September 18, 2017 - Back in America on Lakes Huron and Michigan

On August 28th we said goodbye to Canada and entered America via Lake Huron.  Our first port of call was Drummond Island, Michigan where we checked in with Customs and Border Control.  I have to say it was great to be back in the good ole' U S of A.  With that we started planning our trip from Lake Huron into Lake Michigan.  Lake Michigan!!!!  The second largest of the great lakes by volume and the only one entirely in America.  And get this, it is only slightly smaller than the Commonwealth of Virginia!  Now that is a lot of water and we had to decide if we wanted traverse it on the Wisconsin side (western shore) or the Michigan side (eastern side).  Ken had pretty much decided on the western shore as the winds NORMALLY are out of the west so the fetch is less, which would translate into smoother boating.  Notice I capitalized normally.  Remember that as the journey progresses.  My reasoning for being on the Wisconsin side of the lake was all about an adorable baby giraffe that was born in the Milwaukee Zoo and I was on a mission to see him.  Not a good cruising reason but hey, it's my trip too.  :)

We stayed two days in Drummond Island waiting for good winds then headed to Mackinac Island, MI.  Our patience was rewarded with calm waters.  So calm, it was smooth as glass. 

Crossing on Lake Huron.  Only waves were the ones Independence made!

Mackinac Island was very charming.  It's a tourist destination but unique in that no motor vehicles of any kind have been allowed on the island since 1898 because of concerns for the health and safety of the residents not to mention the automobiles startled the horses.  The only modes of transportation are walking, biking and horses.  The main road M-185 is the only state highway in the US without motorized vehicles.  It runs 8.2 miles around the island, hugging the shoreline.  Of course, there is a downfall....it's hard to avoid the aroma of horse poo and pee.  :(  It did not deter us in the least though as we explored what the island had to offer.  We walked the Victorian downtown, bought 'to die for fudge' from Murdick's Fudge who has been in business since 1877, found the Grand Hotel, toured Fort Mackinac, road our bikes around the island and admired the flowers that brightened every building, home and roadway.  It was like being on a vacation from our year long vacation.  :)

Downtown had bikes everywhere.  Love the 'no bike parking' zone.

Found this turtle statue on our way to the Grand Hotel.  Couldn't resist a kiss.

The Grand Hotel was on top of a hill over looking Lake Huron.  Very majestic.  Would have liked to check out the lobby and other public areas out but if not a guest, there was a $10 fee to go inside.  Hmmm, we past.

Grand Hotel opened in 1887.  It has its own coaches.  Aren't the horses beautiful!

As we came down the hill from the Grand Hotel we decided to walk along the shoreline.  There were beaches along the way, that turned out to be all pebbles.  And the water was so clear you could see still see the pebbles off shore quite a few feet.  So different from our sand beaches at home.  And the flowers everywhere just added to the beauty.

As if walking a few miles was not enough, we embarked on our next adventure of riding our bikes around the island.  At a little over 8 miles we weren't sure if we would be sorry or not.  And though it was quite an exercise and a bit of fanny fatigue we are so glad we did it.  We started at mile marker 0 on M-185 which is right in front of the marina and we headed east. 

Our first stop was to see Arch Rock.  A natural limestone formation about 4000 years old.  It was even worth the millions of steps we had to take to get to it.  Well....maybe not millions but more than mine and Ken's knees were counting on that day.  :)

Arch Rock from top of hill looking out onto Lake Huron.

Arch Rock - the water was so clear you could see the shallow waters at shore and where is drops off to deeper waters.

Arch Rock - view from below where the road and our bikes were.

As we continued our journey around the island we encountered 100s of 'inukshuk' statues.  Historically these are monuments made of unworked stones by the Inuit Indians for communication and survival.  They signify that someone was here or that you are on the right path.  In this case these are all very recent and erected by the locals and tourists for fun.

Ken checking out the inukshuk statues along the shore line.

Once we finished our biking around the island, we headed to Fort Mackinac and enjoyed a great lunch and views of the marina and town below us.

View of our marina from Fort Mackinac.  Hard to see it but Independence and Roofus down there.

Downtown view from the fort.  See the ferry in the background with the large jet of water behind it.  Looks like a 200' seadoo.

