Our month long tour of Lake Michigan is over and I think Annie has captured the feeling tone of that part of the adventure well. Lake Michigan is the second largest fresh water lake in the world and truly an inland sea. We saw all the faces of what the locals call The Big Lake. And because we have no real schedule we can stay in port any day we find less than perfect.
Most of you know that my Grandson Eldon helped me move the boat from Grafton, Illinois to Grand Haven, Michigan in May. After some repair items were resolved, Annie and I started our circumnavigation of The Big Lake. We traveled north up the Michigan coast to Mackinac Island, and that is the official starting place of our America’s Great Loop adventure. We then traveled down the Wisconsin side of the lake to Chicago where the river portion starts.
Here is the Lake portion by the numbers: States 3 Cities, Towns and Villages 22
MICHIGAN: Spring Lake Muskegon Manistee Frankfort Leland Charlevoix Mackinac Island Beaver Island Escanaba Menominee
WISCONSIN: Washington Island Egg Harbor Sturgeon Bay Kewaunee Manitowoc Sheboygan Port Washington Milwaukee Kenosha
ILLINOIS Waukegan Chicago
,In our 30 days on the Big Lake we traveled 665 miles, we were under way for 76 hours for an average of 8.75 miles per hour. Seeing the world at that speed takes a little getting used to, but seeing the world around you more deeply is indeed the gift of traveling America’s Great Loop.
Many writers demean Lake Michigan with terms like “Lake Washing Machine.” It is certainly an inland sea to be taken seriously, but we had only 5 days that weather caused us to stay in port. We found it a beautiful place to boat, with interesting towns and people filled with Midwestern hospitality.
It is now on to the Great River System, with river names like Illinois, Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee, all the way down to Mobile, Alabama.
Here are a few images from the trip through downtown Chicago on the river.
In a nutshell, RIVER CRUISING IS AWESOME! After dining overlooking the Chicago River prior to our leaving Lake Michigan, I was a bit concerned about cruising through downtown Chicago as we watched all the tug boats, tour boats, speed boats, kayaks and stand-up paddleboarders weaving their way up and down this narrow channel on a Thursday afternoon. However, I am very happy to report that the very next morning as we started down this beautiful stretch of the “Sanitation and Ship Canal,” we were the only boat cruising down the river! It was amazing, delightful, peaceful and beautiful!
As the Chicago River became the Illinois River, we started seeing some of the barge and towboat operations and an amazing variety of industrial factories, cranes and other huge machines, loading docks, etc. It was fascinating.
We have now cruised over 200 miles since leaving Chicago, with just 88 miles to go until the Illinois River joins the Mississippi near Grafton, IL (where we bought the boat and will stay for 4 nights).
Here are some of the reasons we love River Cruising:
1. The waters are very calm most of the time, with a current of 1 mph….very soothing and relatively stress-free….not much “fetch” to think about! Whew!
2. The lockmasters are very friendly and helpful as we tie up around the “floating bollards” that allow our boat to stay in place as the water is let out (we are going down river).
3. Most of the towboat captains are equally friendly and helpful as we ask permission to pass them via VHF radio and make sure we pass on the side that they request. These professionals are the real experts on the river and I am in awe of the way they push and maneuver 3-6-9-12 barges at a time.
4. I continue to appreciate Gary’s boating knowledge and expertise, and am grateful as well for all that he is teaching me. I’ve now been able to “captain” our boat down the river on 3 different occasions while Gary takes his afternoon nap.
This means I’m also very grateful for well-placed channel markers and well-dredged channels (thank you U.S. Coast Guard and Army Corps of Engineers!), as well as the printed and electronic guides we have along with us. It makes it all pretty easy!
5. There are lots of small towns, campgrounds and recreation areas scattered along the river’s edge, as well as barge facilities, but mostly we see trees, trees, trees and birds, birds and more birds…flycatchers, white pelicans, egrets, herons and lots and lots of EAGLES! They soar over the river (and over us) and swoop down to catch a fish. Wow!
