Thursday – Day 20 – 8/21/08

Leaving Rogers City

We were on the lake by 0720 after wiping off the heavy dew that made everything very cold and wet. There was a good deal of navigation for this leg of the trip. Lake Huron is full of sunken ships that lie just beneath the surface of the water so it’s better to give then lots of room when passing close by. One ship that was shown on the chart as submerged was sticking out about 20 feet above the surface of the water. The Coast Guard didn’t have an explanation other than it’s been that way for more than 50 years! The lake gets rough after 1400. The wind kicks up about the same time making it a challenge to get into a new harbor – Alpena Municipal Marina - and dock. I also stopped at the fuel dock and topped of for our next leg of our journey. Gas was selling for $4.59 per gallon which is better than we had planned for. We continue to stay in Michigan State marinas when possible and have not been disappointed with their facilities. This marina also had complementary bikes to ride into town. Barb and I declined the bikes and took a long walk to have dinner and get some exercise. The wave height forecasted for tomorrow may keep us in town for another day. If we do move south our intended next port will be East Tawas State Dock. There is another port about half the distance in Harrisville if the weather turns on us.

Entering Alpena Muncipal Marina