Day #384 – Harrison Township, MI

I was awake at 4:00 a.m. thinking about our arrival home and ending our trip.  We do so with such mixed emotions.  We are happy to be completing something that we began over a year ago and excited about seeing family, friends and familiar surroundings, yet sad that this journey was ending.

The day began like so many others, with a beautiful sunrise

and the water at our front and back doors.

The waters were calm and the skies were beautifully bright and sunny when we cranked our engines and cast off our lines at 8:00 for the final leg.

We have made the trip from Lexington back to our home port of Belle Maer many times, but this one certainly felt different.  We were doing so completing a 7,000 mile journey.

We passed under the Blue Water Bridge at 10:00.

This marked our leaving Lake Huron and entering the St. Clair River.  This will take us to Lake St. Clair and Anchor Bay into Belle Maer Harbor, our home port. At 11:53 a.m. while cruising past Algonac, we passed the 7,000 mile mark.

Our son, Scott, was on the dock to catch our lines.  It was so good to see his smiling face again.

The finish line (compliments of Karen and John Barney).

We are a year older (not wiser) and Good News has served us well…three countries, 16 states, 160 ports, 7019.2 miles…

and memories…priceless!

To the many followers who have read my blog so faithfully, I thank you.  Knowing that almost 300 people a day were waiting to read of our adventures kept me motivated to keep taking pictures (almost 3,000) and keep telling our story.  Some read it with their morning coffee, some with their glass of wine at night.  We were so fortunate to be able to take the trip, the least we could do was share the journey.  Many of you I have never met and probably never will.  I hope I have, in a small way, been able to portray each day as we have experienced it and provided a window into our lives.

As I sign off I leave you with one final thought…

Life is a journey, not a destination…enjoy the moments!

Until our next adventure, Good News…standing by.

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A few words from the Captain…

People who had done this trip told us when we first started that “it isn’t the destinations that make this trip great, it’s the people you meet along the way.” How right they were.  We have a lot of great memories of Loopers we have traveled with along the way, especially that couple from “Bama”, Patti and Brad.

There is one person that this trip could have never even started without and that is my wife, Mary.  Without her, this great blog would not exist, we would not have been able to safely dock or enter all those locks, have laughter every day on board with the people that we had met, great meals when it was our turn and keeping our home on the water working so well, thank you Mary.

And thanks to all the people who followed our travels through this blog.  It was impressive how many more hits Mary had every Monday morning. To anybody thinking of doing this trip, cast off and go, you will find a lifetime of great memories and friends.

Day #383 – Lexington, MI

We were up at day break and on the water at 6:15.

The breeze was calm and we decided to travel faster than we usually do, 17 miles per hour.  I know for some boaters that seems slow, however for fuel economy and comfort, we usually travel about 10 miles per hour.

Our first obstacle was the fishing nets.  It is similar to the crab pots we dodged in Florida and the Chesapeake, however, a net is strung between two buoys and it is difficult to tell which ones are attached to the other.

These markers are much smaller as well.  One was only a juice can.

More lighthouses line the far shore as we pass.

The seas increased to about three feet, which is what was predicted, so it was a bit of a rough ride until after we crossed the open waters of Saginaw Bay.  At 1:30 we reached Harbor Beach , 110 miles from Presque Isle, and we decided to keep going.  The waters had flattened out and we chose Lexington to be our destination for the night, 150 miles for the day.

At about 2:00 Andy noticed a catamaran off to our starboard that looked familiar.  We hailed Island Rhumb and sure enough, it was them.  We had last seen Darleen in West End, Bahamas and before she flew home, then we saw John in St. Augustine and Myrtle Beach among others.  Their home port is Monroe, Michigan.  How ironic to see them this many miles later.  Hopefully our paths will cross again.

Lexington was our first stop at the beginning of our trip and we were last here on August 1, 2008.  Oh, we look younger and more rested.

These guys were jumping off of the rocks at the entrance to the harbor.

There were lots of swans cruising around the harbor.   It looks like some of them were getting their dinner.

We were weary, but glad we had made the final push.  If all goes as planned, we should pull into our home port around noon tomorrow with only 64 miles to get there.  Weather looks good, so…here’s hoping.

Day #382 – Presque Isle, MI

Happy Birthday Patti!

We had a really strong storm last evening and were glad we were tied up safely in a harbor.  Before dinner we took a little walk around the area.

