Traveling on the river

Well, we haven't made much progress in the past week.  Calypso and Captain Mark are at the Illinois Valley Yacht Club in Peoria, IL and I am at my mother's in Atlanta, GA for a short visit.  I return today and we will be continuing our voyage downstream.  We left Chicago bright and early one week ago yesterday after eating at two of Mark's favorite restaurants  - Mike Ditka's and Gibsons.  First we motored through beautiful downtown Chicago, and then into the dirty and smelly Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal.  The first few hours were relatively non-eventful and then we encountered numerous tugs and barges, often having to dodge between parked barges, waiting for a tug to pass.  We ended the day by going through our first big commercial lock on the Illinois Waterway at Lockport and motored a few miles further to tie up overnight at the free town dock in Joliet.  We were up and ready for an early departure Tuesday AM when we discovered that the next lock (2 mi. away) was closed for repairs all day until 6 pm.  Since a 6 pm departure would not leave us with enough daylight to make the next safe harbor, we were forced to spend another night in Joliet.  Not wanting to risk missing the lock again, we were there before six the next morning, but had to wait over an hour for them to clear the commercial traffic. With two more locks to pass through that day, we were only able to travel about 45 miles in 7 hrs.  We stopped at a very nice marina, but quickly discovered that the water depth is probably somewhat less that what they tell you it will be.  We did not actually touch going in, but did see some pretty skinny water.

The next day we only had one lock to get through, but that took us about two hours to accomplish.  So far the tows we have seen usually consist of anywhere from 3 to 12 barges.  The larger ones cannot be locked through in their entirety, so have to broken into 2 "trains" - this can take hrs.  We were lucky at Starved Rock that they "dumped" us along with another "PC"(pleasure craft) between the first and second cuts of the tow - otherwise we might have been there for at least 3 hrs.  For a control freak like me, this is all very difficult to deal with.  Finally, we had the lock behind us and pushed on to the IVY Club - 70+ miles and one lock in 10 hrs.

The next week or two will probably be our most challenging to date as the water is indeed shallow.  Many of the marinas are so silted in that even with a 3.5 ft draft, we can't get in.  I am hoping that we can find anchorages that are deep enough, but out of the current and out of the way of the tows.  Mark is the eternal optimist and my glass is always half-empty, so reality probably lies somewhere in-between. 

The Wrigley Building

Where in the world is Calypso?

Recognize the skyline?  Where is Calypso?  You guessed it - Calypso and crew are chillin' in Chicago.  Well, I wish I could tell you we are chillin', but with temps in the 90's and wicked humidity, we are definitely not chillin'.  As we are trying to squeeze in all the sights in just a few days, we are definitely not relaxing either.  Our bikes have been essential here for getting around, but a big obstacle has been that Lollapalooza is taking place in Grant Park this weekend, so many of the routes through the park from the lakefront (where we are) to downtown are blocked off.  It's not easy finding alternate routes when you don't even really know where the normal ones are.  However, we have managed to visit the Art Institute, the Field Museum, the Miracle Mile and Navy Pier.  Today we are going to the Willis (aka Sears) Tower and tonight we're going to a White Sox game.

We arrived here on Wednesday and it was amazing how far out we could see the Chicago skyline - probably 30 miles away.  We were staring at those buildings for hours before our arrival.  We are planning to leave on Monday to start our trek down the river system to the Gulf of Mexico. We start out on the Illinois River and then travel on a stretch of the Mississippi.  The water levels are of concern, but we don't know yet just how bad it will be.  It would be nice to see the water levels rise a little, but I don't want to be traveling the rivers when they are flooding either.  Nature is what it is and as hard we try we just can't control it!

We will be stopping for a few days to visit friends in Peoria and for me to fly to Atlanta for a short visit with my mother.  This will give Mark a chance to catch up on boat chores without me looking over his shoulder and giving him unwanted advice.

Art Institute of Chicago

A T-Rex named Sue at the Field Museum

Relaxing after lunch at the Columbia Yacht Club

Chicago Harbor Light (as seen from Navy Pier)

Lake Michigan

So far, we have been blessed with wonderful weather and sea conditions for our voyage down Lake Michigan.  We left Mackinaw last Sunday planning to travel around 50 miles but the weather was so good we just kept going for 90 miles and stopped in Leland, which turned out to be a delightful little town.  They don't take reservations, but when we called them early in the afternoon, they said they had space then but couldn't guarantee there would be space when we arrived.  Fortunately they did have space for us when we arrived around 4pm.  Since the wind was forecast to be strong on Monday and since it had been a long day for us, we decided to go ahead and stay there two nights.  On Monday, we biked to the Good Harbor winery about 3 miles south of Leland and sampled their wine before buying as many bottles as we could carry back on our bikes.  Back to town for lunch and then another wine tasting at a winery in town.  The section of Leland along the mouth of the river is known as Fishtown and still consists of the original fishing shacks, which have now been converted into shops and restaurants, of course.  

