8/9-8/14/2012

Thursday - Our plan is to cruise to Mackinac Island today.  We take the marina bikes to the grocery store to reprovision.

Winds have picked up and from where we are it doesn't look like a pleasant crossing.  We need fuel before we take off.  I'm hemming and hawing about whether to go or not.  A couple of boats have come in so we talk to them about going out.  They have smaller boats and basically tell us it won't be a problem for our size boat. 

With help from the dock hand, we start to back out.  Jerry takes over and gets us close to the fuel dock.  He then handles the lines and I get us into the dock.  Fuel is $3.88/gal.  Instead of filling up, we only take on 150 gallons with the hope that we can get fuel at Port Washington, WI.  They have diesel for $3.57.  Hopefully it will still be that price when we get there.

So we take off about 1:00 from the fuel dock.  It is definitely windy with 2-3' waves.  There are ferries traveling back and forth between St. Ignace and Mackinac Island.  Also, between Mackinaw City and Mackinac Island.  We take their wake on our beam.  I should have turned into it but wasn't paying attention.  Big rolls side to side.  Then we get into the bay where the marina is and the ferries come into and out of.  Waiting for our slip assignment, we get hit again.  I'm not sure if it was just a wave from the Lake or one of the ferries.  Either way, it hit us big.  We rocked side to side making the salon and galley chaotic.  Once we got tied up, I went down and found the lamp on the floor, the pantry emptied on the floor, the plastic cereal container lid broke with granola spilled out on the floor, dish soap dripping on the counter.  What a mess!

Not often you see the UPS truck crossing to an island.

The Grand Hotel from the water.

Coming into the harbor at Mackinac Island.

One of the many horse drawn carriages on Mackinac.

I picked up what I could.  Jerry said, let's go eat lunch and clean up later.  Who am I to question his wisdom.  We ate at Seabiscuit.  Walked afterward taking in some of the shops. 

Back to the boat, Jerry toke a nap, I finished cleaning up.  Working on the blog to catch up back entries.

Friday - After breakfast, took the bikes off the boat and rode around the island.  A little over 8 miles.  Kind of windy and chilly.  What a neat place to be.

 Private residences along the way.  Mackinac Island, a little piece of paradise.   No motorized vehicles, just horses, horse drawn carriages and bicycles.  OK, so we saw an ambulance and a garbage truck but that was it so far.

The Arch Rock is a natural limestone arch formed during the Nipissing post-glacial period, a period of high Lake Huron levels. This type of limestone formation is quite rare in the North American Great Lakes region.   Its presence was a major element in the decisions to create Mackinac National Park in 1875

Brought bikes back to the marina and walked to the Grand Hotel.   A young lady  stands guard and cordially asks  "are you a guest at the hotel?"  if not, you can either turn around or pay $10 to go in.  We went in just to check out having either breakfast or lunch there tomorrow.  The attendant wasn't very helpful so we left.

Looking up at the Grand Hotel's long porch.

  Walked back towards town.  Ran into the couple we had met at St. Ignace yesterday.  They recognized us, it took us a few minutes to figure out who they were.  Talked with them.  They suggested lunch at the Ice House.  Good recommendation.

After lunch,  back to boat.

Craig, Blue Heron, came by about 4:30 saying we were doing docktails at 5:30 at the picnic area on shore.  We headed over and sat with Marc and Michelle along with Michelle's sister.  Others joined, then Bob and Lisa (St. Ignace friends) joined as well as Steve and Kim.  Craig and Barb were going to The Woods so they left. 

About 7pm several antique carriages paraded by.  There were about 10-15, different shapes and sizes.  Very beautiful horses.

We hung out visiting until after dark.  Great time.  Lisa said we needed to go to The Woods.  She had the phone number and called them.  Got a reservation for tomorrow at 8:45pm. 

This rainbow appeared over the island.  Too big for one picture.  What a sight!

Saturday - Jerry went to the bakery before the bike ride this morning.  On his way back, he talked to a couple of other boaters.  Sad event, a young man drowned and his body was found in the harbor close to the marina. 