It just didn’t feel right cooking and setting the table for only two as we had had dinner company pretty  much every night for the last seven months.

This morning we got up and checked the weather one more time and decided to take off at 8:00.

The weather forecast said it would be stormy later in the day and we wanted to make the 54 mile trip to Presque Isle before the storm hit.

The waters were unbelievably flat, the sun was shining and we wished we could go further, but decided to make the safe decision and pull into Presque Isle as planned at 1:00.

As you approach from the north you can see the “New” Presque Isle Lighthouse.

Then, as you enter the harbor, on the south shore you can see the “Old” Presque Isle Lighthouse.

After securing the boat and having some lunch we borrowed bicycles from the General Store which are generously provided by the Presque Isle Yacht Club for boaters.

Our first stop was the “Old” Presque Isle Lighthouse as it is referred to.  It was built in 1830 and is said to be haunted by their last caretaker, George Parris.

On their grounds they  also house the bell from the old Lansing (Michigan’s Sate Capital) City Hall which was torn down in 1959.  It is made of bronze and weighs more than the Liberty Bell.

Next we pedaled another mile up the peninsula to the “New” Presque Isle Lighthouse.  It is over 130 years old.

On our way back Andy noticed a deer standing right off the road as we passed.  Just like dolphins and loons, by the time the camera was out of my purse and ready to shoot, this was the best shot I could get.

We are hoping the storm passes through in the night and waters and winds calm and we are able to make a 100+ trip to Harbor Beach tomorrow.

Day #381 – Cheboygan, MI

Today was a sad day as the “Three Musketeers” were leaving and we were leaving Salvage Crew on Mackinac Island.  After a leisurely morning on Good News Karen, Patti and I decided to take one more walk around town and stretch our legs before their long drive home and our travel day.

They left on the 12:00 ferry to St. Ignace

and Brad, Patti, Andy I went to the Chippewa Hotel’s Pink Pony for lunch.

Check out time at the marina was 1:00 so at that time we threw off our dock lines for the last time with Salvage Crew staying on the docks and we departed for Cheboygan.

It was terribly strange to be leaving without them after being together for so long.

Hopefully we will meet up again in Pentwater.  We will be on land while they will be on their boat.  Not only was it strange leaving without them, but it was the first time we have traveled with our GOLD burgee.

We traveled only 17 miles down to Cheboygan.

Once there we took on 400 gallons of fuel and it will be the last time on the trip before we get home.  We will check weather and wind tonight, but hope to be able to pull out tomorrow and start heading home.  If the weather cooperates, we should be there in about four days…bittersweet.

Day #380 – Mackinac Island, MI

It rained and rained through the night, but by 9:00 in the morning it was beautiful and there was a nice breeze.  It was a perfect day for a bike ride around the island.

It is an eight mile ride and beautiful every bit of the way along the shoreline.  There were thousands of bikes going in both directions, but in general, most people and carriage drivers were courteous and safe.  We had seen Arch Rock from the street above before, but never from down below.  It is beautiful from both levels.

These must be the American version of the Canadian inukshuks.  Not quite as original, but still creative.

About four and a half miles around the island we stopped at the beautiful home of Dave and Lin Sheppard.  They live on the island during the summer and on Amelia Island during the winter.  Lin has horses right on their property and we got to meet them.  One of them even pulls a carriage when they decide to travel in that style.

After touring their lovely home we walked up the street to the Cannonball and had a great picnic style lunch.

After lunch we stopped by their beautiful beach across the street from their home.

Thanks Lin and Dave for your island hospitality!

We finished the last three and a half miles back through town and into the marina.  Ted decided to do another lap, however, he couldn’t find anyone else interested.

Tonight was my night to cook so I did what preparation I could and had a little cocktail party before dinner.  Terry and Sue joined us as well as Lin and Dave.  What a fun group and a beautiful evening.

After dinner we surpried Patti with a little birthday celebration.  Since her birthday is August 17th, we won’t be together then so decided to celebrate when we could.

We sang Happy Birthday (what a treat for her I am sure) and gave her a few little gifts.  Then the gift giving took on a more humurous twist and she gave me a couple of things to help me remember our time together.

More fun and good times were had by all!

Days #379 – Mackinac Island, MI

John, Karen and Ted arrived last night around 6:00.  It was great to see tham again and it was like a reunion of sorts.  Even though they had never met Brad and Patti and vice versa they all felt like they had known each other for years.  Brad and Patti have heard all of our stories of them and they have followed our adventures on both of our blogs.

