Life On Orion

 Yesterday was sort of a lazy, uneventful day, but today we kept quite busy. We were all up and showered early and walked to the Farmer’s Market on the other side of the channel. Our friend Jim is docked over there and he met us and went along. It was at least a mile walk and we had to cross over one of the lift bridges on foot, but it was worth it.  The market was not big but they had beautiful vegetables and we also bought some homemade salsa and pickled mushrooms.  Mushrooms for Tom - not me…. 😜 We had Madison with us so we found an restaurant with a dog-friendly patio and stopped for some lunch, then all of us walked back to our marina so Lynette and I could spend a little time at the pool and the guys could watch college football in the marina lounge. After a rousing game of bags we changed clothes and headed out once again on foot for downtown. Every Saturday during the summer they have an event called Under the Stars where they close off a section of the main downtown street an

We are back in Sturgeon Bay, although at a different marina.  This one is across from the first and has a lot more amenities - like a pool, grills and a laundry.  There is a pretty big storm coming from the west which will move across Lake Michigan, and we have to sit tight until it passes.  Not only will the wind be too much, the waves could get to be 5-6 feet high and that’s a big no for me! We have already met a nice guy docked behind us who is from Appleton and his wife will join him tomorrow after she gets off work. Not many other looper boats here because we are off the beaten track for the loop.  Our friend Jim was down in Green Bay and had some engine trouble and had to be rescued by the coast guard.  Turns out he had some algae growing in his fuel tank and it quit while he was underway.  Scary….  They make an anti-algae additive that you can put in your fuel tanks to prevent this and it is now on our shopping list.  LOL! After lunch Lynette and I went to the pool for about an

Just a quick run down the coast to Egg Harbor this morning and we are all tucked into the cute marina. A steep walk up the hill puts you into a beautiful city park with killer views and then you are on Main Street where all the shops and restaurants are. After lunch on the boat we set off to explore and the best find of the day was the Drink Wisconsinbly store - for real! What a hoot! Some souvenirs may or may not have been purchased….  LOL! The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing and Lynette and I did summit the hill once more to go buy a flat of water at the grocery. There was supposed to be a Norwegian Fiddle Fest in one of the parks tonight so we decided to check it out.  Turns out it was inside the library and was really more Scottish type music. We listened to a little of it and then came back to the boat for the sunset. There are supposed to be storms heading this way which will kick up Lake Michigan so tomorrow we are headed back to Sturgeon Bay to hunker down and wait the

 I know we are backtracking a bit, but we wanted Lynette to get a taste of Door County in WI, so we went north to Fish Creek this morning. It was only about a 3 hour trip and the lake was calm, so Lynette’s first voyage was uneventful. We spent the afternoon shopping in all the cute little resort shops and stopping for a bite to eat. Then back to the boat for some quiet time reading and sneaking in a nap… Tomorrow an even bigger trip - 8 miles to Egg Harbor…. 😂

 Big day for Orion - we have our stern thruster back!! We made the 3 hour trip this morning and pulled into the boat yard by 10 am and they had our motor in a cart waiting on the dock for us. The technician was wonderful and had it installed in a hour.  He made sure the bow thruster was working and replaced a burned out fuse for the windlass (anchor) and now that works too.  Yay!! We are at a marina right on the bay here tied up to an end dock, so we’re hoping no boats go by tonight to rock us. Lynette arrived on time and was on the boat by about 1 pm.  She’s all “moved in” and after she got settled we walked about 4 blocks to downtown Sturgeon Bay and had lunch. While Tom supervised a pump out and filled our water tanks, Lynette and I took a taxi to the grocery store and stocked up.  We had a nice wine and cheese board assortment for dinner and now are enjoying some Netflix since we have good WiFi. Tomorrow we will go to Fish Creek - another cute little Door County town.              

 In contrast to our pretty lazy day yesterday, today we worked inside the boat giving it a deep clean.  Not only did it need it, but Lynette is coming on board tomorrow and well, you know how you clean before having company…. LOL! It felt good though, washing floors, cleaning woodwork, cleaning upholstery and washing windows. The weather was quite a bit cooler today thanks to a cold front moving through that brought us high winds during the night.  That meant opening windows for a great cool breeze and some “airing out”. Watched another sunset tonight and Madison got one last walk around Sister Bay.  Off to Sturgeon Bay tomorrow and hope to get our thruster motor installed.  Fingers crossed.

