Leland-Frankfort - August 18-24

Our cruise from Northport to Leland was a little rocky, but we were glad we made the run when we did. It was hot and sunny when we arrived Leland so we dropped the dinghy, headed out to Lake Michigan and cruised along the sandy coastline. That evening we walked to a nearby restaurant where we ran into Tim & Eileen VerStrate high school friends from home. Tim is a builder and customer of Steve and awakened the captain to the fact that his time away from work is ticking down! Argh!

As predicted, the weather turned ugly on Tuesday. Leland Harbor is a unique harbor. Rather than a channel to an inland lake or river it is simply a marina surrounded by a rocky breakwater right on Lake Michigan. So while we were protected from waves we were exposed to the wind and therefore bounced around in our slip. 

The cool, wet, windy weather on both Tuesday & Wednesday kept us land bound (no boating on the Pura Vida or the dinghy). Are these the dog days of summer? For excitement we walked the nearby beach with the big waves a crashing. 

On Thursday with umbrellas in hand we caught a bus at 8am to Traverse City. We spent the day dodging rain drops, exploring the town and even took in the movie Mr Holmes. After the movie, Sheli asked how they made Sherlock Holmes look so old in some scenes and younger in other scenes. The wise captain replied "it's simple, they filmed all the young scenes, then filmed the old scenes after he captained a boat on the Loop for a year!" HaHa! Traverse City was the largest city we've been in quite some time so it was a fun day. 

Friday morning after checking the weather and allowing the lake to settle somewhat from the previous day's winds we untied our lines and headed out. We had hoped to anchor out for the night at South Manitou Island but our weather window (wind) dictated that we carry on to the next safe harbor - Frankfort. Our 40 mile trek started out somewhat rough, then smoothed out and then the winds and waves began to build again as we neared Frankfort. We pulled into Jacobson Marina around 3:00pm. Later in the evening Steve's sister Sue and husband Randy arrived by car from Grand Rapids to spend a couple days with us. 

Saturday morning Sheli & Sue went shopping to the local farmers market while Steve & Randy toured Betsie Lake on the dinghy. In the afternoon we drove to Sleeping Bear Dunes and climbed the dunes for a view of Lake Michigan and the Manitou Islands. Wow! After our hike we checked out the small town of Glen Arbor. It was a beautiful but windy day. 

Sunday morning with umbrellas in hand we walked to the Frankfort United Congregational Church. After church, with umbrellas overhead, we scampered back to the boat in the rain. The rains continued until mid afternoon. Once the rains stopped, Sue & Randy headed for home. The winds continued to strengthen into the evening and night causing Captain Elvis to claim the next morning that we "rocked and rolled" more than any other night of the trip. (He even went out in his underwear during the night to adjust our dock lines.) 

We will continue to wait out the weather for a safe opportunity to move on. There are 6 other Loopers here doing the same.

 Leland Harbor right out in Lake Michigan.

 Dead end dinghy ride.

 Approaching storm.

 Lake Michigan bouy conditions. 

 Rough, rough, rough!

 Being Loopers, we took the loop bus to Traverse City.

 Passing Sleeping Bear Dunes.

 Point Betsie Lighthouse with Sleeping Bear Dunes in the background.

 Sister Sue brought her famous Death by Chocolate!

 Dune climb with Glen Lake in the background.

 Dune climb at Sleeping Bear Dunes with Randy & Sue.

Elk Rapids-Leland - Aug 14-17

Friday morning we bid farewell to Dick & Pat, wishing them safe travels for their grand adventure. We cruised 19 miles traveling around Mission Point to Suttons Bay. We took a slip at the Suttons Bay Marina where we met our friend Karen Dupy who had driven up from Grand Rapids to spend a couple days with us. Karen and her husband Nelson have been close friends for many years. This was the first time we have seen Karen since Nelson passed away in early June after a courageous battle with ALS. It was so nice to spend time hugging, crying, laughing and sharing many great memories of Nelson. (Hawaii, Florida, golfing, boating)  It was such a hot afternoon that we went to the beach next to the marina for a swim and later took a dinghy ride around the bay. 

We awoke to a gorgeous sunny day on Saturday so we took out the Pura Vida and traveled 15 miles south on the West Arm of Grand Traverse Bay to anchor out near Marion Island. The waters were clear, calm and warm. The three of us spent much of the afternoon swimming, floating and reminiscing in the turquoise waters. Late afternoon we moved and dropped the anchor in Suttons Bay, pulled out the grill and enjoyed a great steak dinner as the setting sun sparkled across the water. By dark we were nicely tied back up in our slip at the marina. What a perfect summer day in Michigan! 

After breakfast on Sunday morning, Karen headed back to Grand Rapids and we untied our lines and cruised 13 miles to Northport. Half way there the winds picked up and the bay became very choppy. The winds made it tough getting the boat into the slip but we succeeded without incident. It was a crazy windy and steaming hot afternoon and night. The power kept going out on the entire dock at the marina evidently due to everyone running their air conditioners. We explored town by foot and had dinner at a local restaurant.  The electric remained out overnight so it was a long hot night without AC.