One of the ferry lines that delivers passengers from  a couple of  different ports around Mackinac Island,  St. Ignace and Mackinaw City. 

This morning, trying to shake things up, we rode bikes the inside route.  Rode to the airport, then to the cemetery.  Looking for tombstone that supposedly reads "see, I told you I was sick".  Walked all around, some really old stones.  One was for the 14 year old wife.  Yuck.

Rode on to stairs leading to Fort Holmes, the highest point on the island.  I think there were about 14-15 flights of stairs up.  Incredible views.

 Down the steps then rode to the Arch Rock.  We had seen it from below the day before on our ride around the island. 

This was looking down from Arch Rock.  Folks had used rocks to form the Olympic circles and a few other designs in the water.

Another view from Arch Rock

A pause for the horses.  They are given a break while the passengers take in the views from Arch Rock. 

Back towards town, but not ready to stop so accidentally found our way to Woods, one of the Grand Hotel restaurants where we're having dinner tonight.  Went in, they were open but not serving food. 

Finally found our way back to town.  Had lunch in today.  Jerry was watching the Olympics after lunch.  I wanted to move so suggested that we go tour the Grand Hotel.  Ran into John and Mary, Passport.  This is their last stop before finishing the loop in Mackinaw City.  We talked, John told us the trick to getting into the Grand without paying.  Evidently there are several ways in.  The garden for one and the stables is the other.  Anyway, we took the later. On the way, we passed several impressive homes on the bluff west of the hotel.

 It is a magnificent hotel.  They were serving High Tea.  I just wanted to walk around.  Enjoyed the tour. 

 

Got back to the boat and Craig stopped by saying we were doing docktails on the dock.  I think there are 5-6 loopers tonight getting together.  Rickshaw arrived today, really good to see Jim and Belinda.

Docktails are a normal happening when several looper boats are in port.  Usually everyone brings a snack and their own drink of choice.   

I wanted to dress up for dinner.  Hadn't done that on this trip yet.  Finally found a pair of black slacks in the bottom of my closet.  Put on mascara and everything!  Headed to town to catch the carriage to the restaurant.  It's about a 25-30 minute ride.  Two other couples waited with us.  I took a blanket for the ride back so had an extra bag to carry.  Jerry mentioned to the young couple that we were going to bring wine on the ride but decided it was too much trouble.  She tells her husband about the wine and he heads over to the grocery store buys a bottle and gets some paper cups.  They shared with all of us. 

The Woods is very rustic.  Has moose heads, deer and others mounted and hung on the walls.  Saw a lamp with what looked like deer legs/hooves as the base of the lamp.  Different.

Service was excellent.  Michael was our server.  Lisa, Bob and their entourage were sitting next to us.  They had been there awhile so were almost to dessert.  Lisa came by and highly recommended the goulash with spaetzle.   Jerry ordered that, I ordered duck.  Both were exceptional.  Really enjoyed dinner.  Rode the carriage back to town.  Beautiful evening, didn't need the blanket after all. 


Sunday -  Rode around the island again this morning.  Looked at weather to see what tomorrow would bring,  Then checked in at the marina to see if we could stay another night.  We are in.

A young lady giving her horse a drink.  There were many privately owned horses on the island.

Took another ride later in the day.  After we got back, I noticed these kites on the far side of the harbor.  We walked over to see them closer.  No one was around, they were just tied to different things, picnic tables, rocks on the shore, trees, it was kind of strange, but fun to watch.

We couldn't get over how clear the water was.  This is looking down off the back of our boat.

Got a text from Lisa about having dinner on the patio with them.  They had ordered whitefish for dinner from someplace along the east coast of Lake Michigan, can't remember where.  We had grilled fish, grilled red potatoes, grilled veggies, broccoli salad, garlic bread and cookies.  It was quite a spread and the guys did most of the cooking.  Really nice being included in their annual event.  This is their 17th year coming to Mackinac Island for summer vacation.

