October 4, Wednesday, Joliet IL to Seneca IL

We stayed an extra night on the wall in Joliet because the third lock south of here, Marseilles, was closed during daylight hours yesterday and today.  We saw many barges go right by us on the canal going in both directions and an interesting sign that Dirk took personally along the waterfront. The town is full of beautiful 1800’s buildings and has been used as the setting for a number of movies. There was also an amazing mosaic patio on the grounds of the city park where we stayed.

Even though we knew we couldn’t get through the third bridge today, the plan was to get through two of the locks and stay at Spring Brook Marina in Seneca, making tomorrow an easy day to get to Ottawa IL which is reputed to be a nice town to visit with an excellent marina. The first lock was quick but we dropped anchor at the second and waited almost 2 hours for barges to complete their travels.  Along the way we saw many barges, including one filled with coal,  and tugs along the river, some interesting floating cottages, and said “so long for now” as our latest traveling companions moved on to the 3rd lock in hopes of getting through before dark.

 

 

 

 

October 2, Monday, from Hammond, IN to Joliet, IL

Last Tuesday we left the Chicago area for a visit to our daughter’s home in Florida to celebrate our energetic and funny grandson’s Arden’s second birthday with Sarah and her husband Chris. I was amazed at how much Arden has developed since I last visited this summer – he is really talking now. And singing and dancing – what a joy! We had a great time and it was hard to leave…

We returned to our boat late Saturday night and spent Sunday cleaning up and getting ready for the next segment of our journey – heading down to the Mississippi river. My cousin Donna visited our boat and also was nice enough to take me shopping for provisions – much appreciated.

Today, Monday October 2nd, we left the marina around 9am after filling up with water and getting a pump-out.  We headed to the Calumet canal that leads to the Illinois River, saying one more good-bye to Chicago in the distance. The canal is largely an industrial area as you’ll see from the photos, making an interesting journey. The specs on the large white dome are painters!

There were also a couple of parks with little waterfalls along the way…

After the Calumet joined the Des Plains River there is also an invisible electric barrier to prevent flying Asian carp from getting into the great lakes. We haven’t seen them yet but we probably will.

We had no trouble with the first lock on the canal, but the 1000 foot second lock was literally full of barges with two tugs ahead of us as well, so there was more than two hours wait before we could lock through and by then it was dark. And therefore today was another first for us – the first time we’ve boated at night. Fortunately it was only 3 miles to the free tie-up wall in Joliet Illinois and we had no trouble. The wall is in a city park with lights so we did find our way here without any trouble. Fortunately they also  provide free electric so we are all set.

 

 

September 25, Monday, Hammond Marina and Chicago

On likely our last day in Chicago we decided to visit the Field Natural History Museum and  walk around the grounds. Well, what a wonderful museum and surrounding area!

We spent most of our time in the Ancient Americas area, which was fascinating, comprehensive and so well put together. What an education and visual experience it was. It covered many different north and south american societies from the earliest times to the invasion of the Europeans. I hadn’t realized how many early civilizations had evolved to build significant cities  in the Americas.

The museum is also the proud owner of SUE, the most complete T Rex in the world.

Tomorrow we are flying to Florida to visit our daughter Sarah, husband Chris and to celebrate Arden’s 2nd birthday! So no more blog updates until next week. TTFN! (ta ta for now)

September 23, 24; Saturday and Sunday, Hammond Marina and Chicago

We arrived in the Chicago area Saturday afternoon and settled in to the huge Hammond Marina.

The Horseshoe Casino is right here as well and it is very popular with normal to very high end boaters. Note the nice car we saw in the parking lot on the way to the office – Dirk was pretending the Lamborghini is his.

Our cousin, Donna Estler and her son David live in the Chicago area, and we arranged to meet David and his girlfriend Liz for dinner at an Indonesian restaurant that Dirk found online in the DuPaul University area. Dirk looks for this favorite food in every big city.

We took an Uber ride to the beginning of the Redline train in south Chicago and took the redline to Fullerton (sound like we knew what we doing… just wait!) Since we were there a little early we had time to walk around this beautiful section of Chicago and even watch some of a soccer match.

David and Liz are great and we had a delicious meal at Rickshaw Republic, including a vegan rijsetaffel for three! When it was time to leave David and Liz were determined to accompany us on the Redline train down to Chinatown were we would be catching the free shuttle back to the casino. We said it wasn’t necessary but when it became clear that I wasn’t sure of the pickup location(!) they insisted on coming along. We are happy they did since the actual location wasn’t as described in the on-line application we were using (Active Captain) and was in a very non-obvious place. David wandered to a food court and between him and friendly by-standers we found where to wait (no signs, but others were waiting there too). The shuttle was also 1/2 hour late. Anyway, David and Liz were happy we gave them an excuse to see Chinatown again – at least that’s what they said. 🙂 They then had to go all the way back north on the red line and probably another line as well.

