Muskegon, continued …

Days 135-140 … Sept 2-Sept7, 2017 … Muskegon, MI

Part of our plan for our time in Muskegon included having the boat hauled out to replace zincs and just generally check out the bottom and running gear. With the Labor Day holiday, we wouldn’t be hauled until Tues or Wed. Not a big deal waiting, as strong, northwest winds are forecast making Lake Michigan no place for us to be.

Windy Lake Michigan

At least the kite boarders enjoyed it

This is why we are staying put for several days … no going out in those conditions

Plus we have lots to do; so we rented a car for 5 days. WalMart, groceries, propane tank refill, dinner/lunch out, ice cream, hair cut for me and more were on the list. We did enjoy pizza out with Mike & Marian from Midas Touch. 2 Canadian Looper boats (Lake Effect – Gil & Yvon and Lil Hide Away - Luc & Sylvie) pulled in for 2 days. They both just started their Loop from Brit / Wrights Marina. We had been there and enjoyed it.

Most importantly was a trip to the beach for Cally.

Loved seeing this sign!!

After walking in sand, running in the water … Cally got to wander thru the park. Notice her hind leg? When she is tired/sore she doesn’t bend her hind legs at the hock. Arthritis from her genetic disease, and subsequent surgery, makes it painful to bend her hocks (ankles) so she stands and walks with her hind legs more straight.

I also decided to tour the USS Silversides, an important submarine during WWII.

Luc, Sylvie, Gil & Yvon went with me. And please … no one hit the DIVE button …

Also, toured the CG Cutter McLane.

The haul out went well … since no one, including Cally, is allowed onboard during the haul out, I took Cally to shore and marina staffer went on board to help Rip in my place.

Zincs that needed changed were swapped out; while the bottom and running gear were inspected by Rip and marina staff.

All good!! Less than 30 mins out of the water and back in our slip. Uneventful - my new favorite word.

 

On the way back to the slip Luc & Sylvie from Lil Hide Away kept Cally for me on shore & I went with Rip on the boat to get her all snuggled back into her slip.

We have had the marina to ourselves since late Monday afternoon.

The marina is now busy putting boats away in heated storage for the winter … Only Labor Day Weekend and boats are being hauled for winter – seems so weird. Clearly, it is time to move on south!!

Wednesday and Thursday, we mostly relaxed and read books on Kindle. Resting up before several days of non-stop travel is a good thing. 

Leland, Frankfort, Luddington and Muskegon

Day 130 ... Monday, Aug 28, 2017 ... 34.5 miles; 4:00 hours
Charlevoix, MI to Leland, MI 
We headed out just before 9am to catch the bridge opening; heading out of Round Lake and leaving one of my favorite stops on the Loop. Uneventful, almost boring, run to our next stop at Leland.              








I was not expecting much


and we were not going to be there long.

 
Boy, was I surprised. Leland docks and marina
building have been redone or rebuilt recently and are very nice. Not a park setting, but plenty of space to walk Cally.
There is the Historic Fishtown section with authentic fishing shanties lining the canal from the small dam.

The shanties on the marina side are now tourist shops with fish market with separate smoke house, T-Shirt shops, great sandwich shop, cafe by the dam and a candy/ice cream shop for us!

There is also a large shopping district in the next block with several courtyards of shops and the Main Street of shops. All in all, a fun place to visit and walk around. I could have stayed another night here, but we want to move on south before weather stalls us again.

Day 131 ... Tues, Aug 29, 2017 ... 40.7 miles; 4:45 hours
Leland, MI to Frankfort, MI
Another calm day, perfect for traveling Lake Michigan.

We passed Sleeping Bear Dunes, as well as other sandy cliffs along the shoreline.


We headed to the fuel dock to take on 200 gallons of diesel and pump out. Then onto our slip at the municipal docks in the town of Frankfort, pulled up right in front of the Library! We have been looking for Corona Light in cans for quite a while. So, off to the grocery store ... no luck here either. We don't want bottles on the boat. Haven't seen cans of Corona Light since NY.
Frankfort is another waterfront park setting, just not as pristine as Charlevoix and more spread out and more touristy looking.
Gypsies Palace and One Eye Dog were at another marina, just blocks away. Steve stopped by the boat to chat and I walked Cally  with April and Debbie as they were coming back from the grocery store. Dave and Barb on Hallelujah arrived after us and just a couple slips over. At Charlevoix, Barb gave us lots of tips on the stops from there to Chicago. They will head out tomorrow and head on to Ludington, too.