Karen even brought them a loaf of her traditional boating breakfast… zucchini bread.  Welcome to the gang!

Ted had brought dinner from his restaurant, Rib City Grill, and we all feasted on ribs, cole slaw and beans.

We woke up to a beautiful morning and took our time getting going.  Brad and Patti went for a carriage ride and we had all done it before so just took a leaisruely stroll around the town for a bit.

We walked in  and out of galleries and admired the beautiful homes and flowers everywhere.

The weather was perfect and we thoroughly enjoyed the day.

Patti was kind enough to offer to make dinner for all five of us and she treated us to a “low country boil.”  It was delicious and consisted of corn, potatoes, shrimp and sausage all cooked in a large pot and seasoned with special seasonings.  What a treat and we ate and ate and enjoyed every bite, thanks Patti. (Sorry, no photos as it was picture perfect!)

But, Good News and Salvage are still happily side by side.

Day #378 – Mackinac Island, MI

WE DID IT!

We crossed our wake at 12:00 today as we entered the harbor at Mackinac Island.

This morning we woke up to a beautiful, sunny day.  It was a little bittersweet as we were excited to close our Loop, however sad that this would be the last day of cruising with Salvage Crew.  We have traveled together since January 29th when we crossed over together to the Bahamas.  We have been in front of them or behind them for 175 days and covered a distance of almost 2,900 miles.

What a time we have had and we cannot express how much their friendship means to us. Thanks, Brad and Patti, for the memories!

A few statistics that we have gathered since we left home on August 1, 2008…

We have been to three countries,  16 states, 146 different ports and too many locks to count.  Good News has traveled 757 hours and covered over 6,500 miles.  The price of fuel has ranged from $4.61 per gallon to $1.86 per gallon with an average of $2.59 per gallon over the year.  Even though we have closed our Loop, when we leave Mackinac Island on Sunday we still have almost 300 miles until we get back home.

When you dream of doing this trip, many people you talk to say that the trip is great, but it is the people you meet along the way that make it the experience it is.  We are so thankful for all of you who have made this trip “The Trip of a Lifetime” for us.  Hopefully, you know who you are.  Some friendships were brief and others will last a lifetime.  How lucky we are.

Thank you too to friends and family who have followed along with us on our journey.  Keeping in touch with loved ones wasn’t always easy, but each and every phone call, text message or email made us feel you hadn’t forgotten us.  For me, it was a leap of faith when we left over a year ago that things would be the same when we returned.  Our son Ryan became engaged to wonderful Devon, dear friends have moved away, babies have been born, parents have passed and life has gone on without us.  We look forward to the future with our loved ones and await our next adventure.

A special thanks to Andy, my husband of 36 years and the most patient man I know.  He has put up with me through trying times, joys, being homesick and I always knew I could count on him.  He is the most capable Captain I know and there was great comfort in knowing that we were safe and could depend on each other.  Don’t get me worng, there were days we probably wanted to throw each other overboard, but somehow each night we still felt blessed to have this adventure together.

We look forward to our weekend with our dear friends from home, John, Karen and Ted who have kept up with us and each joined us three times on this journey.  More memories to be made and fun to have.

Ahhhh, what a ride it has been!

Day #377 – Drummond Island, MI

Several of you who have been faithfully following this blog have commented on the fact that I have not been in swimming on this trip.  Being on the water for over a year, it is amazing the I  haven’t gone for a swim.  I am proud of the fact that I have avoided having to put on a bathing suit as well.  Now I can no longer claim that I have not been swimming.  I have, however, still not put on a bathing suit.  Can you see where this story is going?!?!?  Last night after a lovely dinner on the aft deck of Salvage Crew I was walking back to our slip, next door.  I was talking to a lady fishing across the dock and stepped onto the swim platform.  It is appropriately named as that is where I went swimming from.  As I stepped on, still conversing, I caught my foot in the line attached to the swim platform.  In I went and the water was a balmy 66 degrees.  I’m glad to report that I was not hurt, didn’t lose my glasses and came up still holding my wine glass.  I ran into the lady this afternoon who I was talking to at the time of the launch and she said she gave me a full “10”.  She said she heard, “of sh–” and then a splash.  Need I say more?!?!?

We woke to a beautiful sunny, warm day in Michigan.  Days like this are too few and far between, but we like to think they saved them for our arrival back into our home state.  This weather is expected to hold for at least the next six days.

