Great Lakes left me traumatized. Entering the smooth, protected waters of the river system gave me a good feeling.

I passed under the Lake Shore Drive bridge and into the Chicago Sanitary and Barge Canal. Every bit as romantic as it sounds. I headed to Joliet, IL.
Yes, the lakes were done, but the rivers presented new challenges. The canal out of Chicago is really congested with traffic/ It is narrow and heavily industrialized. On more than one occasion, I had to dodge around a tow. It was interesting.
I had a 37 mile run to Joliet. Amazing how many miles can be run with the current pushing you along.
Joliet has a free city wall that loopers can tie up to. I was fortunate that there were other loopers already tied on to the wall because it was so tall that I couldn't have tied up without help. And, it's not just a free wall, they also provide electricity. Nice! I'm not sure if there is a limit to the number of nights, but I wound up staying 3 nights.
I found a really great restaurant for breakfast in town. I indulged myself twice. I highly recommend the Route 66 Diner in downtown Joliet.

Chicago!

September 14, 2017

In the two days I spent there, I got a lot done in Portage, IN. But, I was really excited to be getting to Chicago. I was even more excited to be finished with the Great Lakes. Pretty as they are, they treated me poorly. And... they weren't done with me, either.
I got an early start and was underway on calm waters. But, true to form, by the afternoon the wind had picked up and the waves were tossing me around.
I had called ahead and reserved a spot at DuSable Harbor. As I was approaching, I tried to call them on the radio. I also tried to call them on the phone. I got no answers. I managed to find my slip and tied myself in. I thought that I'd get a little more help for $100.00 a night. I found the office to let them know that I had arrived. I also mentioned that I didn't get any answers to my calls. The kid working in the office explained that the radios didn't work in the office. I didn't say anything, but I was thinking that for that kind of money they could get a better radio or a bigger antenna. Oh, well.
I had a shower and treated myself to a couple of beers at the café that was right on the river walk next to the marina.
While enjoying my beer, I asked to look at a menu. They advertised Mediterranean food. I finished my beer and took a long walk over toward Navy Pier. By the time I got back toward the boat, I was hungry. I decided to eat at the same little café. I had lentil soup, kufta on rice, and a nice salad. It was all delicious.
I found out that Monroe Harbor, right next to DuSable, only charges $1 a foot for a mooring ball. So, after breakfast, I moved the boat to Monroe. I'd never grabbed a mooring ball before, but it was fairly easy. I wound up staying on the mooring ball for two nights. The mooring field and DuSable are all run by the city of Chicago. The mooring field is serviced by a couple of tenders that will pick you up and drop you off pretty much on demand. You just have to call them on VHF channel 68. Easy and fun.
After I got moved to the mooring ball I hailed a tender and went out for breakfast. On the walk back I decided to do some grocery shopping. I Ubered back to the boat with my groceries. I then spent the afternoon walking around Navy Pier and having a few beers on the pier. The weather was gorgeous, so I enjoyed my little break.
Next day I did much the same thing, walked, ate, enjoyed. But, the day before I had noticed a big group of people on Segways. I decided to treat myself. I again walked to Navy Pier and found the kiosk that rented the Segways. I asked the young woman at the counter if I could take a Segway tour. She pulled out an appointment book and asked me what day I wanted to go. I responded that I wanted to go now! She said let me check with Matt. They wound up charging me $10.00 more than the regular tour for a private tour with Matt. It was great. I really had a good time learning to ride the Segway and then taking the hour tour.

Tomorrow we enter the river system!

On to Chicago

September 7 - 14, 2017
After all those days in Pentwater, I finally got to move on down the west coast of Michigan. My first stop was in Muskegon. That's the home of the submarine, USS Silversides. I got into the marina late, therefore I couldn't get a ride to the museum. I guess it's quite the thing. You can arrange to overnight on-board the WWII sub.
I fueled up when I arrived and the dockhand who helped me fill up directed me to the slip I'd be tied up in for the night. After I was secured into the slip, I asked him where the office was so I could pay for the slip. He said that I shouldn't worry about it as it was late in the season. So, I got a free night in a nice slip.