6. We have now anchored out behind two different islands that are deep enough and sheltered from the river traffic (mostly barges that run 24/7). It is so much easier than I thought it would be…and very, very peaceful. Both times we’ve anchored with other “Looper” boats.
7. We’ve also stopped at 2 beautiful marinas—Heritage Harbor in Ottawa, IL
and the Illinois Valley Yacht & Canoe Club (aka The IVY Club) in Peoria—and this is where we’ve met and are really getting to know other boaters who are on this same America’s Great Loop adventure. For the last 80 miles, we’ve traveled in what I call “boat parades”—groups of 4-8 boats, one behind the other—from having gone through a lock together. (Lockmasters prefer to lock through several “pleasure craft” at a time, which means we sometimes have to wait while a barge goes through—up to 3 hours so far—so we end up parading out of there and going on our way together.}
7. Which bring me to one of the greatest joys of being a Looper—the people!!!
Everyone is so friendly, so helpful, so fun, so down-to-earth. Regardless of boating experience, size or class of boat, background, hometown, age, etc., we are making friends with some wonderful people and everyone is willing to help everyone else (“that’s what boaters do!”). AND, one couple just introduced us to the official Loopers’ Toast (an Irish proverb):
There are good ships and wood ships, ships that sail the sea,
But the BEST SHIPS ARE FRIENDSHIPS, may they always be! Amen!
The next part of our trip will create some more adventures. We plan to cruise about 200 miles down the Mississippi River from Grafton/Alton, IL to Cairo (sounds like Karo syrup) and the mouth of the Ohio River (which will take us over to the Tennessee River). The current is faster, the tugs are bigger & longer and there aren’t as many opportunities to stop for fuel and provisions, but we are preparing ourselves well for that and will have 4 nights in Grafton before we start this next leg. Stay tuned!
We’re doing great….continuing to dance…and loving this…S…L…O…pace!
Blessings to everyone who is cruising along with us. Big hugs from both of us!
LAKE MICHIGAN’S SCENERY, SUNSETS AND BIRDS
16 SEPTEMBER 2021 – CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
We have now circumnavigated Lake Michigan—up the eastern shore, across the north, and down the western shore—and are having a grand time. The scenery and sunsets have been quite memorable and we continue to see beauty everywhere we go. Here are a few examples:
Leland Harbor MIMackinac Straits BridgeBeaver Island MIPort Washington WI
Milwaukee Arn Museum
Downtown Chicago
Most of the birds we’ve seen are familiar to us—seagulls, cormorants, pelicans, Canada geese, mallard ducks–but the other day, while walking along the waterfront to the Wisconsin Maritime Museum in Manitowoc (and a fascinating tour of a WWII submarine), we came across a very large bird standing on rocks at the harbor’s edge, just 20’ away. I took what I thought was a very good photograph of it…and then Gary (with his exquisite photographer’s eye) took one from a different angle. Here we share with you our find of a young Great Blue Heron.
Annie: Good ShotGary: Great Shot
Cruising continues to go very well. Since our departure on August 13, we’ve had just five days on Lake Michigan’s rough and tumbling “washing machine” waters. The rest of the time it has been quite smooth, bringing us great joy. (We don’t leave the harbor if the winds are more than 15 knots and the waves are more than 3 feet high; we’ve changed our schedule twice so far because of weather.)
We are loving this whole experience and are now enjoying Chicago—a very beautiful and vibrant city. Tomorrow we start river cruising—down the Chicago and Illinois Rivers toward the Mississippi—but we will always remember the friendly people and the natural beauty of Lake Michigan. We hope you enjoy cruising with us.
We extended our marina stay in Sheboygan WI because the forecast was well beyond our safety limits and we have found that although the boat is really seaworthy and handles well in wind and wave, the Captain and First Mate have a much lower tolerance. We awoke this morning to heavy air, an eerie morning with dense red sunlight on the eastern horizon. Checked all the moorings and told Annie to close all the windows and hatches, “We were in for a good one!”