Monday - One last ride around the island before we head out.  What a great place to visit. 

As we're heading out of the harbor this barge looking thing comes in with a moving van and many many round bales of hay.  Expensive enterprise keeping over 400 horses on an island.

 One of the many ferries.  Jerry thought it looked like a giant Seadoo with the water tail.

This Coast Guard cutter cruised passed us and created quite a wake.

One of the light houses on Lake Michigan.

Coming up on the Mackinaw Bridge.

Water was great for about 2 hours into the ride to Beaver Island. Then got kind of rough but tolerable. We arrived and anchored about 4:30. A couple of other boats were anchored. Took the dinghy in to check out the town. It's a touristy kind of place. A huge car ferry travels here from Charlevoix

While we were walking through town, I noticed these two turkeys strutting around one of the yards on Main Street.

We had dinner at Daddy Franks, just a hot dog joint. Not bad. Walked around a bit then dinghyed back to the boat. Nice evening

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Just after we went to bed, we heard something on the swim platform.  Jerry went to investigate and ducks were chewing on bugs.  Weird. 

Tuesday -  Took off about 8 this morning.  Noticed on the weather last night that some storms might be brewing so wanted to get further along

The car ferry going into Beaver Island. 

Jerry is always so impressed with his lunches.  Today he took a picture.  It's just a sandwich.  What can I say.

A bridge going into the Charlevoix harbor only opens on the hour and half hour so tried to time our arrival so we wouldn't have to wait too long.  Slowed down but still had to wait about 15 minutes.  Not bad. 

Blue Heron came through with us.  Passed Ralph and Celeste in their dinghy.  We anchored in Oyster Bay.  Say Goodbye is here as well.  This afternoon, Rickshaw showed up. 

I was tired of looking at the buggy isinglass so went to work this afternoon cleaning the sundeck and bridge. 

After dinner we decided to go for a swim.  I asked what the water temp was, big mistake.  71F.  Jumped in and swam around the boat twice.  Refreshing is an understatement but the water is clear, you can see at least 10ft down. 

7/6-7/10/2012

Friday - Walked into town (Clayton, NY) this morning.  Have tickets to tour the Thousand Islands and Boldt Castle.  

The Thousand Islands straddles the Canada/US border in the Saint Lawrence River.  There are actually over 1,800 islands and range in size from over 40 square miles to smaller islands occupied by a single residence or an uninhabited pile of rocks that are only home to waterfowl.  To constitute an island, it must have an area greater than 1 square foot and be above water level year round and support at least one living tree. I don't know who makes these rules.
The more we thought about it the more we realized what a smart move it was to take a tour rather than motor our own boat through the islands.  There are so many rocks and shoals less than 2 feet below the water line  that we would have spent all our time watching the charts and depth sounder that we would have missed so much. 

Some houses/cottages built on big and not so big islands.

Boldt Castle is a big draw in the Thousand Islands.  It is located on Heart Island on the US side of the Saint Lawrence River.  In the late 1800s, George Boldt, general manager of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City and manger of the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia.  He and his family vacationed several summers in the Thousand Islands.  To honor the love he had for his wife, Louise, he began construction of  a 6-story castle.  More than three years into the construction, his wife died unexpectedly.  George Boldt telegrammed construction crews halting all work.  Boldt never returned to the island leaving it an unfinished monument. 
After being left to the wind, rain and vandals, the castle and its other structures were acquired by the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority in 1977.  The stipulation is that the castle will never be completed.  The Bridge Authority has renovated many of the 120 rooms, however, it is still unfinished.  What an incredible site to see.
Here is a website with better pictures than we could take. 
www.boldtcastle.com/visitorinfo/

Saturday - Departed Clayton, NY.  Crossed the imaginary border into Canada about 10 am.  Reached Kingston, Ontario this afternoon.  Had to check in with Customs.  Made a phone call from a pay phone just outside the marina gate.   We have more liquor than the duty-free allowance.  I decided to fess up what we had on board, others lied about what they had.  The customs agent chastised me saying we can bring in 24 cans of beer OR 1.5 liters of wine OR 750ml of liquor per person.  We had lots more than that.  The Customs Officer said we would have to pay duty but didn't say how.  We may get a bill in the mail.  Whatever.  I would much rather be up front about it than be boarded and caught with more than what we claimed.

