Lake Huron

We are now in Lake Huron. After an overnight at Grand Marais and a visit to the brewpub there, we departed in the fog to round Whitefish Point, cross Whitefish Bay and anchor in a delightful spot in Waiska Bay. We met nother boat doing the loop at Grand Marais. They had a big Carver they had just bought in Bayfield, but were only running on one engine. They had lost the transmission on one side, and hoped to get it fixe on Lake Michigan someplace. Yesterday we locked through the Soo on the Canadian side. I called them ahead of time to check if we could lock through without clearing into Canada, and they assured me it was fine and that the lock opened at 10 am. We got to the lock and she apologized, but it didn't open until 11, so we had a wait for a bit. It gave me a chance to talk to another boater locking through with us. He was a logger that lived 20 miles north of the Soo. Nice guy and very knowledgeable about boats. After locking through, we were in the St. Mary's river in the afternoon, passing Laker after Laker upbound. Sometimes the channel is only 00 feet wide, so we got up close and personal with a couple of them. midafternoon we tied up at a Michigan state dock on Lime Island, all alone. It's an island that they mined limestone and crushed it to make lime, they stored in kilns on the island. It is all abandoned now and is part of their state park system. There was a great trail system on the island, so we got our exercise in. Today, I think we are moving on to Mackinac Island if they have a slip for us. I hav always wanted to go there.

Larry the cable guy was at the brewpub in Grand Marais, which was a clone nof the Winton Liquor Store

Lime Island Fuel tanks. It had been a refueling stop for Lakers years ago

Good speed on the St. Mary's River

A Laker passing our dock last evening

Docked at Lime Island

Picking aapples at Lime Island

The old school house

Another Laker passing by this morning

Two Lakers passing each other

On to Grand Marais Michigan

This morning we left Marquette after a four day stay due to weather issues. It has finally laid down and predictions for the next several days look favorable, so the plan will be to move 70 miles east today to Grand Marais, Michigan (which has a good brewpub I think), then to n anchorage just above the Soo Locks tomorrow, then to the Drummond Island area on Tuesday. We'll see. Our stay in Marquette was delightful. Cindy varnished the foredeck of the pilot house and I fixed a nagging problem with the head, replacing the flush ball that was not sealing. We toured the area as best you can on folding bikes, got some exercise and last night watched the Twins sweep a doubleheader against Cleveland, so things went pretty well. The gale warnings and small craft advisories have been lifted and thi morning the lake is pretty flat. We toured a well done museum on UP and Mrquette history. We found a great fish market on the waterfront, and a couple of thrift stores.

One of the first women's hockey teams, in Marquette

Prophetic date on the fireman's memorial

Marquette fire bell

The old ore dock. When it was active, the railroad spanned the area from the top of the hill, across the town itself to the top of the dock

Ore dock showing the loading shutes

Walking the breakwater

Our shadows

Breakwater with the lighthouse in the distance

This lighthouse was indeed a house with the light on top

Father Baraga's chapel, Marquette had some neat architecture, mostly built with local sandstone blocks

Holed up in Marquette

Cindy and I had a discussion when we left Grand Marais and headed for Isle Royale. A critical look at the wather for the next seven days, suggested that the north side of the lake was not where we should be. It is quite remote, no support services, and very sketchy internet/phone service, which is pretty critical for our weather observations, We decided to go to the south side of the island for a night, then cross back to the south shore on the Keweenaw Peninsula, and follow the south shore. Now in retrospect, a pretty good move. We had a delightful night in Hay Bay on the mid portion of the south side of Isle Royale, then crossed to the Keweenaw north inlet and on to Houghton Hancock for a night. From there, on to Marquette, with plans to proceed on down the south shore to Grand Marais, Michigan and the Soo. Our stay in Houghton included a trip back to the antique store we visited in June, and a nice meal at the Library restaurant, with a good IPA. The run to Marquette was a little lumpy, but improved as the day progressed. Yesterday we pulled out of Marquette, early, with a destination of Grand Marais, MI and a bail out at Munising if needed, knowing the weather was going to deteriorate. Well, we got a couple of miles out of the Marquette harbor and things were ugly. Wine glasse were breaking, the boat was rolling with 4 footers on the beam, so we reversed course and now are holed up in Marquette, waiting out a gale warning the Coast Guard posted for the next day or two. It's  good spot, found a fish house with good smoked trout sold by a  real fisherman in rubber bib overalls. We (Cindy) varnished the foredeck in the pilothouse, and will put another coat on today. I worked in the engine room and on the head. We'll pull out when we can. The good news is by Sunday it looks flat, and continues flat most of next week.