They do Thunder Storms here in the mid-west unlike what we see on the west coast. They are awesome to behold and at the same time a little scarry. Really glad that our current travel schedule is “not a schedule at all.” So today we will hunker down, do some laundry and write this blog.
Hope you enjoy the short video clip taken from the bridge of S.L.O. Dancer.
28 AUGUST 2021 ESCANABA, MI (On the Upper Peninsula aka The U.P.) We’ve learned a lot since beginning our cruising journey on August 3 and officially beginning America’s Great Loop on August 23 from Mackinac Island.
“Island Time” occurs in many places including Mackinac Island, where we enjoyed hundreds of live butterflies at The Butterfly House and thought we’d be late to rent our own horse and carriage. But the message was, “No worries! Everyone’s on Island Time.” Ahhh….it’s all about S.L.O.-ing down. We love it!
Boaters help each other! We’ve now docked in 10 marinas and we’ve had help arriving and leaving each one. At first we were quite surprised when two boaters nearby helped us load the boxes we’d shipped from home onto our boat. Our new boating friend Reed explained with a shrug and a smile, “That’s what boaters do!” And so it is!
There is more than one definition of “FETCH.” Lake Michigan is about 307 miles long and roughly 100 miles wide. The greater the distance the wind moves across the water, the greater the “fetch.” When we crossed the northern part of the Lake, from Beaver Island, MI to Washington Island, WI (85 miles), we had quite the rock, roll and pitch adventure as the fetch from the south (having crossed about 200 miles of lake water) met the fetch from the west (crossing about 50 miles) creating what Michiganders call “the washing machine” effect. We did fine and the boat is very seaworthy, but I think I’d rather play fetch with our next door neighbor’s dog!
Always keep one hand for the boat! Even during smooth cruising (which has been most of the time so far), a sudden roll or lurching can happen from a seen or unseen boat’s wake. It can really toss you around. Fortunately there are sturdy handholds and rails throughout the boat, inside and out.
Being thankful is an important practice. I am so grateful for Gary’s boating, chart reading and other navigation skills, together with the way he is teaching me to be the best “first mate” possible. I’m getting pretty good at working the lines when we arrive and leave a dock as well as wielding the very heavy 50’ power cord. I’m very grateful for my strong legs and arms! We are also extremely grateful for the latest versions of our “Navionics” and “Boat Beacon” apps that allow us to see other boats nearby plus every light, channel marker, underwater rock and other hazards to avoid. We are also oh so grateful we have both air conditioning (it’s been quite warm and humid) and autopilot. Some boats we considered did not. This allows us to take turns at the helm, where one of us is always on watch and the other can snooze a bit nearby. We are deeply grateful for each other and are happy to report we are dancing along very well together! Yay!
Tomorrow we’ll head down the Wisconsin and Illinois (west) side of Lake Michigan, with planned stops in Menominee (2 nights), Egg Harbor (1), SturgeonBay (2), Kewaunee, Manitowoc (2), Sheboygan, Port Washington (2), Milwaukee, Kenosha, Wi plus Waukegan and Chicago, IL (2). The S.L.O. dance continues!
We arrived at Spring Lake, MI (west of Grand Rapids, near Grand Haven) on August 3, where our boat had been “on the hard” since early June for various survey repairs, maintenance and some upgrading. We’d planned to take a few days to get things in order, but lots of rain, lightening and some monstrous thunderstorms delayed us, so we had plenty of time to get everything in its place and settle in. We finally left on Friday the 13th (always a lucky day for us since my birthday, my grandson Ty’s birthday and Gary’s 2 children’s birthdays are all on the 13th!).
AND, our 41’ boat is amazing! I had never seen it before. [Gary and grandson Eldon did the “shakedown/training” cruise in late May from Grafton, IL where we bought the boat (just north of St. Louis), taking it up the Illinois River through Chicago to Spring Lake.] I was excited to see the boat and quickly became ecstatic at how spacious it is—lots of living spaces, roomy sleep spaces and plenty of storage. The galley is fabulous and easy to work in. The whole boat is in beautiful condition inside and out for a 1995 Cruisers 395 and the décor is inviting and comfortable.
