Day 36 – Monday, June 28, 2010

N – 46° 24.809’

W – 086° 39.173’

Marquette, Michigan (day 8)

We rented a car today and just got off the boat and away from the marina for the day! It was a nice change of pace. Our first place to visit was Lakemenland sculpture garden created by artist Tom Lakemen. Tom’s sculptures over came the space he had in his yard so he purchased a parcel of wooded land next to Highway 28 and now shows 75 pieces of his work for free. He portrays a love for country but not for the local government! All of his work is fun to view and some of the larger ones are interactive.

We then drove to Picture Rock National Lakeshore to see ‘Minors Castle” a rock formation. We had seen it from the boat two weeks ago and this time from a look out that was in the park! It is very interesting to view the same landmark from two different points of view.

Not too much to report except we were all maintaining our sanity while we wait for this bad spell of weather to break! Tomorrow the wave height is forecast to be 5 to 7 feet, worse than today’s 4 to 5 footers. When viewing the lake from within the harbor the weather didn’t look too bad but when the lake was viewed without a break wall I knew we belonged in the harbor!

We dined at a very pleasant restaurant called the Chop House close to the marina. The food and service was impeccable.

Both boats are fueled and in good repair just waiting to move on. Lake Superior’s weather continues to be unpredictable. For every day we have cruised we have waited in port three days. Stay tuned for more weather from Michigan’s UP!

Day 35 – Sunday, June 27, 2010

N – 46° 24.809’
W – 086° 39.173’
Marquette, Michigan (day 7)

We experienced a repeat of yesterday and we are still stuck in port. The on shore weather has improved but the lake is angry! Our day consisted of a load of wash, walk into town to get ice cream, dinner on the boat and an evening of Canasta with Barb and John! Tomorrow’s weather is not looking good as a matter of fact I don’t think we will get out of here until noon Wednesday! The wave prediction is for 4 to 7 feet with patchy fog, not a winning combination! If this keeps up I will request a seasonal pass for the harbor!

Day 34 – Saturday, June 26, 2010

N – 46° 24.809’

W – 086° 39.173’

Marquette, Michigan

Yes were still here in Marquette, Michigan! The fog is so thick you could cut it with a knife! The fog lifted for about an hour and a half sometime around 5 pm! By seven it had returned (picture on right) and by 9 pm you couldn’t see the end of the dock!

We walked into town to Donkers ice cream shop (picture on left) and while talking to the owner Barb realized that her son Keith and the owner’s brother had swum together in high school and Barb had played tennis with his mother! It’s truly a small world out there.

Later in the fog we pooled our food and had dinner on the Flints boat before returning to our boat in the dense fog!

Tomorrow doesn’t look good for getting out of here. The latest forecast is calling for rain and waves of 5 feet! If the forecast changes we’ll get out of here, if it doesn’t we’ll stay put! This is the longest period of time Barb and I have ever been stuck in port because of weather.

Day 33 – Friday, June 25, 2010

N – 46° 24.809’

W – 086° 39.173’

Marquette, Michigan

Today was a day of working on the boats. Most of the work was done on John’s boat. We replaced a water pump on one of his diesels which took about three hours! I replaced a few ignition components nothing more than routine maintenance. Other than that not much is going on here as we continue to wait for the weather to break and let us depart this city.

We did walk into town and had dinner at a restaurant called L'Attitude! I’m sure glad they had a good roof because it rained the whole time we were in the restaurant. The food was good the wine even better! The topic of conversation was can we beat the weather tomorrow and get out of this port?

Day 32 – Thursday, June 24, 2010

N – 46° 24.809’

W – 086° 39.173’

Marquette, Michigan

Today was another great day for sight seeing! The weather was great for tourism, but not so great for boating. As we were walking to the car the Harbor Master said there were small craft warnings! The wind was pretty strong and I could see a chop on the bay inside of the break wall!

We drove to the Michigan Iron Industry Museum in Negaunee, Michigan. It’s located in a wooded setting within a beautiful building. It’s free, well funded, and exceptionally well done. I would recommend a visit if in the area. We had lunch at a road side restaurant that I won’t recommend.

From there we visited the Cliffs Shaft Mine Museum located in Ishpeming Michigan. We spent a few hours there with a retired geologist that worked for the mines his whole career. He was very informative and knew his mining, the region and history of the region prior to iron being discovered! I don’t think the museum gets any government support just a modest fee to enter and donations. There are a lot of volunteers working there, while having great plans for future development.