(a "luxury" normally reserved for nights on the hook)

Monday morning we pulled out early, fired up the generator, got the coffee brewing and the fridge chilling down. We traveled 29 miles around the tip of The Leelanau Peninsula to Leland Harbor Marina. We had planned to stay in Northport longer but decided to leave Monday as the weather forecast for midweek was for rain and winds. 

 Crossing Grand Traverse Bay - East Arm. Deepest water of our entire trip!

 Suttons Bay - Looks like Ft Lauderdale!

 Karen & Sheli - good friends.

 What a great day!

 Beautiful coastline approaching Leland.

Petoskey-Elk Rapids - Aug 8-13

Sunday morning we attended a church service at the park by the marina after which we pulled our lines and said goodbye to Petoskey. It was a beautiful day to travel 25 miles south to Charlevoix where we took a slip at Charlevoix Municipal Marina. Once settled we dropped the dinghy for a ride out to the big lake where we swam and walked the beach. The clear pretty waters of Lake Michigan never cease to amaze us. 

Monday morning after the first mate went a walk and did some shopping in Charlevoix we headed off to cruise across Lake Charlevoix. (13 miles) We anchored out near Boyne City and took the dinghy to a nearby marina to look at a boat for sale. While we are exploring options for our boating future we realize how great the Pura Vida has been for us for this trip. Although we spent the night on the anchor, we did dinghy into Boyne City to the Red Mesa Grill for great Mexican food. 

Tuesday dawned to be a cooler windy day. We cruised 12 miles nearly back to Charlevoix and anchored out in Oyster Bay a small protected bay in Lake Charlevoix. Rather than spend the cool, cloudy afternoon on the boat we bundled up and took the dinghy to Charlevoix and picked up 2 badly needed provisions - a bag of ice and a new pair of shoes for the first mate. Captain thinks maybe we should have stayed on the boat! 

Wednesday we timed our departure to catch the 8:30am bridge opening in Charlevoix and followed the Beaver Island Ferry out the channel. We had a pretty rough and rocky 37 mile ride to Elk Rapids to the Elk Rapids Marina. What a great marina on the East Arm of the Grand Traverse Bay. A month earlier in looking at Google Earth the captain thought we would be able to dinghy from the marina, through Elk Lake and up to Torch Lake. (sounded like fun!) A week before arrival his hopes were dashed as he looked closer (duh) and found rapids and a dam separating the marina from Elk Lake. But, great news! The marina had a free dinghy shuttle where they trailer your dinghy two blocks to the other side of the dam. Sweet! Of course we had to take advantage of this so off we went. Our 22 mile dinghy adventure took us all the way to the famous Torch Lake sandbar. Even on a Wednesday there were nearly 100 boats anchored out. That evening we met up with Dick & Pat on Dream Catcher from our home marina. Dick and Pat left Keenan Marina just a couple weeks prior to circle Lake Michigan before entering the rivers and heading south along with this years loopers. Elk Rapids had a street festival that evening so we took in some music and enjoyed great ribs. 

Thursday was hot and muggy. The heat finally broke early evening when a storm came by. For dinner we cooked out at the marina with Dick & Pat and had fun discussing their upcoming adventures. 

 Church in the park by Petoskey Marina.

 Clear Lake Michigan near Charlevoix!

 Cool cruise across Lake Charlevoix.

 BIG house on Lake Charlevoix.

 Beach Cabanas on Lake Charlevoix.

 Dinghy trip to Torch Lake.

 Torch Lake sandbar.

Petoskey - July 29-August 8

The Petoskey area has long been one of our favorite destinations in Michigan. Little Traverse Bay surrounded by Bay Harbor, Petoskey and Harbor Springs has so much to offer both on and off the water. 

After spending 4 nights at the Petoskey Municipal Marina we moved the Pura Vida over to the marina at Bay Harbor for 5 nights. During this time our friend Deb Deters came up for a few days. During her visit we had to dodge some rain storms but still had a great time biking, walking, shopping and spending time at the pool. 

On Thursday we moved back to the Petoskey Municipal Marina as this is closer to town and our friend LaNell's home. Also we knew Dave & Linda Tuls from our home marina were here on their boat Perfect Timing. Dave & Linda completed the Loop a few years back and therefore fly the gold version of the white flag that we fly. Upon our return to Grand Haven we too will have earned the right to fly this symbol of accomplishment. 

It's been great spending time here near LaNell. Her generous offer of anytime use of her car and washer and dryer was very helpful. We enjoyed many great meals together both home cooked at her house as well as at local restaurants. 

Throughout our time in the area we have enjoyed biking on the city's great bike trails, walking, shopping (last weekend were sidewalk sales!!!!), anchoring out in front of the State Park beach and of course exploring with the dinghy. Also, Sheli's nephew Levi and friend Kayla stopped by to say hi as they were up from Holland for a wedding. 

 View from Petoskey Municipal. Rough day!

 On Sunday we intended to go to church via dinghy but due to an approaching storm we caught a ride over to the service at the Yacht Club.

 View of storm from the yacht club.

 Bay Harbor Boathouse for sale.