At the casino we received a pass to get back to Chinatown, gambled a few dollars, and doubled our money ($5).

SUNDAY September 24

On Sunday morning we could now use the Chinatown shuttle to start further up the red line and we met cousin Donna at a lovely restaurant on Michigan Ave about 4 blocks north of the Chicago river, Grand Lux Cafe.  It was so good to see her again and hear that her condo in Naples survived the hurricane. The restaurant was serving brunch and lunch and I had one of the best salads I’ve ever had made with faro, kale, lettuce,apples, etc and a lime dressing. Vegan!

We walked first to Millennium park where we saw the famous bean and had fun with photos and then headed back to the river for an Architectural Boat Tour of Chicago. We took the one recommended by Donna which is led by docents in the Chicago Architecture Foundation. What a wonderful way to see Chicago and it provided an appreciation of the architecture innovations and styles in the Chicago area.

After the tour we sat on steps along the Chicago river walk, which includes small greenspace parks, steps down to the rivers for sitting, tie up areas for small boats, and cafes along the way. It was late and still hot (high 80s) so we headed back to the Redline and Donna made her way to her car. It was a great day!

 

 

September 21 & 22, Thursday and Friday, South Haven, Michigan to Portage, Indiana

Another beautiful day and we left again before breakfast. Lately I’ve been starting the generator once we are underway and out of the harbor and making my coffee and our ginger oatmeal breakfast once we are on the way down the lake – it’s a little more time-wise. The weather was warm and the lake was calm – just lovely. We made such good time that we kept going toward the next good stop, Marina Shores at Dune Harbor in Portage Indiana.

We were warned when we called the marina that the bridges may be a problem but our Waterway guide said that the bridges on the way to the marina had a 20 foot clearance which is no problem for us. But just in case Dirk went as slow as possible under the first bridge. Good thing he did- the anchor light on the top of the mast cleared the rafters by an inch! (We only need 18’3″- so the book is wrong). An upcoming RR bridge looked even lower so we idled in the channel while I climbed up on the mast braces and used a screwdriver to lower the foot-high anchor light. That worked. You never what the next challenge will be on this adventure.

The marina is nice and has a pool! And we really needed it. It was very hot (90+) but the pool cooled us off before bedtime, and it was hot all day today. We puttered around the boat, did laundry (free!) and relaxed by the pool. And talked with our South Haven looper buddies who arrived here a bit before we did yesterday.

Our only issue is also one of the benefits of this marina – the train station is a very short walk from here and trains come by every 30 minutes or so from 4:30am through midnight, blowing the horn 3 times each time. Good if you want an easy way to get to Chicago, bad for sleeping after 4:30 am for some of us. Maybe I’ll sleep through it tonight.

 

September 19-20, Tuesday & Wednesday, Grand Haven to South Haven

As we were leaving Grand Haven a very large red barge with a tug boat attached at the back came noisily down the river and passed by us. It seemed out of place in this setting and we had to wait until it left the channel before we could be on our way. I therefore had a chance to get a few more photos of Grand Haven, which I hear is wonderful in the summer with a huge musical foundation on the hill across the river, but it only runs on weekends now.

The day started out cloudy and we were delighted when some blue sky appeared as we continued heading south on the east side of Lake Michigan. The lake was a bit choppy at first and then smoothed out nicely.

We reached our destination of South Haven by 3:30 which made me happy – we’d have time to see the town with the stores open this time! But it got better – we were directed to a slip in the Municipal marina next to another Mainship trawler, with an AGLCA  looper flag flying. We aren’t the last!

We were talking with Andrea and Jim on their boat ‘State of Bliss’ when a second trawler came into the slip on the other side with Tamara and Kim on their trawler, Cocoa Beach. We all chatted and later got together for docktails and snacks where we told cruising stories for a few hours – many of them embarrassing and funny at the same time. It was a good day and evening.  Since the weather was warm and the big lake looked like it would stay calm enough for a few days, we decided to stay another day in South Haven.

Other two trawlers with ours in the middle…

Today I did a bit of site seeing and shopping and Dirk fixed navigation lights on the boat. Since the marina offers free bike usage I was delighted to take a long ride around the area and then also head to a large store – Meijer – a mile or so away to get a few things we needed. The town is lovely and there is access to the sand beach in so many places – very nice.

 

Fortunately the town had a marina with a marine supply store where I could pick up some boat light bulbs Dirk needed for repairs. I did some shopping along the way and laughed at another great example of building wall art.