On the way back to the marina we wasted a few minutes and visited Da Yoopers Tourist Trap & Museum gift shop! I’ve had more stimulation watching paint dry! No pictures taken today.

Tomorrow John has a pump being delivered to the marina so we’ll be busy repairing his boat! I also have a few things to do so it appears that we will get out of here Saturday am!

Day 31 – Wednesday, June 23, 2010

N – 46° 24.809’

W – 086° 39.173’

Marquette, Michigan

The morning started out with rain accompanied by light hail! The sun has been hiding behind the clouds which are obscured from time to time because of haze and fog! Today was a good day to stay in port and sight see.

John and I rented a car from “Rent-a-Wreck” for a few days. It’s good enough to get us to the sights to far to walk to. It’s actually a great deal for $35.00 a day and 100 free miles that I’m sure we’ll use them all.

We went to Presque Isle and watched an ore carrier "Pathfinder" dock then fill its holds with taconite. You would think the process would take many hours but the ship is in and out within a few hours. The four of us were fascinated just to stand there and watch.

We located a very nice restaurant for lunch called COCO’S. It’s close to the waterfront and worth the time to locate it! We’re considering it for dinner tomorrow evening.

The next stop was the Marquette Maritime Museum and Coast Guard Light house. This area is filled with ship wrecks so there are plenty of artifacts to view in the museum. Again it turned out to be a worth while stop.

While returning to the boat we made a quick trip across town to Wallmart, to purchase food and beverage before returning to our foggy marina.

Day 30 – Tuesday, June 22, 2010

N – 46° 24.809’

W – 086° 39.173’

Marquette, Michigan

What a beautiful warm and friendly city. We met Barb and John at 8am and walked into town to have breakfast. It’s pretty quiet at that time in the morning with most of the streets empty with little traffic to contend with. While walking down the street one of the locals greeted us and we asked him where there was a good place to eat. He started talking and recommended a place where the locals eat which turned out to be very affordable with great food!

From there we decided to visit some of the historical buildings that are architecturally significant. First was a Cathedral (left) then the Marquette County Courthouse (right). Every building was special but the one I really liked was the Courthouse. The building is unbelievable with its rich appointments and lavish use of marble and gold leaf. There is a lot of history in that courtroom but the most famous use of the courtroom was when the movie Anatomy of a Murder was filmed there. James Stewart, Lee Remick and Ben Gazzara stared in the movie that was nominated for seven Academy Awards including Best Picture in 1959. While we were checking out the courtroom a person associated with the court entered into conversation with us and before you knew it we had a history lesson and a photo taken of the four of us standing before the bench (below left - below right is the looking up at the dome inside the courthouse).

After that we went to a bank building - Wells Fargo - built during the 1800’s and while there I introduced myself to a gentleman that worked there and explained that we were there to admire the building. Before long we were taken to an office to view a private coin and international money collection that was kept behind glass in very shallow wall safes about 3 feet wide by 4 feet high. The private office was very opulent ---- with a rich interior of paneled walnut and wall safes with there stainless steel doors trimmed in bronze, it was very impressive!

Everyone we met was friendly and anxious to show off their city and welcome us. I even ran into a meter maid that was a lot of fun and recommended a great place for a burger and a beer! The weather is great so we will continue to enjoy Marquette for a few more days.

Tomorrow we will attempt to rent a car and see the sights that are out of walking distance. The marina - Cinder Pond - is very pleasant and secure. The Harbor Master has placed us in a very good location close to the fuel dock ---- which is appropriate!

Day 29 – Monday, June 21, 2010

N – 46° 24.809’

W – 086° 39.173’

Marquette, Michigan

Today was a great day to cruise. (Picture on left is leaving Munising) The weather was pleasant and the seas were flat. We located a sunken 150 long wooden hull schooner - The Bermuda - in 15 feet of water. We floated across her a few times looking straight down at her as she is sitting flat on the bottom in an upright position. Her deck is 12 feet below the surface and you can see her in great detail with her hatches open. She sank sometime in the mid 1880’s and is intact with the exception of her mast and rigging. There are lots of ships on the bottom of Lake Superior all with a story to tell.

The last hour out the weather looked threatening, but the cloud bank that was building produced nothing! (Picture below is arriving in Marquette) We are now moored in a very pleasant harbor close to the down town area. This harbor holds 100 boats and it’s almost full! Tomorrow we will rent a car and tour this section of Michigan. Most everything in this region is somehow connected with mining of one type or another.

I have tried for one week to purchase two sets of spark plug wires for the boat - with no luck. Will try to find them on line and have them shipped to a port that we’ll visit sometime in the near future. With all of the boats here you would think there wouldn’t be a problem but that’s not the case!