This morning we spent a few hours cleaning and organizing the boat.  It has been a bit neglected since we have been on the move so much lately.  Also, we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of Karen, John and Ted tomorrow after we move to Mackinac Island.

So, we arranged for the rental vehicle here at the marina and off we went for the usual stops.  A great lunch spot that some locals had recommended

the hardware store and, of course, the grocery store.

It felt good to be able to find some of the brands that we are used to buying in the US and the prices are certainly lower than Canada, even on Drummond Island.

After errands we drove around the island and did a little exploring and found Drummond Island Resort and Conference Center.  It was originally built and developed by Domino’s Pizza magnate Tom Monaghan.  Then, in 1991 a group of mainly local people bought the whole place, 2,000 acres, for pennies on the dollar of what it cost to develop. It boasts of The Rock, designed by Harry Bowers, and is known as one of Michigan’s most beautiful and unusual golf courses.

Monaghan’s longtime fascination with Frank Lloyd Wright is evident. He originally envisioned Domino’s Lodge as a retreat for his corporate families, where they could bond, relax, and at the same time think about pizza and the Detroit Tigers baseball team, which he owned at the time. Monaghan designed (often on napkins) three of the cottages built there. One was for himself and his chief executives, one for former U-M football coach Bo Schembechler, then the Tigers’ general manager, and one for Sparky Anderson, then the Tigers’ manager. The Bayside Restaurant is open to the public from June through September and weekends in winter. There are also several separate cottages for rent.

It is quite a place and we were glad to have seen it.  Off to Mackinac Island tomorrow.

Day #376 – Drummond Island, MI

This morning we had planned on leaving Meldrum Bay at 9:00 as we thought there might be fog again.  We were right, but instead of leaving at 9:00 we couldn’t leave until 11:00.

At 1:30 we radioed Salvage Crew and welcomed them back to the United States as our charts showed we had crossed the imaginary border over water. We began to see American flags flying at the cottages instead on Canadian.

The trip to Drummond Island today was 40 miles and four hours.  We enjoyed our time in Canada, but are glad to be back in the good old US and happy to have some of our communication devices again.

The color of the water is turquoise again and the scenery looks beautiful and familiar.

Once we arrived at Drummond Island we had to clear US customs.  We will be here tonight and tomorrow before cruising to Mackinac Island and crossing our wake and closing our Loop.

Looking back, we left the United States and entered Canada 27 days ago and left Michigan 339 days ago.  It’s a long time to be gone and it feels good to be back in familiar territory.  We are looking forward to seeing family and friends soon.

Day #375 – Meldrum Bay, ON

After listening to the weather reports, however sketchy, we pulled out of Gore Bay at 8:00.  There were low lying clouds, but no bad weather predicted.

As we turned out into the channel within about 10 minutes we were socked in with heavy fog.  We traveled in heavy fog with our fog horn blowing every 100 seconds. It is a scary feeling to not be able to see what is in front of you.   Fortunately the radar worked perfectly today.  Once we could see another boat on the radar and we kept hailing him on the radio.  When we passed him, not only did he not have radio, but apparently he didn’t monitor a radio either.

We arrived in Meldrum Bay at 11:30.

Just about the time we pulled into the marina, the fog lifted and minutes later the sun came out.  Now it is a beautiful sunny day and 77 degrees.  After getting settled we walked over to the marina office to sign in.

Then we walked up the hill to the Inn.

Below is a replica of the Inn that sits in the side yard.  It has been in business for over 100 years.

Andy and I had lunch on their porch and watched in amazement at the humming birds that were everywhere.

The innkeeper told us that they arrive early every spring from South Africa.

This year she couldn’t find the feeders when she went to put them out.  She was standing in the kitchen when they arrived and they started tapping on the window.  She quickly drove into town, bought the feeders and filled them.  They were quickly back in force.  She mentioned that she has to take the feeders down in early September or they will wait until it is too late to leave and they will freeze.  Amazing!

They were nice enough to offer to let us bring our laptops up and use their wi-fi.  Ahhhh, back in touch, but not a strong enough signal to upload photos and do my blog.

After lunch we walked next door to Duke’s which has been in business for over 100 years as well.  It serves as Meldrum Bay’s grocery store, post office and LCBO.

It sits right on the water’s edge.

This is the view from the top of the hill overlooking the marina.

Tonight will be fresh whitefish aboard Good News that we bought yesterday in Gore Bay.