Hay Bay Isle Royale sunrise

Raising anchor on Isle Royale

Leaves are changing

Restaurant in Houghton, eat flags and name

Dredging at the Houghton entrance

Lighthouse at the Houghton canal west entrance

Weather buoy we passed, recording wind, water temp, wave height

Huron Islands

Ore boat exiting the Marquette harbor as we arrived

Grand Marais

Today we came up the shore to Grand Marais. 42 years ago, we spent a year here, in my 3rd year of med school on the RPAP (rural physicians associate program). It was a wonderful year for a young guy and his wife, used to the north woods, but stuck in the metropolis for educational purposes. My preceptor was an amazing physician named Roger MacDonald. He taught me so much! He went on to direct the RPAP program. He finally retired 25 years ago and began his writing career, which has been prolific. Today we pulled into the Grand Marais harbor and marina and tied up just after lunch. Cindy went for a run and I lifted weights, and then I called Roger. We got together mid afternoon for an hour with Roger and his wife and had an absolutely delightful visit. He is now 95, sharp as he ever was, sadly can't play his fiddle due to rotator cuff issues, but still amazing. Best teacher I ever had and gave us a copy of his latest book, "Babe", a story of the Blue Ox.

We then went on a walking tour of Grand Marais. Much has changed, but much is the same. The shack Cindy and I lived in behind the Birch Terrace restaurant is really unchanged. It's still a shack and I am sure just as cold in the winter. We went to Joyne's variety store where Cindy worked. No change. The mints at the check out are in the same place they always were.

Other things have changed a lot. The whole town is a lot more phoo phoo. Lots of restaurants. Lots of Patagonia. Lots of people that need to eat more protein and less granola. I went to the fish market to get some local fresh fish but other than the smoked ciscoes, it all came from the west coast or Canada. I got the ciscoes but the guy that sold them to me was Amed from Istanbul. Where was Nils and when did Minnesota move? Anyway, it was nice to see the town from the lake side again, but as Cindy noted, we left Duluth 2 days ago, 2 hours from home and here we are, still just 2 hours from home. Tomorrow I think we are going to the Island, Isle Royale, for a couple of days, then to Thunder Bay to clear in. We'll see what the weather gives us.

Rice at the Folk School in Grand Marais, pretty dirty pickers

Grand Marais Harbor this morning leaving

The shack Cindy and I lived in during my 3rd year of med school

Sunrise Grand Marais harbor

Leaving the harbor this morning

On The Road Again

After 10 weeks off Burntside (boat) for summer on Burntside (lake), we are back on the boat for the next couple of months heading south, sort of, via the north side of Lake Superior. We finished our fall chores early, wood is made, rice has been harvested and the day after Labor Day, we travelled to Duluth and Spirit Lake Marina where the boat spent July and August. We did take a 4 day sojourn to the Apostle's with Zach, Aimee and the girls, but for the most part staayed at home and caught up on a neglected yard and home chores. We provisioned up and planned on departing Thursday but the weather said no, so we left yesterday on Friday. Fueled up at Lakehead Boat Basin at the base of the lift bridge and headed up the shore. Late afternoon we pulled into the Silver Bay Marina which is a beautiful facility on the North Shore. We met good friend John Sandstrom for happy hour and pulled out this morning at 0630 headed for Grand Marais, about 6 hours up the shore. We are looking forward to an afternoon there. It has been over 40 years since I spent the 3rd year of med school there. How the heck that happened is beyond me. Anyway, the plan is to work our way to Thunder Bay, across the north side of the lake to the Slate Islands, and down the east shore to the Soo over the next 10 days to 2 weeks. We will travel when weather permits and hole up when it doesn't. This time of year there will likely be more weaather issues, but we will deal with them.

Good rice crop this year on the Vermillion River

Harvested almost 200# with good friends Mike and Shirleen Hieb

Leaving Spirit Lake Marina on Friday morning

Aerial Lift Bridge as we left the Duluth Harbor

Splitrock Light house

A Krogen 42 widebody (Resolute) in the Silver Bay marina. Hadn't seen another Krogen on Superior

Silver Bay Marina

Northshore Mine facility at Silver Bay. Yes, we support mining!

Duluth

It's about time to finish up this section of the blog. We spent two nights in the Apostles, at Stockton and the second night at Sand Island on the west edge of the islands. Sand Island has a unique light hous and the sea caves. We also visited the sea caves on Devil's Island, but viewed them just from the mother ship. There really was no good spot to anchor. The dock at Devil's Island was destroyed a year ago. The sea caves developed from erosion of sandstone, deposited from north flowing rivers originating in southern Minnesota. The striations and colors are beautiful. We anchored in a bay on the east side of Sand Island, right by the sea caves, and kayaked through them, then took the dinghy to the north end of the island to tour the light house. The next morning we broke camp and headed for Duluth where we met Barry, Bethanie and the boys at the Duluth entrance. I pulled over to the side wall just pst the lift bridge and they jumped the fence to climb on board and went up the St. Louis River to Spirit Lake Marina, at the base of Spirit Mountain, where we are keeping the boat until September. At that time I will pick up the blog again as we tour the north side of Superior, and begin our trip south.

Duluth lift bridge, a welcome sight

lighthous on Sand Island

Daybreak, Sand Island

sunset on the sea caves, Sand Island

Touring the lighthouse

Sandstone strata

Sand Island Lighthouse, made from sandstone quarried on site

Paddling the caves

Devil's Island caves