At this point we left Lake Huron behind us and entered Lake Michigan as we headed to Beaver Island, MI.  This was another great day on the water. 

Once we crossed under the Mackinaw Bridge, we left Lake Huron behind us and entered Lake Michigan.

We docked up in Beaver Island, MI which was a quiet fishing town.  We got another chance to ride our bikes and enjoy the fresh air. After two days we left for Washington Island, WI.  We had our first iffy weather day or I should say our first encounter with winds out of the south.  Remember how I said that one of the reasons we decided on the Wisconsin side of Lake Michigan was that the winds are NORMALLY out of the west and therefore less fetch.  Well guess what, the winds were mainly out of the south so fetch built up from Chicago to the top of Lake Michigan (3' to 5' seas) and we had to deal with winds and waves that took joy in pushing us around for much of the 74 mile trip.  We originally planned to anchor out but marina'd in to have some calm waters.  The marina was a bit rustic but the island has a lot of history and interesting things to see.  Ken was a very happy boater as the restaurant at the marina served a nice prime rib which was his first since starting the loop in May.  I thought he was going to ask for seconds but the owners offered us a decadent caramel topped sweet tart that we couldn't pass up!  YUM...

Washington Island, WI - Our welcoming committee next to where we docked up.  I hate snakes!

We started our next morning with pizza - Breakfast of Champions; before taking the trolley tour around the island. 

As we toured the island it was easy to see the Scandinavian influence.  Settlers from Norway, Sweden and Denmark developed the farming and logging trades but what was really fascinating were some of the buildings.  One of our first stops was "Den Norske Grenda" (The Little Norwegian Village).  The roofs were covered with grass which helped keep the building warm in winter.  We then visited the Island Stavkirke which is patterned from a Norway ancient style church.  It was really beautifully built.  We passed lavender farms which unfortunately had been harvested the week before we got there but still neat to see.  We stopped at another stone beach but unlike Mackinac Island there is a $200 fine if caught pocketing any of the stones.  Needless to say we simply admired the beach and took pics.

Grass Roof - Now how fun would that be to mow?

Stavkirke - Norwegian

Schoolhouse Limestone Beach - Only 5 in the world like this.

With nature and history behind us, we got on our bikes and headed to Nelsen's Tavern, the oldest "legally" and continuously operating saloon in the state of Wisconsin.  It is also the headquarters of the 'Bitters Club'.  Thomas Nelsen built the tavern in 1899 and is famous for the Angostura Bitters he drank and served daily.  During Prohibition, Nelsen was granted a pharmacist's license to serve his bitters as a stomach tonic and thereby keeping his saloon open.  Ken and I decided to join the 'Bitters Club' as we had to be part of what has made Nelsen's Tavern the world's largest purveyor of Angostura Bitters.  To join we had to drink a serving down all at one time.  It was about a shot and a half.  We did it but the after effect was a lot of coughing and to say it was bitter is an understatement.  But we are now official card caring members.  It was a unique experience.

The next day we headed to Sturgeon Bay as we continued our journey down the lake.  Up until now we had been on islands and this was our first port of call on the mainland since leaving Canada, over a week ago.  The weather in Sturgeon was chilly during the day and down right cold at night.  The winds were up and our boat rocked the entire time we were there.  So when it was time to leave for Manitowoc, we were ready.

We entered Sturgeon Bay via the shipping canal and past the North Pierhead lighthouse.  Only way to get to it was a long catwalk from the mainland.  That would not be fun a windy and rainy day.

Lake Michigan between Sturgeon Bay and Manitowoc.  This storm followed us the entire way but the we had calm seas and fair winds so didn't mind it tagging along.

Manitowoc.  What can I say other than we had our most unusual experience here, so far.  To quote..."On September 5, 1962, the early morning skies of Wisconsin were illuminated with an eerie green light.  A bright object burning like the sun created an arc and plunged toward earth.  SPUTNIK IV (a USSR satellite) crashed into the street in front of the Rahr-West Art Museum" and history was born.  This little piece of history is not what made our visit here so unique, it was attending the 10th annual Sputnik Fest.  An odd, unique and fun way to spend the weekend.  They have their own Miss Space-Debris contest, which this year turned out to be a Mr. Space-Debris plus both dog and people costume contests, music, food, games and lots of people dressed in all manner of customs, celebrating the event.  We even took Roofus with us to experience the sights.  She did not seem as amused as us.