 We did not move the boat today for the first day in a very long time, and it felt wonderful to have a “down” day. We started the day out with breakfast with Jim at Al Johnson’s Swedish restaurant.  It is famous for having real grass on the roof and goats that spend the day grazing up there.  Madison has gotten long walks through town, we hosed bugs off the boat (again…) and I did 2 loads of laundry. Tom and Jim went for a mid-afternoon beer and some games of pool while I stayed on the boat and read my book.  Heavenly! After dinner we watched the sunset again with many folks from town - it’s kind of like Key West without the party atmosphere!  LOL! Then it was off to get ice cream. On the way we stopped to listen to a band playing at an outdoor bar venue. My friend Lynette will join us for a week on Monday, so tomorrow will be getting her cabin ready and some groceries stocked up.  I can’t wait!

 After 8 hours of travel we are back in WI and it feels like home! Weather was great so we spent the last 4 hours driving from the flying bridge and took in the scenery. Door County and all the islands make for some very pretty settings and Sister Bay is one of the best. When we pulled into the marina there were THREE guys waiting at the dock to catch our boat and secure lines! Talk about being spoiled!! After settling in and letting Madison have a potty break we walked south on the main drag until we found someplace we could get a cold beer and some food. We had our first Spotted Cow beer in just less than a year - you can’t buy it outside of WI and the best brat I’ve had in a long time. Jim arrived a couple of hours after us since his boat is slower and after helping him get tied up we just stayed in and made it an early night. There is a concrete boardwalk that runs the length of the marina along the lake dotted with picnic tables and benches and all the locals and some of the touri

 Another 5 hour trip brought us to Manistique MI today.  It is not a popular stop for loopers which explains why we could find dockage here.  LOL. There are 4 boats here along the marina wall and the facilities are new and spotless. The “downtown” is a short walk away along the “boardwalk” and actually there were lots of cute shops. Jim arrived about 3 hours behind us and he and Tom walked the 1/2 mile to the grocery to pick up homemade pastys for dinner. For those who are not familiar with them, they are a cross between pot pies and calzones and are typically filled with meat and potatoes and eaten with gravy.  They are delicious and now that we are leaving Michigan, we will not find them easily anywhere else.  Oddly enough, there is a whole Pasty restaurant in Scottsdale and they serve several varieties.  We ate our pasty dinner on a picnic table beside the boat and after a rousing game of fetch with Madison we are in for the night.  We have a long day traveling to Sister Bay, WI tom

 One of the frustrations that I think I have mentioned before is finding slips for the destinations and dates that match the route you want to take on the loop.  We are dealing with the popular summer season, limited marina space and dozens of looper boats all going the same direction. Our original plan was to leave Mackinaw City, go to Harbor Springs, MI, then  to Leland and then to Ludington, MI to cross Lake Michigan to Sturgeon Bay.  There were no slips available anywhere in Harbor Springs for the next several days and I found the same situation all down the western edge of Michigan.  So - we plotted out several alternate courses and finally found one that worked! Sadly, I will not get to visit some of the towns in Michigan that I was looking forward to, but we will get to the Wisconsin side of Lake Michigan before the weather turns ugly. We left port this morning without Al - for the first time in a month…  It was more emotional saying good-bye than any of us thought it would be a

 We left at first light for the last time with Al, on Sea Magic, and arrived in Mackinaw City just before noon.  We could not have asked for a smoother ride! Today was every boater’s dream day. The marina is pretty full even with all the people who choose to stay on Mackinac Island itself. We got settled and then took the ferry over to the island with Al to re-connect with some of our looper friends. There were 15 looper boats over there!! Needless to say, we saw lots of old friends and made some new ones too. We heard that everyone was partying together till quite late into the night last night, and decided that the quieter moorage across the water was more our speed. LOL! Since we have been to Mackinac Island several times we didn’t feel the need to walk to the Grand Hotel or take a horse and buggy tour, so another couple, Wade and Kathleen on Irish Lass, came with us and we walked downtown past all the restaurants, souvenir shops, fudge shops and bicycle rental places. We found some

 It was a short 2 hour ride to Rogers City today, so we didn’t have to leave until 9:30 am.  The water was like glass - a boater’s dream - and we were pulled in and tied up by noon. Tom met a guy (Len) at the end of the dock while walking Madison, who offered to give us a golf cart tour of the little town.  We took him up on it and had him let us off at the famous sausage shop and we picked up some smoked pork chops and thick sliced bacon for future meals. We washed the other side of the boat since we tied up on the port side today and then relaxed and read our books until dinner.  After we ate and I got the dishes done we took Madison and walked out on the breakwater and through some of the neighborhood near the marina before seeing the gorgeous sunset.  Long day tomorrow cruising to Mackinaw City, so early to bed and early to rise…