We enjoyed docktails on our sundecks with Tamara and Kim and then went to the imposing looking Clementines Restaurant for a light meal. Although it looked expensive it was quite reasonable and interesting- the interior reflected the fact that the building was originally a bank.

 

September 17 &18, Sunday and Monday, Ludington and then Grand Haven

After breakfast Sunday morning in a building with a wonderful mural, I headed to a local UU church only a few blocks from the marina, while Dirk focused on oil and oil filter changes. The Ludington People’s Church is in a former car sales building I was told, but nevermind, it was lovely and people were very friendly. It was nice to sing some familiar music, listen to the choir and feel pretty much at home so far away from Stow.

After finishing oil changes and a little clean up we headed out for our last exploring from Ludington – to the Ludington State Park. It turns out this state park is known to be one of the best, if not the best, in the state, and I wouldn’t have known it was special if I hadn’t gone to church and heard about it from a very enthusiastic supporter.

As we headed north on Lake Shore Drive which became M116, we saw the park sign and then dunes and parking anywhere along a six mile stretch, with short trails to the beach and longer trails into immense sand dune areas. I waded a bit – the water was fine.

But there was much more to the park including a small lake and a long canal suitable for the rental kayaks and swimming, two campgrounds and many more trails. We also explored the exhibits in the large beach house right on the lake, including some relief maps of the Great Lakes which we found interesting since the lakes are sooo deep – we hit 500′!   And my other photo here is the sunset behind our marina.

Today, Monday, we left early, not sure if our destination was Muskegeon (53 miles) or Grand Haven (72 miles). The winds were low and the water was pretty smooth so we are now tied to the $10 wall (it used to be free) near the Grand Haven municipal marina. There are only a few cruisers like ours in the area, and two of them also have the AGLCA Great Loop Flag, so I said hello and then we walked around town. The harbor entrance, with its red shed and lighthouse was a a nice welcome to the town.

 

September 16, Saturday and still in the Ludington Harbor Marina

After breakfast when  we were cleaning up, Dirk noticed an organized walk near the dock. It was a walk to end Alzheimers and individuals and teams from local companies were walking to raise awareness and funds to help in research and care. They raised over $40K which was nice to hear.

In the afternoon we drove south to Silver Lake State Park where we heard we could walk up onto some of the huge dunes we’ve been seeing in a distance. From the first State park stop we could see the dunes across the beautiful lake with it’s sandy beach (nice to walk on barefoot).

But then we drove around the lake to the right where the sand dune access was available. We parked and Dirk started walking up the first path he saw – very steep! We resorted to hands and feet for the last part of the trek. It was worth it. Ahead and to our left was reserved for walking, but to the right of us was an area set aside for ORV (off road vehicles). Fun to watch them as well. The blue beyond the trees is Lake Michigan. It was a pretty amazing site that I never expected to see on Lake Michigan.

Friday, September 15, Still in Ludington, MI

After some optimistic and pessimistic thinking we decided we need to stay put until the winds die done on Lake Michigan. It may be two or three days based on current predictions. We’ll see some towns by road that we wouldn’t have a chance to visit due to the need to cover distance when the winds are right.

We started by going out to breakfast – haven’t done that for a while, and saw some of the Ludington marina sculptures on way. I then walked along the breakwater to the lighthouse to check the swells in the lake – and enjoy to the warm day.

We were able to rent a car locally and drove to the marina town of Pentwater, and enjoyed lunch and some unusual shops there.

We also drove along back roads that turned out to be up and down and around the old dunes that were now covered with trees, vegetation and some interesting homes with high views of the Lake Michigan.

Around 7pm, back at our boat, we heard a number of very loud boat horns and watched the large, old passenger and vehicle ship Badger came past us after its cross-lake trip to Wisconsin. It is the last coal-fired passenger vessel operating in the United States and is a Nat’l Historic Landmark. It is huge – and surprising to see among all the normal size boats in the harbor.

 

 

September 14, Thursday – from Leland to Ludington MI on the eastern side of Lake Michigan (the western side of the state of Michigan – it’s confusing at times)

We again arose early with the sun and were on our way. The day started out clear but as we seemed to be traveling into clouds as we headed south.

Soon we began to see more of the sand dune shorelines I have been reading about. It seems like the entire shore line is full of very high sand dunes and some areas have dunes 450 feet or more high. The photos below are from the area know as the Sleeping Bear (it was still foggy).

We continued to see more amazing dunes  (and a higher swells) as the day continued.

We finally arrived in Ludington, after our longest travel day yet. The last hour was a little rough and we were feeling tired, but a number of friendly folks greeted us at the docks, we settled in and took a walk to see the town. It’s much bigger than Leland, and looks like an interesting place to explore since we might stay a while due to predicted high winds for tomorrow.