Coming into Kingston, Ontario

Checked in at the marina.  Needed lunch.  Taste of Kingston was being held right by the marina so we gave them $8 US since we hadn't converted any dollars into Loonies yet and feasted on 1/2 a chicken pita, a smoked beef slider with homemade chips and an ice cream sundae.  Pretty good deal, we thought.

Our Garmin Chartplotter didn't have the details regarding the Canadian waters.  We needed the right chip.  Found a West Marine about 2 miles from the marina with what we needed.  Walked through downtown.  Things were busy. 

These are just some of the street musicians we encountered.

Stopped at Canadian Tire, reminded us of a small WalMart with better quality stuff.  A guy from Garmin customer support suggested we try there first for the chip, but no joy.  Jerry asked about a fishing license.  The young girls selling them decided he didn't need one because he is over 65.  We argued that non-residence always need one but they insisted.  We did take the rules and unfortunately didn't read it until we were back at the boat.  Of course, in bold print, it says, non-residents over 65 are not exempt.  Will try someplace else in the morning.

Found a bicycle shop.  My bike tires are shot so we picked up what we needed there.

When we got back to the boat it was after 5pm.  We chatted with the folks on Attitude Adjustment next to us.  Several other boaters were out visiting on the dock.  We talked with Ivy on Karma, loopers from Miami and Quest invited us over for drinks.  We passed.  I had already started dinner.

Read until dark.  Bugs were a bother, nothing biting, just flying around.  What a pain.

Sunday - Most of the loopers bailed early today.  We needed to do laundry so took our time.  Goldleaf and Forget me Knot stayed back too.  Jerry and Glenda walked to the hardware store in hopes of obtaining fishing licenses.  No luck, it didn't open until 11.

Filled our water tank then we three boats took off.  We all anchored close to Forester Island.

Monday - Took off about 7:30 this morning.  Trenton, Ontario is our destination, the beginning of the Trent-Severn Waterway

Hard to see from this picture, a family of Swans, mom, dad and 5 cygnets.  We saw them in the morning before we pulled up anchor.

Looking forward from the boat.  A small island off to the left.  Green buoys take us around the shoal that extends from the small patch of land.

We noticed that the water isn't as clear as it was on Ontario. Locals said the zebra mussels cleaned the water. Challenged the fish population for a few years but it has come back strong, so we were told.

Cruising along I noticed that a piece of my tooth, way in the back is gone.  It didn't hurt, but was concerned it might start and here we are heading into the Waterway.  Didn't know when we might find a dentist. 

Our plan was to stop at the Fraser Park Marina for just a couple of hours, do some shopping, get Jerry a fishing license then anchor out.  I asked the manager about a dentist.  He deferred to his wife who was at lunch.  We went to lunch and when we got back, Sandy, his wife, had two appointments for me to choose from.  Couldn't believe how that worked out for me. 



Sandy said we could stay the night and she would drive me or we could go through 6 locks to get to the dentist.  We opted to stay the night.  She and I left the marina about 5:00.  The dentist staff was great, friends of Sandy's.  First reaction by the dentist was a crown and it would be 10 days.  I said, no, we're leaving tomorrow.  So she replaced the old filling, I was back at the boat by 6:45.   I often underestimate the graciousness of some people.  Sandy was so generous of her time to take me to the dentist and wait while I was treated.

A group of loopers were having drinks on the patio when I got back.  My mouth was still really numb so I didn't want to embarrass myself by drooling.  We stayed for a little bit then went back to the boat.


