Beaver Island

It has been a few years since we have been to Beaver but not too much as changed. Apparently, they are experiencing a boom. Over 100 families have moved to the area in the last 18 months. We did a little bike riding the first day and rented a car the second day. We had dinner at the lodge and then stopped at a solstice celebration next to the marina. Nathan Altman, an artist and promoter with the Burning Man, has moved to Beaver. He brought a large sphere which was made in California. He had asked people what made them happy and then laser cut their responses into handprints which he used to form the sphere. They had a bonfire in the sphere that they had just assembled that day. Monday was very cold with temps in the 50’s and very windy. We drove around the island and went down to the Iron Ore Bay property. With the water levels down again, the beach looked beautiful. We had to refill the gas tank on the rental. It was $4.95 a gallon,

It was too cold to eat outside at the lodge

Charlevoix

We spent four enjoyable days in Charlevoix. Like Leland, Charlevoix was busy and everything was open. Linda and John came over and joined us for a dinner at Grey Gables. We met a family that had the same boat as us. They live in Clearwater and summer in Harbor Springs. Ronna, Kenny, and Danielle were able to come by and spend some time on the boat with us. Will, Nancy, and Luciano stopped by to say hello. We took the bikes out and did a little riding but not as much as planned. All our neighbor boats had dogs providing entertainment!

They had two bassets and a Boston terrier next to us

Goodbye Charlevoix!

Northport

Our old home port was a little disappointing. The pandemic restrictions really took a toll on this little town. There was not a single sit down restaurant that was open for breakfast, lunch or dinner. We miss the great dining that used to be a big part of Northport. The marina is usually very busy but there were hardly any boats there. We did not see another transient boat come in after our arrival. Our slip was next to Tim Allen’s boat again but he was not there this time.

I would like to see this!

Leland

We experienced more fog on our trip to Leland but it cleared up as soon as we were docked! The town was busy and it was good to see things looking more normal. The shanties have all been raised and all businesses in them are open. We had lunch at Rick’s by the water on Sunday and then walked up to the Leland Lodge for dinner. Monday we had a light dinner at the Cove. The Bluebird is still only serving outside and Rick’s is only serving on weekends due to an employee shortage. We were surprised that the Harbor ice cream window was closed after dinner. The shortage of workers is everywhere. I did some shopping and chatted with some of the clerks. One said they were very happy that they were able to conduct business again. She said Memorial Day weekend was like July 4 and they are looking forward to a good season.

Frankfort

This is our first visit to Frankfort and I love this little town. The marina is great and the people are nice. I asked a man on the dock where the farmers market was and he insisted on driving us to the grocery store and to the market. The market here was wonderful. I was sorry I had already bought some things at the grocery store. Fresh strawberries and Michigan asparagus were picked this morning. The bread and baked goods all looked wonderful and i had to practice some restraint. I met another woman on the shore. She said they sold their sailboat in the spring because they were too busy to use it but when they were out doing their five week cruise, their favorite marina was Duncan Bay. That was before she had asked where we were from! Good to hear! We walked to the fish market and bought smoked first and I walked through all the shops in town. Lovely area.

Pretty gardens with beautiful flowers around the marina

Wonderful farmers market

Ludington

There was still some fog in the morning but it was not as bad as yesterday. Lake Michigan was as smooth as glass and we had a very comfortable ride. Ludington is a nice resort town with a great marina. The boat that came in next to us was from Bay Harbor. It was over 70’ and they had a captain operating their vessel. We went to their small farmers market and then had dinner at Table 14.

This lavender/purple boat was next to us before the Bay Harbor boat came in. We have never seen a boat this color.

Dinner at Table 14

S.S. Badger is a passenger and vehicle ferry that shuttles between Ludington and Manitowoc, Wisconsin.

Lake Macatawa, Holland

The fog report was still not great but we decided to leave Chicago. The trip was a little stressful due to the limited visibility, but we made it in by early afternoon. We were so fortunate to meet with Bill and Joanne Hankinson who had so kindly secured tickets for us to join them for a Patsy Cline musical production on the campus of of Aquinas College. We had dinner and then enjoyed the performance with Bill and Joanne and their friend, Barb. It was a great evening!

The fog was heavy for our cruise to Holland

The skies cleared by the time we cruised into port.

Great visit with good friends!

Chicago

Two days in Chicago turned into three due to the heavy fog on the day we were to leave. It was a beautiful cruise through the city but the traffic on the river made us a little nervous. We were sharing the narrow waterway with large tour boats as well as the many people on small rented kayaks. We docked at Burnham Marina which is close to the Shedd Aquarium and McCormick Place. The south side does not have as many restaurants but DuSable Marina did not have any available slips. We walked to a local Italian restaurant, Victory Tap, the first night. The food was good but eggplant stack salad was outstanding. After dinner, we walked to Trader Joe’s to pick up a few groceries. The next night we went to the Burnham Harbor Yacht Club. It is a private club but they are a reciprocal club with Duncan Bay Boat Club so we were able to use their restaurant. They sent a nice young man with a tender to pick us up at the boat. The area is pretty with seven miles of bike and walking trails along the river.

Eggplant stack salad was delicious!

Gas prices in downtown Chicago!

Our tender driver took our photo!

After dinner, the fog made the skyline look a painting.

Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal

The main purpose of the can which was built in 1885 was to reverse the flow of the Chicago River away from Lake Michigan in order to halt pollution of the lake water’s from city sewage. I read that Chicago has the rare distinction of being among major American cities that does not employ a disinfection stage at its three major sewage treatment plants. The result is a river and canal running thick with fecal coil form. Yesterday we passed so many people involved in water sports and swimming on the banks. I can’t imagine why anyone would get in this polluted water.

The electric barrier arch was installed to keep the Asian carp in the Mississippi and prevent them from getting into Lake Michigan. However, the fish have been getting through it so in 2009, 2,000 gallons of fish killing toxins were dumped in the canal to add to the pollution. The Army Corps has since cranked up the voltage but many feel that is not enough.

Joliet, Illinois

We traveled much further than we had planned today. The water is shallow and there were no marinas deep enough to accommodate the five feet we draw. Fortunately, we made it through four locks with minimal delays. It seems the lockmasters have been much more pleasant than they were when we traveled south in 2014. I think some have retired and the younger replacements seem much more pleasant and helpful. It was a long day again and we didn’t make it to the wall in Joliet until after 5PM. Another long day for Lizzie! She still will not accept the potty pad. The bridge is being repaired so we could not walk over to the area that has all the restaurants. We walked to the park and their was a dance recital with a large audience. We bought tacos for dinner from one of the food trucks there.