Even better, the boat handles beautifully in both the rough (1 day) and calm waters of Lake Michigan, which locals call “The Big Lake.” Best of all, we both LOVE being on the water and find it both exhilarating and soothing while fully enjoying the… S…L…O…pace. The boat can go up to 35 knots (at 25 gal. per hour per engine), which is nice in an emergency, but its best cruising speed is around 8.8 knots (about 10 mph), using just 2.5 gal. per hour per engine. Not only is this much easier on our pocketbooks, but it gives us time to really take in all the beauty as we cruise along. We’ve even seen a few monarch butterflies fly by!
The eastern shore of Lake Michigan is amazing, with dense green forests growing right down to sand dunes and shorelines, charming houses tucked in among the trees and friendly marinas right off the Lake that often lead up rivers to small inland lakes. There are also lots of lighthouses, which we also enjoy. Pictured here is the Little Point Sable Light, located between Muskegon (1s night) and Manistee (2 nights)—a sweet, restored Victorian port with a beautiful River Walk.
We are now in Leland, MI on the northeastern shore of the Lake en route to one of our favorite places—Mackinac Island (at the top of the Michigan “mitten” and the northwest corner of Lake Huron, pronounced “Mackinaw”). That’s where we plan to officially start our America’s Great Loop adventure. So from there we’ll head west across the top of Lake Michigan and travel down the western shores of Wisconsin and Illinois. When we get to Chicago, we’ll start river cruising down the Illinois River to the Mississippi and beyond. We look forward to all of it—one day, one port at a time—as we continue our S.L.O. dance. Thanks for dancing with us!
P.S. Most of our blog posts will be much shorter, but we wanted to share a bit more with you about our journey & its beginnings! We are already loving it all!
Little Point Sable Light, on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan
Welcome to our Blog. Blogging is a new experience for us so it will be a work in progress about two people on the front end of a learning curve called boating. The tag line for the America’s Great Loop Cruisers Association (aka AGLCA) is “The Adventure of a Lifetime,” and I’m sure two people ages 78 (G) & 81 (A), going 6,000 miles in a full year on our own, will be full of Joy and Challenges. Our various Sprinter van trips over the last three years have shown us that we are really happy traveling “the road less traveled” and that being together in a small space 24/7 can be a real joy. The writing will be mostly from Annie, and I will contribute the images and hopefully some videos so you can travel along with us. The Blog is interactive, so if you have questions, comments or topic ideas, please send them along. For now,
LET THE ADVENTURE BEGIN!
FROM THE FIRST MATE
After nine months of research, boat shopping, planning, training, getting our home ready for year-long tenants and continuous list-making (!!!), we are off on our most exciting adventure ever—cruising over 6,000 miles through the inland waterways of the eastern United States called “America’s Great Loop.” We’ll be traveling in our own boat, just the two of us, on a 41’ Cruiser that we have named “S.L.O. Dancer.”
S.L.O. stands for San Luis Obispo, CA, which is just 12 miles east of our small hometown of Los Osos on the Central Coast, overlooking Morro Bay, Morro Rock and the Pacific Ocean.
Why “Dancer?” Many years ago we heard the lyrics to a song that we’ve never forgotten:
Life’s a dance, you learn as you go
Sometimes you lead, sometimes you follow.
Don’t worry ‘bout what you don’t know.
Life’s dance, you learn as you go.
Our life IS a dance that we continue to enjoy. And never before have the words to the third line been more meaningful. Countless hours of preparation will certainly benefit us, but we don’t pretend to know everything. In fact, early in this cruising dance Gary said, “I’m not sure I even know what I don’t know!”
We continue to learn, continue to plan, continue to brush up on our boating and navigation skills, and will simply take each day one day at a time, doing our best to enjoy the boat, the cruise, the journey and each other. One thing we know for sure is that it’s not about the destination…THE JOY IS IN THE JOURNEY!
Cruising with Gary & Annie 