Day 28 – Sunday, June 20, 2010

N – 46° 24.809’
W – 086° 39.173’
Munising, Michigan

It is Father’s day and what a day I had! At 8 am we fueled our boat - then John’s boat.

A walk was in order and we all took a tour of the town, then moved to the beach where about 20 seaplanes were moored for a splash in ----as they call it! It was great fun to talk to the pilots and see the different types of planes that were there. Our friend John at one time had a seaplane license and had a great time bending the ears of those who flew in for the “Splash In”.

When walking around the town we stopped at the Pickle Barrel House. Yes its real and worth seeing. We left the marina at 11 am just after the planes departed which was quite a treat and headed west to Munising. To get there we passed Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (pictures below)! I’m sure it’s beautiful from land but from the lake it’s unbelievable!

We are now in Munising Bayshore marina - well protected from the lake where we will spend at least one night. There are a few things we want to see and do here and will do them either now or on our return back to Lake Michigan! Our next port of call is Marquette, Michigan about 40 miles away.

Day 27 – Saturday, June 19, 2010

N – 46° 40.424’
W – 085° 58.979’
Grand Marais, Michigan

5:15 am I was up – made coffee – hit the shower then dressed.

5:30 checked the weather on the computer, the results were good.

5:45 called the lock to check on traffic – they were wide open.

6:00 I told my Barb and the Flints that it was a GO!

The next 45 minutes covered breakfast – pit stops, walking the dog (yes the Flints have a super boat dog - Molly) securing electrical power, disconnecting water and warming the engines.

6:45 I made a quick call to the lock control to verify our intent and we headed for the lock. The gate was open and they gave us the green light. John and I drove our boats into the lock for a quick 20 foot lift then headed for Lake Superior.

The weather looked threatening for most of the day but we were ahead of it or parallel to it most of the time. The water was flat when we left the locks and slowly built to 1 ½ feet then back to flat again. A little while later it built to 2 ½ feet some times 3 feet then held at 1 foot until the last hour when it did what ever it wanted - not terrible but uncomfortable.

We were on the water for 10 hours and cruised 92.5 miles. At this point I am not sure what tomorrow will bring but I am sure it will be fun filled and interesting! There may be a harbor car available for seeing the town! If there is we will probably stay one additional night. Our next port of call is 40 miles away in Munising.

Left top picture - approaching the Soo lock

Center left - approaching the lock

Bottom - in the lock

On right - leaving the lock

Day 26 – Friday, June 18, 2010

N – 46° 29.974’
W – 084° 20.254’
Sault Ste. Marie, MI

I went to the Harbor Masters office at 8 am sharp and as I passed thru the door he started laughing. I suddenly knew that we were going no where. The weather here was going to be marginal but doable……………….but the weather in the Lake was not. The storm front, probably 30 miles from here, is very visible from our harbor!

Today I ordered some additional parts on line to complete the tune-up of the engines and will have them shipped to Marquette, Michigan for pick up when we arrive.

Tonight we will dine at the local VFW for their weekly fish fry.

Everyone is getting anxious to get underway and tomorrow is looking good for moving into the lake! I truly believe that when we get passed Whitefish Point we will be able to move ahead.

Day 25 – Thursday, June 17, 2010

N – 46° 29.974’
W – 084° 20.254’
Sault Ste. Marie, MI

The weather was foggy and some what marginal to enter Lake Superior so John and I preformed some scheduled engine maintenance.

We walked into town and found a small restaurant that serves the local trade and had a large breakfast / brunch. We spent the next hour and a half shopping for parts and hardware for our boars.

Don and Kitty have departed from John and Barbs boat and are heading home to Virginia. I think they will rejoin the Flints later in the trip.

Not much happening here with the exception of 1000 foot ships passing close to our marina which is very interesting! It’s amazing to watch them slip into and out of the locks.

Tomorrow we will meet in the Harbor Masters office at 8 am to check the weather and sea conditions for the next 50 miles. From here to Whitefish Point the ship traffic is heavy with ever changing weather conditions. Friday is looking marginal --- Saturday is looking better!

Day 24 – Wednesday, June 16, 2010

N – 46° 29.974’
W – 084° 20.254’
Sault Ste. Marie, MI

We are back in the USA! We crossed the river to the marina we stayed at a few days ago. When entering the US and encountered a small problem with US Customs. I had the feeling that we were part of a training exercise but what the hell----- life goes on. The weather’s not great, so will stay on the boat, keep warm and read a book!

