With the loss of Never Home, another Looper quickly joined our pod. Meet Hearken! Yes, it makes the Shorebilly look even smaller. Charlie and Cindy proved to be an interesting couple and we enjoyed their company immensely.
In my last posting, we were leaving Little Current ON and headed through the balance of the North Channel. This left us hitting places with cool names like: Bridal Veil Falls, The Benjamin Islands, Croaker, Beardrop, and Blind River. Pretty much it was a rinse and repeat of fun, beauty and adventure. We hiked where we could, fished as much as possible, and anchored in a raft formation most nights. Rafting allowed us to share the adventures and often resulted in a pot luck dinner. Cindy proved to be an outstanding cook bringing peach pies, homemade apple sauce and more to the party!
Bear Paw in the Sand
Pot Luck Dinner
Master Fisherman!
But at last, it was time to say goodbye to Canada. The final night was spent at a marina in Blind River. Multiple loopers gathered for our last Canadian docktails. All were sharing their great experiences on the Canadian waterways. One thing was for sure; as much as we saw, there was 3x more to see.
Leaving the next day was with mixed emotions. We love the US, the people, our home. But Canada had welcomed us with open arms and loving embrace. We hold dear the memories of places, people and culture. We had spent over 2 months in this great country and it was a delight the entire time. Thank you Canada!
To ease our transition, the good lord blessed us with the most perfect day for the run to De Tour MI. It was a ~45 mile run but Lake Huron laid flat and shone blue. We decided to crank down the engines and sit on the bow for the trip (steer by remote control). It did not disappoint.
For all of you suffering the heat of the south, don't hate on us because we had to bundle up a little due to the cold! (Hee Heeee).
We could have easily covered the distance to the US in 2.5 hours. We took ~4 so we could enjoy every minute. Time well spent! I managed to capture a Google Maps screen shot just as we crossed the border.
Mackinac Island
Mackinac Island (pronounces Mack-in-awe) is on the top of everyone's must see list ... and for a reason. It turned out to be the perfect capstone to the Canadian experience. The island is located between the Northwestern most corner of Lake Huron and the Northeastern most corner of Lake Michigan. The island is known for not having any motorized vehicles (except for a fire truck apparently). Everything is managed with horse and buggy.
The island is beautiful and quaint. We did a carriage ride, horse back ride, hiked and walked all over. The place was stunningly beautiful.
Pictures of the town
But the crown jewel of Mackinac Island is the Grand Hotel. The story goes that it was built in 93 days, which is hard to believe given just how grand it really is. Apparently, a $1m bonus was offered if it could be completed in 90 days. However, on the 88th day the workers discovered the bonus was only for management so the workers tore down the east wall and rebuilt it. This put them over the 90 day mark. There has to be a moral to the story in there somewhere ....
When on Mackinac Island, one MUST have dinner at the Grand. It cost a fortune and requires a jacket and tie. I did not have one. However, they will lend you one so off we went with Jolly Roger and Hearken.
Horse Drawn Carriage Ride to Dinner
Jolly Roger & Hearken Shorebilly
(Before borrowed sports coat)
Inside Pics of the Grand
All in all, Mackinac Island was just perfect for us to transition back to the US. It was beautiful, fun, exciting and adventurous. In a word, wonderful. One of the greatest surprises was that the US waters were even cleaner and prettier than the Canadian waters. We could easily see 30+ feet down.
That is all folks. From here forward we will head down Lake Michigan towards the US river system. We are looking forward to all of it!
April 26 Haircuts On The Boat The admiral gets a little over zealous when it comes to cutting my hair. I wonder why? Maybe we have been on the boat a little to long ..... The Albemarle Loop The InterCoastal Waterway (ICW) between Norfolk and Key West brings prosperity to the towns that line it. As boat travels up and down the coast, owners stop and spend. Studies differ on the exact number, but indications are that a new dollar to an area will circulate 6+ times. Therefore, a $100 expenditure from an outside source has the economic impact of ~$600. For example; If you hire a boat mechanic, he spends that money at the farmers market for food. The farmer spends the money on help to harvest the crop ... and on and on. Lots of boaters on the ICW bring lots of spending that brings prosperity. Towns not on the ICW do not benefit from boat traffic that is moving just miles away. The North Carolina Albemarle Sound communities, they came up w...
April 11, 2024 Day 330 The InterCoastal Waterway We have really enjoyed the InterCoastal Waterway (ICW). Lots of areas (New Jersey .... Western Florida ...) list waterways as ICW. However, the ICW from the Florida Keys to Norfolk Va is managed and maintained by the Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). Thus it tends to be deep and extremely well documented. For example, in my carting software (Aquamaps) I can overlay the USACE survey to see exact depths. To make this easier, a gent named Bob developed "Bob423 Tracks". No idea where the 423 comes from. Bob423 Tracks presents the optimum path through the ICW trying to keep boaters off the bottom. Almost daily Bob reads the reports of "shoaling" along the ICW and adjusts 1000+ mile route and posts these tracks for free for all boaters. There is great comfort in having an exact route to follow. But that is not the charm of the ICW. We were less than enamored by the Florida ICW. It was o...
May 19, 2023 WE DID IT!!!! Yes, we finally embarked on the great loop. In the effort to do something truly extraordinary, different and or unique ... you learn a lot. Some of my big take-a-ways so far: Life constantly pulls you in directions other than what is intended. At every turn there is something to distract or discourage you from you goal. This can be health, financial, family or situational ... there is always something to overcome. But the big take-a-way was stay focused, persevere and stay positive. You can make it happen. People are wonderful! For the last 3+ years our friends, neighbors and family have encouraged us, picked us up, pushed us sometimes and most of all supported our goals. Multiple came down to the dock to see us off (Catherine, Susan and Gene ... we love you). We wouldn't have gotten here without you. People make this world and the world is a great place. Thank you everyone. Bill and Regina McCrorie a...
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