Continuing Down Lake Michigan
We spent most of the month of September traveling down the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. We were blessed most days with warm, sunny skies & calm seas. We visited 10 towns after we crossed under the Mackinac Bridge (we left Lake Huron behind) & entered Lake Michigan – our 5th Great Lake (we have now sailed or boated on all 5 Great Lakes)! From Harbor Springs in the north to South Haven in the south we enjoyed these towns — all with a charm of their own. We especially enjoyed Grand Haven where we had to anchor out the first night there ‘cause the marinas were full due to the salmon tournament. Then early Sunday the 20th we moved to a marina & watched the boat traffic up & down the Grand River all day. By 5 o’clock there were only 3 boats at the marina.
At South Haven we were the ONLY boat in the marina — it must be a signal that it’s time to move south. We did have a very interesting morning tour while there of the Lake Michigan Maritime Museum before we left for St. Joseph. At Pier 33 in St. Joe we took on 200 gallons of diesel @ $2.61 – we should not have to fuel again until we reach the Tennessee River. On Sept. 24 we arrived at Michigan City, Indiana – the 19th state that we’ve been in since we started this voyage. We’re also back on Central Time — & will be until we get to Florida sometime in December.
On the 25th we had a lumpy ride with 4’ to 5’ seas to the Calumet River. Fortunately, we only had about 20 miles of that! The Calumet River is just east of Chicago; a very busy river with lots of commercial traffic. We had one lock (our 122nd lock) tied up at Marine Services Marina for a few days. We’re spending several days with our cousins Judi & Mark in Chicago.
9/25/2009