Day 23 – Tuesday, June 15, 2010

N – 46° 30.474’
W – 084° 20.155’
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada

We took the train trip to Agawa Canyon today and a beautiful day it was! We boarded the train and had breakfast in the dining car a few hours later. At the canyon there were a half a dozen trails that were plainly marked to allow exploration of the park. The two Barbs decided to walk a trail that had 318 stairs to reach a look out. When John and I reached a level of about 250 we decided that they should take a picture and we turned around and headed back down the trail. We had a great day but a tiring one.

Tomorrow I will try to purchase a few bolts for the boat then cross the river to the US side, re-enter the states and prepare to enter Lake Superior Thursday morning!

Day 22 – Monday, June 14, 2010

N – 46° 30.474’
W – 084° 20.155’
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada

Our trip to the US Customs and Border Protection office turned out to be informative but not necessary! We are back to business as usual which means it takes a little extra time to enter the US on our return but we save one hundred dollars by not investing in the NEXUS pass that we don’t need! Entering Canada was as easy as calling a customs person, answering a few questions like boat registration numbers, birth dates and home address. A CanPass number is issued which I wrote on a piece of paper and attached to the boats side window! DONE!!!!!

The morning was spent watching boats enter and leave the locks. We watched a 1,004 foot long carrier by 105 feet wide enter a lock 110 feet wide with out the help from a tug. That’s three and a third football fields long with 30 inches of clearance on both sides.

Around lunch time we asked a security guard where we could get a good lunch and he recommended a small drive in, about a mile away. Five of us walked to the West Pier Drive-in for one huge surprise………..what a surprise when we entered the small sparkling clean building that had limited seating of five stools total which we filled. When Kitty arrived via her van they found a wooden stool and squeezed it in for the six of us could have lunch together. The ladies were very busy flipping burgers and preparing other items that you would except to order in such a place. I can’t remember when I have had as good or as large a burger as I ordered. Quality, quantity and value are a hard combination to beat. I’m sure that when we return from Lake Superior and pass through the locks we’ll hike up the road to the diner, and savor another burger!

We walked back to the boat enjoying the continuous parade of large ships moving both up bound and down bound no more than a stone throw from us. By 2:30 we had departed our marina and idled across the river to the Roberta Bondar marina, a Canadian marina which is beautiful.

Tomorrow we take the train trip to Agawa Canyon which leaves at 8 am and returns at 6 pm. We have reservations so there won’t be any surprises!

Day 21 – Sunday, June 13, 2010

N – 46° 29.974’
W – 084° 20.254’
Sault Ste. Marie, MI

Today we visited the Tower of History (picture on left, below right is a view of the Soo locks) which overlooks the St. Marys River and all four of the US Soo locks. From there we toured the bulk carrier museum ship Valley Camp. Inside the ship, artifacts from the Edmund Fitzgerald were on display. Most of which washed up on shore after the tragic ship wreck. Being a ship lover, the three hours I spent climbing around the ship was pure pleasure. She was coal fired and powered by a triple expansion steam engine. Her primary cargo was coal and iron ore.

For dinner we dined at the Freighters Restaurant across the road from the visitor’s center for the Soo locks. Dinner was good and I would recommend it if visiting here. After dinner we walked around the grounds of the visitor’s center and watched as an 875 foot bulk carrier passed through the locks north bound. We are back on the boat for the evening preparing to cross the St. Mary’s River into Sault Ste Marie, Ontario, Canada for a couple nights. The Agawa Canyon train trip departs from a location walking distance from the marina on Tuesday. Before we cross into Canada we will visit the office of the US Customs Border patrol and conduct some type of necessary business to make our passing into and out of Canada much easier than it now is!

Day 20 – Saturday, June 12, 2010

N – 46° 29.974’
W – 084° 20.254’
Sault Ste. Marie, MI

Today was a strange day. Most of the night it rained and was spent bouncing around and hearing water slap against the hull until the alarm went off at 5:45! I got up to fog, rain, wind, and when I stepped out off of the boat I saw white caps! I returned to the boat and logged on to the NOAA weather site and saw small craft warnings and went back to bed! That is not the best way to start the day.

By 1 pm the weather started to clear and Barb said that the sky was almost blue! John came to the boat at 1:30 and said the weather was clearing and asked what I thought about getting underway. At exactly 1:58 pm (picture on left) we had disconnected from power and water, released our dock lines and were backing out of the slip. The skies were overcast but the water was flat ---- sometimes glass like until we reached Sault Ste Marie five hours later. All in all it was a great trip. At present were about a half a mile from the locks which we will tour tomorrow. For the next few days we will be tourists here, and visit a bulk carrier “ship”, museum and take a train trip somewhere in Canada! I’m sure we will find somewhere to purchase ice cream - one of the main ingredients of the food pyramid.