Big Red Lighthouse, Holland, MI

I headed out early the next morning bound for Lake Macatawa and Eldean Shipyard. Eldean's is a pretty big operation. I got tied in for the night and took an Uber to Walmart. I got my prescriptions renewed and took on some fresh food. The next morning, as I was checking out, I noticed that they had an end-of-season sale on long-sleeved T-shirts. It was cold, so I bought one. And, glad I did.
Next stop, South Haven. Big, confusing marina. I got lost trying to find where I was supposed to tie up. I had to pull into an empty slip and, while I left the motor running, ran to an office to determine where I was supposed to be. Turns out there is a north marina and a south marina. I was talking to south thinking it was north and trying to follow backwards directions. It took some doing but I finally got squared away and spend a pleasant evening. I had been eating aboard my boat for awhile, so I decided to treat myself to pizza and a couple of beers. That went so well that the next morning, I decided to treat myself to breakfast at Captain Nemo's. Great breakfast. Good way to start another long cruising day.

St. Joseph North Pier Lighthouse

I headed out for St. Joe. Kind of a short day, only 21 miles. The weather was pretty nice, no wind. I pulled in to the fuel dock and topped off the tank. A whole bunch of people on the dock started asking a million questions about the boat, me, and the Great Loop. That's always fun. After fueling, I cruised over to my slip. There was only one person working, so I got no help pulling into the slip or tying up. It was a nice evening. I ate dinner on-board and had a pretty good night's sleep.
Continuing south, my next port of call was the New Buffalo Marina. Another confusing entry to the marina. I managed to find the wrong marina. I tied up and walked around and finally figured out that it was a condo marina. Got it figured out and I got tied into the right place. I had a nice shower in a nice facility and decided to go out to dinner. I walked to within 100 yards of the restaurant row near the marina only to hear screaming football fans. I turned around and had dinner on-board. No problem. I charted my next day's cruise and found that this was my last day in Michigan. Tomorrow, I'll be in Indiana.
I set out early for Portage, Indiana. Nice staff, nice facility. I needed to stay for a couple of days. I had to make another eye doctor appointment. I managed to find a retinal specialist in a nearby town. I had to get up early to take an Uber to the office. I decided to have a shower that first evening in Portage so I could save time in the morning. I walked up to the shower room and got nothing but cold water. I did the best I could and went to bed.
I did get up early and I got an Uber over to the office. Got my eyes taken care of and headed back to the marina. I stopped at Walmart on the way back.
When I got back to the marina, I complained about the shower and the woman running the place said that she'd give me one night free. She later wrote to me and said that the nearly 20 year-old boiler needed significant repairs.
So, two nights in Indiana and off to Chicago.

Continuing South

Having turned to corner, so to speak, at the Mackinac Bridge did a lot to cheer me up. Even though I got beaten up again crossing over to Beaver Island, a southerly heading made me feel good.
First stop for September was in Ludington. One of Ludington's claims to fame is a coal fired ferry boat, the SS Badger, that runs from Ludington, MI to Manitowoc, WI a couple of times a day. You can smell the coal fire before you see the boat (I don't think that the EPA is happy). The couple on the boat next to me told me all about it.
They had invited me over for beers on their boat. And, we wound up walking into town for dinner. It's just amazing all the nice people that I've met on this trip.
After Ludington, I headed to Pentwater, MI. Soon after I tied in for the night, a gentleman stopped by my boat and asked if I was really doing the loop. I said yes and he invited me to come join a group of other loopers for "docktails" down at the other end of the marina. Fun group, one couple was from WV, over near Charleston. We talked and shared stories and drank.
I wound up having to stay in Pentwater for 5 days. The weather on the lake was terrible. One of the loopers went out on the third day and quickly turned around and re-docked. The waves, he said, were huge.
It turned out to be a good stop for five days. There is a grocery store in town. There is also a laundry. I took advantage of both There are also a couple of decent restaurants in town and I took advantage of them as well.
So, the 5 days turned out to be pretty productive, but the weather wasn't cooperating. It was the waves and wind on the lake that kept us in, but it was the cold and rain that made it unpleasant. And, then this happened -