X marks the spot or in this case, a brass ring of where a piece of Sputnik landed.

Hard to make out but inside the spacecraft is Spotnik the Atomic Wonder Dog.  This was one of the answers to the trivia contest we were in.  I liked him so much got a Spotnik t-shirt.

Food was even fun.  We had Sputnik burgers...a double meat burger with alien green buns.  And we washed it down with Sputnik beer.  Really Miller Lite and local craft beer encased in Sputnik cozies.  Maybe that is why Roofus wasn't as amused as us, no Spotnik doggy beer.

 
People dressed up in from everything from green and gold aliens to movie characters. Star Wars was the most popular but my favorite was the group who wore green t-shirts and had decorated collanders on their heads.




All in all was a happy group of people and wonderful little festival.

We did do other things in the four days we were here, one of which was a weather day.  We left the dock and within 2 miles, we decided, 'to hell with this' and headed back.  We enjoyed lots of walking and bike riding checking out things like the farmers market, interesting shops, reading about submarine production during WWII (Manitowoc built 28 submarines between 1942 and 1944, of which 25 were in time to see action and together sunk 132 Japanese submarines) and of course eating out.

 If you have to have this sign up all year, then definitely not a retirement place I would consider.

The sunsets were amazing.

This is the break water to the harbor that was in front of the marina.  We walked to the end to check out an old lighthouse.  Interesting that the break water wall looks like the hull of a submarine.  Hmm....wonder if that was on purpose?!

Even though we had a weather day we weren't counting on, thank you SE winds god, the next day was pretty near perfect all the way to Sheboygan, WI.  We only stayed one night here to make up for the lost day and got to Milwaukee on September 12th, Happy Birthday Mom!!!

Lake Michigan was good to us on our 2nd attempt to leave Manitowoc.

Baby giraffe time!!!  Once we docked in Milwaukee, Ken reserved a car for the next day.  Bright and early we were off to the zoo.  We had major provisioning to do and a few other errands but my baby giraffe was the priority.  Let me start with a few baby facts...he was born Saturday afternoon, September 2nd to Mom, Ziggy and Dad, Bahatika.  He weighed in at 152 lbs. and a height of 5' 10" tall.  Wrap your head around that one, it is like giving birth to grown adult for us. He doesn't have a name yet, so I will call him 'Milwaukee' for now.  We made a bee line for giraffe enclosure and found Milwaukee with his Mom in the birthing barn, after all he was only 11 days old when we visited.  He was sitting in the back of the stall looking just as cute as I expected him be.  All those longs legs tucked around him with a 'how cute am I' look on his face. 

Baby 'Milwaukee' - I could have stayed all day to watch him!

Of course I took a million pics but promised Ken I would only post my favorites, which was really all of them!  But I managed to come up with just a few.  The one on the left gives a comparison of how small 'Milwuakee' is next to mom.  The other shows 'Milwaukee', this sitting, between Ken and I.  I did hang around long enough that when I did leave, the smile on my face hurt.  Ken was a sweetheart though and didn't bug me to leave, a couple looks maybe....

So with 'Milwaukee' firmly implanted in my mind, we headed out to see the rest of the zoo and its inhabitants. 

Of course, there were lions, tigers and bears, oh my!  And lots of other adorable animals, of which I couldn't resist a few pics to the blog.

Check out this bear's claws, and I thought I needed a pedicure.  These bears were all napping, which was not the unique part but the one in the middle is in a hammock...unique

In the grass lands enclosure we enjoyed watching the groundhogs working on their burrows.  At least until a peacock decided to take a stroll through their front yard.  I love the look on the groundhog's face....like 'who are you and now what do I do'?  The peacock quietly checked him out, thinking, 'hi there little guy, don't worry, I don't sleep underground so your burrow is safe from me', and headed on his way.  Actually, the peacocks run free in the zoo so expect the groundhog may have also been a little envious.

I was totally fascinating by the zebras.  I didn't realize that their stripes are like fingerprints to us.  This one didn't move the entire time we there so had a good chance to examine his stripes.