 After a 4 hour trip, 30 minutes of which was pretty uncomfortable rolling side to side, we arrived in the most beautiful place I have been in in weeks.  Pressure Isle Michigan is basically a state park with a state marina and very few services.  No internet, barely cell service, and just a small little store with essentials, ice cream and homemade pizza. Pressure Isle means almost an island in French and we are in a lovely protected bay. After docking we ordered a pizza from the little shop and ate outside.  Then, a hike to the beach where Madison got to swim and play fetch in Lake Huron.  The water is still that clear turquoise color and even I waded in it! We washed the side of the boat next to the dock and relaxed a bit before grilling out for dinner. We had picked up some pork chops and sweet corn the day before and Al joined us with his burgers. The marina had grills and picnic tables right at the end of the docks, so it was an easy thing and the food turned out so good! After di

 Another good day on Lake Huron and we are in Thunder Bay docked in Alpena MI. It’s another state harbor, so beautiful facilities and cheap dockage.  Michigan has done a great job with it’s state owned marinas - we will miss them. Al and Tom and I are a couple of the only boats here - the dock master said everyone left this morning to go further north - I imagine everyone was waiting for a break in the weather just like us! We’ve taken a couple of walks downtown, 3 blocks away, and Alpena has a thriving business district with several cute shops and 2 large clothing stores. We made dinner reservations for the 3 of us and ate at a place called The Fresh Palate. It was a nice set-up with the main dining room having a full wall of windows, floor to ceiling, which all opened accordion fashion to expose the whole room to outside. As a side note - it was a big day for me.  I backed the boat out of the slip this morning, and drove it out of the marina.  Then I drove it for the first 2 hours of

 We did it - crossed Saginaw Bay in Lake Huron! Finally had a good weather window and made the 8 hour run in smooth water with mostly sunshine. We left at first light (6:30 am) and arrived just after 2 pm.  A pump out and then into the slip.  Whew! The weather looks good for the next several days, so we should be able to make short hops every day for awhile. Harrisville is a pretty tiny town and there is not much going on here.  We walked Madison “downtown” and through some neighborhoods and there are so many empty store fronts and run down homes.  At the same time the parks and marina are brand new and beautiful. There is a cute pavilion where a concert was held tonight, although we did not attend. There are 4 looper boats here and we all are taking a little bit different route with different stops from here, but it was fun chatting with them.  One of the boats has a cat on board - we don’t see that very often. The temps have definitely cooled down and it feels wonderful.  Temps in th

 Turns out that Michigan has LOTS of storms, wind, rain and general bad boating days on the Great Lakes. So, the waves were too big and too close to cross Saginaw Bay today. We used the time to change the oil and filter in the generator, fill the water tanks, hose down the boat, clean the bathroom and take Madison on a couple of long walks. Harbor Beach only has a population of about 1500, but it is a nice little town.  Everything is pristine and they have done a nice job with parks, walking and hiking trails and everywhere you walk are story boards telling the history of the place. There are some great museums, original schoolhouse and pieces of shipwrecks just to name a few things. Madison got to wade in Lake Huron today and chase rocks, we walked through the RV and camp ground across the road and we were a little nostalgic about our own RV days just last summer… I made a simple spaghetti dinner and had Al over to eat with us, so it was a nice evening. Weather report looks favorable,

 I’m a little surprised to be here - we thought it would be a bad weather day and we would have to stay in Lexington another day. Instead, a huge storm cell moved through at 2 am and we were actually on the very southern edge of it. Lots of wind, torrential rains, lightening and thunder… The boat was swinging in the slip and Madison was having a panic attack, so Tom was up checking lines and putting Madison’s thunder shirt on her.  😂. End result was that the weather was good during the day today and we left at 9 am for Harbor Beach. It was another 40 mile trip and the wind and wave action only picked up during the last hour. The wind was pretty strong when we got into the marina and they were kind enough to give us a slip where the wind would snug us up against the dock. About 2 hours after we docked a rainstorm hit here.  Seems the storms pop up mid-afternoon every day this time of year. The gal in the marina office gave us and Al a ride into town to the only restaurant, a bar &