August Recap

My little boat in the nearly empty Rock & Dock Marina

I started August in Grand River, Ohio and finished the month in Frankfort, Michigan. Visiting the Rock and Roll Hall of fame was definitely one of the high spots of the journey. Those two days on Huron (breaking the mast and crossing Saginaw Bay) were some pretty low spots. "That which does not kill us, makes us stronger." ~ Nietzsche

Fifth month cruising:
Cruised - 566.76 nautical miles
Burned - 79.24 gallons of diesel fuel
Spent - $251.61 (avg 3.175 per gal)
Marina Nights - 31
Anchor Out - 0
Free Docks - 0
Total Miles Traveled - 3,704.83

Onward to Leland and Frankfort

Leland Harbor Light

August 29-31, 2017
The weather cooperated for a couple of days, so I was able to move on down the west coast of Michigan. I hopped over to Leland. Nice little town. A little touristy, lots of T-shirt shops and adventure outfitter kinds of places. There is an historic area, Fishtown. Back in the olde days, it's where fishermen dried their nets, sold their catches, and generally took care of business.
I walked around a bit, did a little grocery shopping, and generally goofed off for the day.
As I crossed the parking lot headed back to the boat, I spotted a wallet laying open in the parking lot. I brought it back to the marina and the harbor master said that he knew the guy who lost it.
Another quiet night at another great Michigan harbor. I left early en route to Frankfort.
And, another 5 hour straight line kind of day. Not much to report. I got into Frankfort and tied in for the night.
The harbor master told me that there were a couple of good restaurants in town. One of them is a brew pub. That had my attention. I walked up into town, with a couple of other loopers, and found Stormcloud Brewing. I had an interesting hopped stout with a nice salad.
Walking back to the boat, I passed a restaurant named Dinghy's. I thought I'll try that tomorrow night if the weather continues to be bad. And, so it did.
The winds continued to toss the lake so, I stayed for a second night. It gave me the opportunity to get some laundry done. I also took a long walk around town and hit an ATM. It's a beautiful, quiet little town.

Frankfort Light built in 1912

I did go to Dinghy's for dinner. Let me rave about that for awhile. I had an unbelievably good deep-fried walleye served with an equally good coleslaw. I opted for the extra price sweet potato fries. The fries were the crispiest sweet potato fries I've ever had. They were served with an aioli. I can't say enough about how good this dinner was. And to top it off, they had a New Zealand sauvignon blanc.
That was the end of my fifth month on the loop.

Charlevoix

August 28, 2017
The crossing from Beaver Island to Charlevoix was a little bumpier than expected, but not as bad as the day before.
Charlevoix is a beautiful town and the marina there is first class. I got tied in a registered. I got the directions for the showers and men's room. The office staff also mentioned a grocery store within walking distance, so I got a refill of supplies.
I was walking back to the boat when I spotted a platinum AGLCA flag. I think I've said this before, but white flag is on the loop, gold flag is completed loop, platinum flag is two or more completed loops. The couple on the boat flying the flag invited me on-board for a drink. We talked about looping and boats and Charlevoix. They mentioned that they had had dinner at The East Park Tavern. Good steak! I had been craving a steak, so when we parted company, I walked the short way into town and treated myself to a ribeye steak. I also had a couple of All Day IPAs.
For late August, the weather was pretty cold and rainy. I stopped at a little shop and bought a lined, nylon jacket, close-out price twenty bucks.
The same couple invited me back for after dinner drinks on their boat. We spent a pleasant evening drinking whiskey and talking about our lives.