O.K., we are very delinquent with the website, but the Internet connections have been poor or almost non-existent. Many of the small towns only have very limited dial-up service which prevents uploading of pictures. These notes were written about a week ago and we could not get them into the blog site.
As an update, we last talked about the Georgian Bay and we left you in Kilarney, Canada. We cruised the North Channel which many believe in perhaps the finest cruising area in central Canada. The area is beautiful with crystal clear water, pine covered hills and scenic views around ever corner. Because of a break in the weather and reduced winds, we elected to move right along and did not visit all of the North Channel that we originally planned. Monday, we spent a quiet night, eating aboard in Drummond Island which is just inside the United States boarder. Visiting Canada was very special and we loved the people and places, but it was also good to get back to the U.S. and not have to think metric anymore!
The next day, Tuesday, we were underway early and headed down the Detour Passage from the North Channel into Lake Huron. As we entered the lake, AWEIGH ran into a solid fog bank. Since there were large freighters sounding their fog horns around us, we quickly hurried back into a small bay and anchored to await the fog burning off. After about two or three hours, we decided to continue into the fog, sounding our horn at two minute intervals as required. It was a bit of a white knuckle trip, but eventually the fog cleared and we made it into Mackinaw City and all the tourists.
The first picture is the Mackinaw bridge which is fifty year old this week. We went under the bridge and passed from Lake Huron to Lake Michigan.
After an evening among hundreds or perhaps thousands of tourists in Mackinaw City and the tee shirt shops and fudge stores, we headed out into Lake Michigan on a very windy and bumpy ride south to Petoskey, Michigan. There was no room in the municipal marina, so we elected to seek dockage in the Bay Harbor area. This is a very exclusive community about four or five miles from Petoskey, which boasts huge homes around the entire bay. Supposedly, Madonna and the founder of Ebay have homes here. There were three large hotel complexes, and eight or nine restaurants. The pictures really don’t do justice to this exclusive complex. The pictures are of some of the homes around the edge of Bay Harbour.
Thursday evening we headed to bar/grill at the end of our dock, expecting not much of a crowd. Wrong, the place was jumping and we barely got in. The next evening, we celebrated someone’s birthday in a very nice restaurant in Bay Harbour. It’s no fun having some “big” birthdays.
Friday we took a cab to town and walked all over this historic town (on the National Historic Registry), including having lunch at Jepsenson’s Café and Pie Shop, which has been serving food continuously for 104 years. Best slice of coconut cream pie I’ve ever had.
Saturday morning after breakfast at a Bay Harbor pancake house, we decided we were brave and wanted to go back into town for the Art Show in Petoskey. Only this time, we elected to ride our bikes, which sounded easy since it’s only about three miles. Wow, did we fight those hills and traffic, but we made it and enjoyed the show. Fortunately, because we were on bikes, the purchases were limited, but they really had some very good items in the show. Returning by bicycle did us in and we decided to stay aboard for dinner and a quiet night. Bay Harbor is quite a place and we hate to have to leave.
Ned
After an evening among hundreds or perhaps thousands of tourists in Mackinaw City and the tee shirt shops and fudge stores, we headed out into Lake Michigan on a very windy and bumpy ride south to Petoskey, Michigan. There was no room in the municipal marina, so we elected to seek dockage in the Bay Harbor area. This is a very exclusive community about four or five miles from Petoskey, which boasts huge homes around the entire bay. Supposedly, Madonna and the founder of Ebay have homes here. There were three large hotel complexes, and eight or nine restaurants. The pictures really don’t do justice to this exclusive complex. The pictures are of some of the homes around the edge of Bay Harbour.
Thursday evening we headed to bar/grill at the end of our dock, expecting not much of a crowd. Wrong, the place was jumping and we barely got in. The next evening, we celebrated someone’s birthday in a very nice restaurant in Bay Harbour. It’s no fun having some “big” birthdays.
Friday we took a cab to town and walked all over this historic town (on the National Historic Registry), including having lunch at Jepsenson’s Café and Pie Shop, which has been serving food continuously for 104 years. Best slice of coconut cream pie I’ve ever had.
Saturday morning after breakfast at a Bay Harbor pancake house, we decided we were brave and wanted to go back into town for the Art Show in Petoskey. Only this time, we elected to ride our bikes, which sounded easy since it’s only about three miles. Wow, did we fight those hills and traffic, but we made it and enjoyed the show. Fortunately, because we were on bikes, the purchases were limited, but they really had some very good items in the show. Returning by bicycle did us in and we decided to stay aboard for dinner and a quiet night. Bay Harbor is quite a place and we hate to have to leave.
Ned
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