Tuesday - rode bikes to The Grind for coffee, tea and treats.  Had a coupon for a free coffee.  On the way back, stopped to talk to Forget me Knot and Goldleaf.  David needed help getting his dinghy on deck.  The canal charges extra for towing the dinghy.  David, Jerry and Carl got that taken care of with ease. 

Departing Trenton, we go under the bridge and now we are on the Trent Severn Waterway.  A total of 44 locks to go.

Water is shallow on either side of these markers, the red triangle on the right (red right returning) and the square green on the left. 

We're heading into Lock 1.  The lock is small, only room for about 2 large boats.  We follow Jan's Tern (a 40' trawler) into the lock.  I drive, Jerry handles the lines.  

When we get to the top of the lock, this guy comes by and asks if we would take a message in a bottle to Lock 33.  He takes a picture handing us the bottle with the lockmaster behind the sign, Wind Song in the background.  Some kind of rivalry between Trenton and Lindsey.   Cool deal to be asked to do this.

 Some parts of the waterway are very narrow.  Must keep speed at a minimum and keep it in the middle of the channel.

Next lock.  Jerry on the bow.  No bollards, usually lines or cables on the wall.  Jerry hooks a line around cleats it then stands by making sure it doesn't get hung up as we go up.

A couple of the houses along the waterway.

We followed Jan's Tern (Bob and Jan) through 7 locks today. He and his wife had tense times in the locks. Glad we weren't on their boat.

       Out of lock 7, some kids were jumping off an old railroad bridge into the water.  Looked like fun!

Stopped about 3:00 today at a nice anchorage.  Cleaned some bugs off the boat then worked on notes for the blog.  After dinner, sat on the sundeck until bugs started bothering us.  Mosquitoes were in the stateroom.  Must have killed over a dozen.  They would buzz around our ears.  Tried putting my head under the covers.  Sort of worked.  If I got buzzed, I would turn on the flashlight in search of the critter.  Kill what I saw then go back to bed.  This went on for what seemed like a couple of hours.  Jerry finaly retreated to the salon to sleep on the couch.  Not a peaceful night

7/1-7/5/2012

Sunday - Still in Oswego, NY.  About 10 boats have tied to the wall between Locks 7 and 8.  Hauled clothes to laundromat.  People have lined the streets for the 4th of July Parade.  We couldn't see much from the laundromat but it appeared to be the typical small town parade with the police cars and fire trucks leading the way.

Jim, on Mamacita, traveling alone, not a looper, invited several of us to have dinner together at the picnic shelter.  Everyone brought a meat to cook on the grill and sides.  Nice evening.

Monday - We moved Wind Song through Lock 8 this afternoon.  Lock 8 is the last lock on the Oswego Canal.  There is a wall on the other side of the lock so we tied up wanting to leave early in the morning to cross Lake Ontario.  Also, our lock pass runs out today so want to be through so there are no questions.  We hear from others that this lock master is a real stickler about current passes.

 Cruising under the bridge towards Lock 8

By dinnertime, all but one of the boats had moved through the lock.  A good weather window and we all wanted an early go in the morning.

We rode bikes across the bridge to the grocery store.  Didn't need much. 

Glenda and Carl, Goldleaf, stopped by for a drink this evening. 



 Tuesday - We were up early, so we thought.  6am and all the other boats are gone.  A cup of coffee and tea then we're off. 

Looking back we see the Oswego bridge and Lock 8. 

Across the bridge an older part of Oswego. 

The lighthouse at the Oswego seawall.  Lake Ontario is relatively calm this morning.  We have about 5 hours to Cape Vincent, NY. 

Jerry takes the opportunity of calm seas to scrub bugs off the boat dipping a bucket into the water. 

We have decided to take in the Thousand Islands while in the area.  Have read and talked to others that we shouldn't miss it. 

The seas kicked up about 2 hours into the trip hitting us abeam and rocking the boat so much that I got nauseous. Ended up sleeping over an hour towards the end of the crossing.

 

Passing Wolff Island, more than 80 windmills in this farm. 