<- Bald Eagle

Approaching Sault Ste. Marie, MI ->

Day 19 – Friday, June 11, 2010

N - 45° 59.877’
W - 083° 53.960’
DeTour Village, MI (Eastern Upper Peninsula)

This morning the sun popped up from behind the Icebreaker Mackinaw with gusto! As the sun rose in the sky the weather got better and better making our chance to move on to DeTour Village a certainty! By 6:45am we had moved the boat from our slip to the fuel dock to await the attendant’s arrival. Promptly at 7am he arrived and began to service our boat ----- a few minutes later John joined us with his boat to also take on fuel. The bestpart of the morning was when one of the other attendants showed up with fresh donuts. With sticky fingers from the donuts we left the harbor to be joined by a third boat from Canada to make the trip to DeTour Village - a very pleasant cruise.

Five hours later we entered the passage (picture on left is DeTour Reef Light) to have the weather start to pick up. Everyone is safely in the marina now waiting for a major storm with winds expected to reach 50 mph. Since arriving here the weather has given us a little shower but I think it’s going to blow over and not affect us. The plan for tomorrow is to cruise up the St. Mary’s River and stay this side of the Sault Ste Marie Locks! Our goal while there is to take a day long scenic train trip within Canada which would depart Tuesday. At present I’m planning for the weather to be perfect tomorrow!

Day 18 – Thursday, June 10, 2010

N - 45° 22.608’
W - 084° 57.581’
“Mackinaw City”

John and I meet dockside at 7am to determine if we were going to De Tour Passage!

With the wind in our face and the clouds rumbling over head we determined that another hour of sleep was in order and we would wait until tomorrow. The weather seamed to change every few hours in addition to small craft warnings being posted! The day wasn’t a total waste as we found a nice donut shop to sit and drink coffee for a few hours.

Our plans for tomorrow are to move from our dock at 6:45 am and relocate to the fuel dock no later than 7 am. With luck we should be out of the harbor by 7:30 am - maybe 8 at the latest - and head northeast to De Tour Passage. Every one in our group is ready to get out of here even though its one of the nicest marinas in the State of Michigan. (Picture was taken on Monday, June 7 when we arrived at the marina).

Day 17 – Wednesday, June 9, 2010

N - 45° 22.608’
W - 084° 57.581’
“Mackinaw City”

We haven’t moved an inch out of our slip with the exception of bouncing around all night. The weather is getting worse with gale warnings in effect with winds 15 to 25 knots, gusting to 40 knots and waves predicted at 5 to 7 feet! The wind is out of the south east building a wall of water in front of it as it moves up Lake Huron and slams into the east end of the Upper Peninsula. With rain, light fog and a low dark and dreary overcast sky at present ---tomorrow actually may be good enough to move east up into the straights!

The weather is quiet at present so five of us just rotated John’s boat 180° around in his slip to keep his boat from bumping a structure on the dock with the anchor.

We had a minor problem with our water system this morning and I just finished repairing the water regulator on the outside of the boat in this miserable weather. This is not a good day to work outside even with foul weather gear on! Everything is now fixed and its time to warm up and dry out!

We won’t have much excitement today so will have Barb attach a few pictures from the past few days that show off better boating days. The first is of the Mackinaw Bridge taken from the fort (above). The other photo is the icebreaker Mackinaw (bottom left) that was decommissioned in 2006 and on display next to the harbor that were staying in, and Skip and John at the fort.

Day 16 – Tuesday, June 8, 2010

N - 45° 22.608’
W - 084° 57.581’
“Mackinaw City”

Today the weather was unseasonably cool but perfect for sight seeing. The Flints and us visited the old light house (left) at the base of the Mackinac Bridge then toured Colonial Michilimackinac (below) a recreation of the original fort and trading post founded in 1715. If in the area I would recommend visiting both locations. For lunch we dined locally on fish and chips followed by a piece of Mackinac Island Fudge returning to the boat to select a bottle of wine for later! Unless there’s a major improvement in the weather we will stay another day in safe harbor. The last marine weather report for tomorrow is predicting wave heights to be 2 to 4 feet ---- a good reason to stay put! Wind, waves and lighting will keep us in safe harbor every time we have the option to choose! If there’s a break in the weather tomorrow for 5 to 6 hours we’ll be out of here in a flash!