This other adorable creature is a sloth.  Another pedicure to be had.  I certainly would not want to make this little guy mad at me even though he has the sweetest face.

Yes, these are bats.  I watched them for a while too.  I mean how often do you have a chance to check out a bat and not be scared too death.  They moved around the enclosure using their feet and hands, all of which have claws.  And when they sleep they really do wrap their wings around them and hang by their feet.

Another favorite were the flamingos.  Again, having a chance to observe them was fascinating.  The one on the left is what I remember about them when they sleep...one leg tucked up and using their back as a pillow to rest their head on.  The on the right, though, is also asleep but forgot to tuck that leg up or where to find his pillow.  Yes, he is truly asleep with his head hanging down.  Maybe he is a yoga variety.  :)

As we did have a lot of errands to run, we had to leave this pretty site but wanted to give you one more glimpse of 'Milwaukee'!  Just too CUTE!!!!!!!!!!!

At the end of our day we decided that eating out was in order and found Mader's Restaurant.  It was established in 1902 and specializes in German cuisine.  They boast of a long list of famous diners over the years from 3 US presidents to actors like John Wayne and Audrey Hepburn and Clark Gable, football legend Vince Lombardi and music greats like Santana and Tim McGraw.  It had that old world feel and the food was excellent.  We did have a little extra surprise as some of the tables have plaques saying who ate at that table.  Our table said Robert Wagner and Stephanie Powers had sat at our table, twice.  I loved the television show 'Hart to Hart', never missed and episode.  Ken and I agreed that I was sitting in Wagner's chair and Dad was in Powers chair.  Sure that's not the case but anyway.....

We left on September 14th for our last port of call on the Wisconsin side of Lake Michigan, the city of Racine.  The trip was smooth but we ended up here for 4 days waiting out that easterly wind after a weather front came through the day before.  Not much biking or walking for me as my knee was on strike.  Ken not being as debilitated at the moment, biked to get a lock fixed and check out the town.  I did laundry and cleaned windows on Independence but generally was a bum.  It was nice.  We did decide to tour the SC Johnson campus.  This is the headquarters of Johnson Wax and the research tower that introduced products like, the wax, Pledge and Raid.  The research tower and administration building were both designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, a personal close friend of Sam Johnson.  Couldn't resist a chance to see his work up close and personal.  Though we weren't allowed to take pics inside got this one of the research tower on the tour.  The research tower is no longer in use as doesn't met building code today and too expensive to bring it up to where is needs to be but the admin building still in use.  Both absolutely unique and stunning.  Glad we made time to see them.

Racine - SC Johnson Research Tower designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.  All the glass are tubes not windows!!

Racine, WI September 16th - It is fall here.  Time to leave!

After leaving Racine, WI, we made the long 65 mile run to Hammond, IN.  Wind out of the NE, of course and waves out of SE, so not the best combination but we took Independence up on plane and the trip was much smoother and shorter too.  Given it was my birthday, I was happy to not spend the entire day on the water.  We passed Chicago which we will go to later after I get back from a trip home.  With that we will start the inland waterways.  For now, I am getting ready to head back to Virginia for a week to take care of several things, sleep in my own bed and hug on my girls till they beg me to go back to IN.  Ken and Roofus will stay in Hammond to do maintenance and planning for the next part of the trip.  Well actually, Ken will do that, Roofus will sleep and become Ken's new best friend!  I will be returning on October 2nd and the next day we will head to Chicago, weather permitting, and onto the Chicago river and start the inland waterways of America.

Post Scripts from Roofus:

Ok, I think it is time for another call for a rescue.  My humans have taken on this big water they call Lake Michigan and apparently have no regard for my delicate stomach or my nerves.  Even when we are not moving there has been too much motion on this boat.  I am old dog and all I require is regular meals, some hugs and kisses and a nice spot to sleep away the day, that is not rocking.  They have promised me that the next leg of the trip is going to be smooth cruising that but seeing or should I say, feeling, is believing.  If they are fibbing to me then I need someone to take pity on this old puppy and get me out of here.  If I'm being a little cranky the other problem I have is this baby giraffe.  Enough already with love for this long legged, gangly creative that my Mom human is obsessed with.  Bad enough that they left for a whole day to go see it but I had to hear about when they got back.  Please....just let it go....