This boat passed by once we were docked at Cape Vincent.  What a beautiful ship.  Found a spot on the free dock at Cape Vincent along with Forget me Knot. Goldleaf was also able to find a spot too.

Ferry traveling between Wolff Island and Cape Vincent.  Canadians and any Americans on the ferry must check in with Customs here. 

The water here is incredibly clear, these are weeds in the water.

Jerry was out and about talking to folks, mostly Canadians, at the other docks.  Found out there was wine tasting at the liquor store this evening. 

 Went to dinner with David and Joleen, Forget me Knot, and Glenda and Carl, Goldleaf at Captain Jacks, had a great time.  Glenda, Carl, Jerry and me went to the wine tasting.  They were offering Skinny Girl wine and drink mixes.  Not impressed, but the owner was such a wonderful man.  And had a great selection of wines for such a small town.  Come to find out, he caters to the Canadians that come across to buy their alcohol limit to bring back home.  Booze are cheaper in the US. 

Wednesday - Happy 4th of July!  Still at Cape Vincent, Jerry took the bikes off the boat this morning.  We rode to Tibbets Point about 7 miles round trip.  A historic lighthouse is situated here.  What a terrific morning for a ride.  Beautiful shoreline along the lake. Houses varied in size from huge to modest.  Several are for sale.

Wind Song is in the background tied to the dock.  This is a lovely park by the dock.

 Freighters going through the St. Lawrence Seaway require local pilots.  The seawall in the foreground is not far from the dock we were tied to in Cape Vincent.

This is one of the pilot boats carrying the local pilot either to or from the ship.

Jerry met the guy standing in the picture at the Customs office.  He was trying to get cleared.  Evidently there was some kind of problem.  Anyway, he and his wife were walking the dock later and we took advantage of their local knowledge to help us and Joleen and David mark up charts of Georgian Bay and the North Channel.  Only cost us a beer. 

 By the way, it was on this crossing to Cape Vincent that we discovered our phones and WiFi were hitting towers in Canada and Verizon was hitting us with premium charges.


Thursday - Traveled today to Clayton NY.  Short run, only about 20 miles.  One big attraction is the Antique Wooden Boat Museum.   Docked at the city dock.  However, we needed 30 amp service and all we have are 50 amp power cords.  So a trip to Ace Hardware first thing netted us a 30 amp plug ($23).  Jerry took one of our 3 cords and converted it to 30 amp service, he is so smart.  An adaptor runs over $200.  What we've read is that most of the marinas from here through Mackinac only have 30 amp so might as well have some power. 

After Jerry got the plug wired, we went to the boat museum.  It had show pieces, exceptional antique boats and motors.  Really enjoyed.

Passed this Coast Guard Cutter on our way to Clayton.

Examples of boats we saw at the Antique Wooden Boat Museum

Had dinner with other 3 couples at Channelside.  Great food and good company.   Sitting on the sundeck of Wind Song we had to capture the sunset.

8/7/2012

Hey everybody, we are back in the USA!  Canada was incredible.  I have lots of pictures and will play catch up for awhile to capture everything that we saw and did. 

Amazing how dependent we are on computers and especially Internet.  Out of the month plus we were in Canada, we probably only had Internet access at a couple of marinas and it wasn't a strong signal so we picked up email and that was about it.  We both went through withdrawals.  I don't know how many times we would say, "I'll look it up, oh, I can't".

Today we are in St. Ignace, MI.  Need fuel and to change the oil in the engines.  Napa Auto has the oil filters we need so will stop in there later today.  Weather has been pleasant.  About 60F this morning at our anchorage, Government Bay.  Lake Huron was calm this morning until we were about 30 minutes out of the marina.  Seas were about 1-2'.

To date, we have travelled 5,115 miles and what a ride it's been so far. 

Today and tomorrow are clean up and catch up days.  Thursday we have reservations at the Mackinac Island Marina, two nights, can't wait.  We are still weighing our options for exploring Lake Michigan, east or west coast or both???

Will get my butt in gear to update the blog!