Tuesday morning we set out again with no definite destination in mind, but ended up in Manistee.  The lake was a little lumpy early, but smoothed out some as the day progressed.  Friends from Punta Gorda with a summer home in Indianapolis drove up on Wednesday to visit and ended up spending two nights with us.  Thursday was not a good boat-traveling day, so Barry and Gwen took us land-touring to see the Sleeping Bear Dunes.  The tall sand dunes all along the Lake Michigan coast are truly amazing.  

After two evenings of Euchre, with the girls beating the guys both nights (don't you know that made Mark happy - not!), we said good-bye to Gwen and Barry and headed southwest again.  This time the destination du jour turned out to be Great Lakes Marina in Muskegon. We were both so tired when we got there that we never even left the marina.  We did meet a couple from Chicago who know several folks we know at IYC and they invited us to go to the Friday concert in the park with them, but we politely declined  and turned in early.  Yesterday took us to South Haven - another cute little resort town on Lake Michigan, where it felt like everyone in town was either on the beach or riding up and down the narrow river in their boat.  We had a nice dinner at the South Haven Yacht Club.  Many of the towns on Lake Michigan apparently have festivals on the weekends which make it very difficult to get slip reservations.  Today we are at New Buffalo, poised to head to Chicago, but we cannot get into our preferred marina there until a week from tomorrow, so we haven't come up with a game plan yet.

Sunrise over Mackinaw Straits Bridge

Leland Fishtown a few years ago

Sleeping Bear Dunes

Ain't it Grand!

We decided to treat ourselves yesterday to a night at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island.  It was wonderful!  When you step off the ferry, you feel like you are going back in time to a simpler and slower pace of life - at least until you are almost run over by a speeding bicyclist.  Seriously, we loved the clop, clop of the horses' hooves as they pulled the carriages around the island.  After a carriage tour of the island and a brief swing through the myriad of t-shirt and fudge shops, we had lunch overlooking the harbor at the Hotel Iroquois.  We then ambled up the hill to check in at the Grand.  We thought we were lucky just to discover that our room was already available, but when we went upstairs, we were thrilled to find that we had a room overlooking the front grounds of the hotel and of course, the lake beyond - and, we even had a private balcony!  We enjoyed afternoon tea in the parlor - just a little snack to hold us until dinner.  Now we are back in the real world - back onboard Calypso planning our departure from Mackinaw City tomorrow. We don't know exactly where we'll end up as there are several possible ports in Little Traverse Bay, which is about 50 miles from here. 

 3-horse teams pull the larger carriages at the Mackinac Island State Park

Arch Rock

Their union contract must call for regular water breaks

The Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island

Mark relaxes on the longest (and probably most famous) front porch in the world

View from our balcony at the Grand

Back in the US!

While we thoroughly enjoyed our five weeks in Canadian waters, it was nice to return to the US this past weekend.  We cleared customs Saturday morning at Drummond Island, Michigan only to discover that we had illegally brought tomatoes across the border.  They were not confiscated, but we were advised to eat them before we ventured off to another port.  Saturday afternoon we washed the boat (in between rain showers) and tried to remove the remains of thousands of tiny insects and spiders that seem to be very attracted to our cockpit and upper deck.  Whenever we have to burn an anchor light, the deck is almost black with bugs the next morning.  Sunday night we anchored in Government Bay before heading for Mackinaw City on Monday.  We are still in Mackinaw City - enjoying a little break here for a few days.  Mackinaw City is a huge tourist destination and one of two sites (the other being St. Ignace) from which to catch the ferry to Mackinac Island.  We decided that we wanted to spend one night at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island and found that we could get the best deal (half-price) for this coming Friday night.  So we have been hanging out here for a few days before heading over to the island on the ferry tomorrow.  Tuesday we enjoyed a lovely afternoon with friends from Punta Gorda who have a summer home in Cheboygan.  They took us to lunch at Legs Inn  in Cross Village.  This Polish restaurant has  unique decor, beautiful gardens, and a spectacular view of Lake Michigan.  We then drove through the "Tunnel of Trees" to Harbor Springs and Petoskey before returning to the Howes' lovely home on the shore of Lake Huron.  We ended the day with dinner on the banks of the Cheboygan River.  Thanks to Barb and Bill for a great afternoon!  Yesterday was a major provisioning day with trips to Wal-Mart and Glen's Market.  Shopping is the easy part - it's finding room to store everything back on the boat that is a major headache.  Today is supposed to be our "take it easy" day, but so far it seems to be filling up with various chores.  Our tentative plan is to leave here Sunday morning, weather permitting, to head down Lake Michigan toward Chicago.