 LaNell and Frankie!

 Ominous sunset.

 Turtles on auction for local charity.

 Levi & Kayla.

Cheboygan-Petoskey - July 26-28

Sunday morning we got up with the alarm, got spruced up and walked to a church we identified online to attend their 10am service. From a block away we could see the landscaping was unkept. Sure enough, church was closed. We walked around town and found another church, but that was also closed. Not a good sign of the times. We headed back to the boat and watched a service on TV which was cut a little short by for a bridge opening was had to catch. We traveled 20 miles on choppy seas, passed Mackinaw Island to St. Ignace Marina. That evening one of Steve's employees, Derek Stuk and his wife Tanya stopped by the boat. (They were in the area for vacation) We had a fun dinner together in St. Ignace. 

Mackinaw Island is known as a must stop with the Looper crowd, however we had decided to skip the horse poop and fudge stop. (Been there done that) But....Monday morning the Straits of Mackinaw were so calm that we couldn't resist a dinghy ride to the Island. It was a great cruise but had to be cautious of the many Island Ferries and their wakes. We walked around for a couple hours with the masses of other tourists. (Been there done that again). The day was so beautiful that late in the afternoon called for another dinghy ride around the area. A swim in the crystal clear waters was a welcome relief from the heat. Early that evening our friend LaNell and her boyfriend Dennis drove up from Petoskey. After visiting on the boat, Dennis headed back to Petoskey and LaNell stayed to crew with us on our voyage to Petoskey. 

Tuesday morning we awoke to a perfect travel day! We pulled out of St. Ignace by 7:30am for our 59 mile cruise to Petoskey. What a thrill to cruise under the Mighty Mac!  Clearance was not a problem. We continued west on the Straits of Mackinaw and entered Lake Michigan. Wow...we've come a long way!  We turned south through Grays Reef Passage, passed Beaver Island and into Little Traverse Bay.

What a great 8 hour cruise! We took advantage to the warm day and calm waters by stopping several times to swim. LaNell worked her magic in the galley and prepared us an awesome lunch which we ate out on the bow taking in the fantastic view of Sturgeon Bay. We pulled into Petoskey City Marina and quickly unloaded a bike for LaNell to zip home on and take care of a few work items. Once her work was completed she returned with her car and took us to dinner. 

 The Grand Hotel on Mackinaw Island and one of the many ferries.

 Derek & Tanya. (The employees miss the Captain so much they are driving across the state to see him!)

 Been there done that, bought the ice cream.

 Grand dinghy ride!

 

 Great day to cruise under the Mackinaw Bridge!

 The Captain and LaNell - kind of sounds like a music group!

 Sunset at Petoskey Marina.

Drummond Island-Cheyboygan - July 24-25

                       Short Story    .......    Long Story    .......

Short Story: We decided to take a day and head to Cheyboygan, MI to cruise the Chain of Lakes.

Long Story: Twenty some years ago we along with Paul Takken & his wife went up to the Chain of Lakes (Mullet Lake, Burt Lake, Indian River, Cheyboygan) camping and boating for a weekend. We took Paul's 19 foot SeaRay down the river to Cheyboygan, through the lock and across to Mackinaw Island. After spending the day at the Island we returned to Cheyboygan. As we came upon the lock we found many boats lined up and none going through. We went to check with the lock master only to find that the lock was not operating and had not been since we passed through in the morning. The maintenance man was baffled as his efforts to repair the lock had failed. Steve and Paul offered to take a look. After a couple hours in the hydraulic shed disassembling valves and swapping parts they got it working to the applause of the many waiting boaters. Many times while doing the Loop we have told this story and laughed that the Pura Vida wouldn't even fit in this lock. 

------------------------------------------------------- 

Friday morning as we cruised to Drummond Island we stumbled across the specs on the Cheyboygan lock and realized the Pura Vida would fit! We couldn't pass that up! All it took was a phone call to Paul and he and Cindy cleared their calendar and planned a road trip to meet us in Cheboygan Saturday morning. After clearing customs at Drummond Island we set a course to Cheyboygan. 45 miles later at 7pm we arrived at the Cheyboygan County Marina. 

Saturday by 10am our crew pulled into the marina and off we went. We headed up stream to the lock. We did fit albeit somewhat snug with no room left for other boats. We told our story to the young man running the lock only to realize that he wasn't even born when at that time. (Captain "I remember it like it was yesterday" found that hard to believe.) The lock was a piece of cake. The bigger obstacles of the day were bridges. For the 3rd time of the trip we had to put down our antennas, remove our anchor light and radar dome to clear 2 bridges by mere inches. Whew! It was a beautiful summer day to cruise to Mullet Lake and back to Cheyboygan. We now much change our locking trophy to read 109 instead of 107. That night at the Cheyboygan city wall we enjoyed pizza on the back of the boat. Due to commitments at home our crew was up and on the road before we woke Sunday morning. What fun to share this crazy side trip with Paul & Cindy! 

 It sure looks small compared to the other 107 locks!

 I think I can!

 Yup! I can!

 Snug as a bug in a rug!

 Saturday afternoon on Mullet Lake.