Day 132 & 133 ... Wed, Aug 30, 2017 - Thurs, Aug 31, 2017 ... 51 miles; 6:00 hours
Frankfort, MI to Ludington, MI 

Wednesday, we woke to heavy fog, happily it lifted in time for us to depart as planned.
Hallelujah was leaving earlier, but the fog delayed them to depart right with us.
We passed One Eye Dog and Gypsies Palace, still at the dock ... but they soon pulled out behind us and ran further in Shore, as they are headed to Manistee. Hallelujah and Lab Partners are headed a bit further to Ludington. Though we didn't talk with any of the three boats, it is nice seeing them out around us. OED and GP were about 6 miles in shore from us and Hallelujah was running with us.
The depth sounder went out, right as we left the harbor ... Rip's original trouble shooting didn't fix it. A bit later he went back down,  reset the Vesper and it came up as normal!
Another good day to travel Lake Michigan, but not calm like the past two days ... actually a bit rolly, but not a problem, not uncomfortable.
Becky and Mike Magee greeted us, and Hallelujah, with gifts bags of snacks and info on Ludington. Then, they offered a car ride to provision. We didn't need much, but a trip to WalMart the next day did fill in some dry goods. 
The day and a half in Ludington was quiet; Rip and I each finished a book. Harbor View Marina isn't in town, but not too far. There is a wonderful park there, so Cally got lots of long walks and lots of people to pet her. She loves all the attention!
Rip's back is bothering him; has since he picked blueberries in the Georgian Bay, so he hit the hot tub. We grilled out both nights as the marina has a lot of really nice gas grills at the end of the dock.
Our last night, we had docktails with Dave and Barb on Hallelujah to say good bye. They won't be traveling much further and not to the places where we are stopping. They are putting their boat up for the winter in two weeks, so they can cruise the North Channel and Georgian Bay next summer, and returning to Florida. Bonus, they have offered their 50' dock near Ft Myers for us to use on our way down the Florida coast this winter!! We definitely plan on stopping by to see them.

The Badger

The Badger is a 60 year old, 410' ferry; running from Ludington, MI to Manitowoc, WI daily. She is docked right by our marina, so we have great seats to watch her unique way of docking.
www.SSBadger.com

She is a coal fired vessel without bow or stern thrusters; launched in 1952 and still running. "As the only coal-fired steamship in operation in the United States, the S.S. Badger operates on domestic fuel, and the company has an extraordinary commitment to maintaining a unique propulsion system that has been designated as a national mechanical engineering landmark."

Watching her dock dock is simply amazing ... as she comes into the harbor, she drops her anchor, turns with the anchor as a pivot point and then backs into her slip. The Captain changes places as she turns to finish driving her from the stern. Once docked, she pulls up her anchor again.

S.S. Badger Historical Awards & Designations
1996
The Badger’s propulsion system designated a mechanical engineering landmark by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
1997
The Badger officially named a Registered Michigan Historic Site by the Michigan Historical Commission
1997
The Badger officially named a Registered Wisconsin Historic Site by the Wisconsin Historical Commission
1997
Lake Michigan Carferry designated a Michigan Centennial Business by the Historical Society of Michigan
2002
The Badger is named Ship of the Year by the Steamship Historical Society of America
2009
The Badger is placed on the Nation Register of Historic Places by the U.S. Department of the Interior
2016
The U.S. Department of the Interior designated the S.S. Badger as a National Historic Landmark

Day 135 ... Fri, Sept 1, 2017 ...  57.4 miles; 6:30 hours
Ludington, MI to Muskegon, MI
Woke to 47 degrees ... I know it isn't August anymore, but gees that is still cold for summer! Becky and Mike (MV True North) helped us off the dock. We hope to see them again when they finish their Loop and, hopefully, they will stop by our dock in NC. Underway by 8:40am got us ahead of The Badger leaving port. Chrysalis was ahead of us and runs faster, so they were soon out of sight. Corkscrew and Ellis Island had AIS on as we passed their dock, so I assume they will be underway shortly and hope we see them in Muskegon. I haven't seen Sonny or Phyllis, on Corkscrew, since

Sonny helped handled lines for One Eye Dog docking as I headed off in the ambulance.
As we passed the entry for White Lake, we heard a call to the Coast Guard for a vessel overturned in White Lake. Soon we saw CG chopper and then CG boat rushing to the scene. The chopper headed off quickly, the CG Boat tried to find the vessel; seems the “partially submerged sailboat” was towed already by good Samaritan. Appears no injuries, just a bad day for someone.

In the entry channel is a Submarine museum … you can tour USS Silversides and the CG Cutter.

Soon, we settled into our slip; will be here 6 days … so we rented a car to have some fun, take Cally to the park & beach and make grocery run easier … no grocery store in walking distance here.