Calypso anchored in the Benjamin Islands

The Benjamin Islands

These guys were all over our boat one morning

Beardrop Harbor



Detour Reef Light

Round Island Light

The Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island

The Mackinaw Straits Bridge

Cruising the North Channel

A few days ago we said good-bye to Ontario's beautiful Georgian Bay and entered the equally beautiful North Channel.  It would really be hard to imagine a more beautiful part of the world than this.  I do love palm trees and white sandy beaches, but it is cool anchoring in a snug cove between two huge stone cliffs.  Our introduction to the North Channel came as we entered Killarney Channel, where we spent two nights docked at the Killarney Mountain Lodge.  This is a rustic resort with rooms, cottages, docks, a seaplane ramp, dining room, cocktail lounge with nightly entertainment, swimming pool, etc. - a great place just to kick back and relax for a few days.  While relaxing, we managed to hike to the lighthouse on the east end of Killarney Channel, eat fish and chips on the town dock, have ice cream, spend a few hours at the pool, and stay up past our bedtime (Punta Gorda midnight or 9 pm) listening to the entertainment two nights in a row.  

From Killarney  we headed to Covered Portage Cove.  This may be one of the most beautiful anchorages in the world.  It is a narrow little cove with huge stone cliffs on one side and a wooded slope on the other side.  There is a path to the top of the cliffs, from which you have a breathtaking view of your boat at anchor.  The next day we anchored in Mary Ann Cove on Baie Fine.  Since three of the four boats there when we arrived were tied to shore, we did the same thing.  It is really a pain to carry a line ashore, but once it's done with the anchor holding the bow off the shore and the stern line holding you in place so you don't swing, you feel very snug. We took our dinghy all the way to the end of Baie Fine where there is a very protected pool that is a popular anchorage.   We enjoyed cocktails that evening with several other Loopers we met in Mary Ann Cove.  

Sunday we traveled to Little Current on Manitoulin Island, which separates the North Channel from Lake Huron. Little Current is a cute little town and we spent the afternoon exploring by bike, shopping, and finding the locally-made ice cream.  Of course, when we returned to the marina, Mark did laundry - his new favorite past-time.  Yesterday found us anchored in Clapperton Harbor inside the lee of Harbor Island. This was the site of a very exclusive resort many years ago, which now lies in ruins.  This morning we headed back over to Manitoulin to the little village of Kagawong.  The two main attractions for us here were the Bridal Veil Falls and St John the Evangelist Anglican Church.  The pulpit in the church is made from the bow of a wrecked boat.  There was once a big pulp mill operation here and ships loaded the paper  to transport it to Michigan where it was used to print Sears-Roebuck catalogs.  Haven't planned tomorrow's destination yet - that's the beauty of having dozens of wonderful anchorages within a few hours cruising time.  I'm not even going to mention how wonderful the weather has been as I don't want to jinx things.  Signing off now from the public library in Kagawong.

Pointe au Baril Lighthouse

This narrow channel takes us between the rock ledges

Full moon rising over Sandy Bay

Lighthouse at east end of Killarney Channel

Fish and chips stand on Killarney town dock

The only wildlife we saw in Covered Portage Cove

Calypso at anchor in Covered Portage Cove

Another view of Covered Portage Cove

Strawberry Island Lighthouse - Manitoulin Island, Ontario

Bridal Veil Falls at Kagawong

St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church

Enjoying a lay-day in Parry Sound

We are enjoying a lay-day at Big Sound Marina in Parry Sound.  Since leaving the Trent-Severn Waterway and beginning our passage through Georgian Bay, we spent two nights on the hook before coming to the marina yesterday.  Just when I think the scenery can't be any more beautiful, I am in awe again.  This area is also called the 30,000 Islands, but there are probably 3 or 4 times that many islands.  There are numerous well-marked channels as navigating safely through the rocky waters is of paramount importance.  We anchored the first night in Frying Pan Bay on Beausoliel Island, which is part of the Georgian Bay Islands National Park.  We took a leisurely hike around Fairy Lake and only got lost once.  The next night we anchored in Echo Bay and had our first experience with Med mooring.  In order to cut down on swinging and allow room for more boats to anchor, this technique involves putting down an anchor and then backing in toward shore and carrying a line from the stern of the boat and tying off on shore.  Being novices at this, it took us forever and it didn't help that when Mark took the first line ashore (a very old anchor line), it had deteriorated and actually snapped in two places when tension was put on it.  Fortunately this happened while we were working with it and not in the middle of the night.  While enjoying some down-time in Parry Sound, we have also done laundry, bought groceries, shopped for Canadian trinkets, and gotten a haircut for Mark.  Tomorrow is Canada Day  and there are big festivities planned here, but weather permitting, we will move on to a quieter spot.

Our first glimpse of Georgian Bay

An Inukshuk - the Inuits used these stone representations as directional markers. 
 They are replicated today in front of many cottages.

Acting silly! - My heron pose

Mark at Fairy Lake on Beausoleil Island

Beautiful beyond belief!

Calypso anchored in Frying Pan Bay