 Today was one of those days where you think “this is such a great life”. We pulled out of Algonac Marina at first light and the first thing we encountered was 2 freighters coming from opposite directions and they were going to meet right where we had to merge onto the river.  And because you can’t argue with something that big, we had to slow down and wait until they passed and we could slide in behind the northbound one. They travel so fast he was soon out of sight and we had an uneventful cruise on the St. Clair River and Lake Huron. We did meet another freighter who passed in the opposite direction and I’m always amazed at how big they are.  I have posted the video - this was a Great Lakes freighter, so not quite as big as the ocean going freighters…( Sorry, cannot get it to load today) We drove the boat from up on the fly bridge since the weather was perfect and enjoyed watching all of the beautiful homes along the river. The current was strong against us, but we didn’t go any slo

 We crossed Lake St. Clair today and arrived in Algonac, MI about 1:30 pm.  We had about an hour of rain while we were still in the marina, but it had stopped by the time we left around 10. We were traveling in the shipping channel about half of the time getting here and that was only exciting when we had 2 freighters to deal with - one going south and one going north.  We let the southbound freighter get well past us and waited until the northbound one passed and we fell in line behind him. There were lots and lots of pleasure boaters out since this is high season here and it’s a little like a game of Frogger staying out of everyone’s way!  The marina here is a municipal marina and it is so neat and tidy! Al is docked right next to us and some other looper friends are docked around the corner. Docktails were on Peter and Yvonne’s boat tonight and we met a couple who lives around the corner and is dreaming of doing the loop one day. They had a million questions, but are about 3 years a

 We have spent 2 full days and 3 nights here at Jefferson Safe Harbor Marina and it was good to hit the pause button to catch our breath, but we are anxious to get going tomorrow. We used the time to scrub the boat, use the special spray to remove the spider poop (yes, it’s a thing), go to West Marine twice for odds and ends and do three loads of laundry. In between there was time for long walks with Madison, cocktails up on the flying bridge and some socializing. Tonight we got a message on NEBO from two future loopers on their boat here in the marina with some questions, so we invited them over to chat in person and tour the boat.  They are considering our make of boat as an option when purchasing a loop boat, and it’s always more fun to look in person.  What nice, fun guys - too bad they are not ready to travel yet… We will leave about 9 am tomorrow and have a relatively short hop across Lake St. Clair to Algonac MI where we have reservations at a state park marina. Our tour of the

 We left Gibraltor at first light this morning and our reward was a beautiful sunrise. Not too much ship traffic on the Detroit River today - only met 5 and they were going slow and we were in a wide area of the shipping channel.  Whew! I have to say it was very strange looking to our right and knowing it was Canada and the US was to our left. We went right by downtown Detroit and then entered Lake St. Clair. It is where we adopted Orion last September and we are staying at a marina right next door to the Yacht Club where the previous owners kept her. It is so strange being back here! From here on every mile we travel will be new territory for both of us.  Orion has done 3000 miles, but we are only 1500 into the 6000 mile loop according to the map.  Here we go… Tom and I walked to West Marine this afternoon and bought some boat cleaning supplies and a new zipper cover for our 50 amp electric cord. We had a cocktail with Al up on the flying bridge after dinner and took Madison for a wal

 We have discovered that the biggest stressor about “looping” is finding marina accommodations where we want them when we want them.  Marinas have full time boaters who rent the slips and have a certain number of “transient” slips available, and that number can vary from 4 to 80.  Canada is closed to boaters and a huge number of people are looping this year, so there is a competition of sorts for the available marina slips on any given day.  Because of our delays for electronics, sick cat and failed thruster motor, we actually are in between two big groups of loopers.  There are dozens in front of us and a big group behind us too, so you would think that we wouldn’t have any trouble booking spaces.  Wrong…. We can only travel so far in a day and I spent 2 hours last night trying to book marinas for the rest of this week and the weekend.  Bottom line - we found space at a boat yard in Gibraltor - tied up at the wall in the well where they haul out the boats.  Literally have a crane outs

 Slight change of plans occurred as we approached the Bass Islands today as far as our marina. We discovered that the ferry wasn’t running between where we were going to stay and the downtown area of Put-in-Bay on South Bass Island.  Our friends Greg and Susan were already there, so she arranged for us to pull in behind their boat and tie up.  Good decision! It was right downtown and was an adorable area - a cross between Mackinac Island and Door County WI. We rolled in shortly after noon and Greg and Susan had rented a golf cart, so they took us with them for lunch, we did a small amount of shopping and then Susan had an itinerary of things to do, so we went along with her list. We toured a crystal cave, a winery, sampled wine, toured a car museum, went to the island’s oldest lighthouse, toured a bigger cave, went to the butterfly museum and panned for semiprecious stones. If it sounds exhausting, trust me, it was! LOL! But lots of fun and laughs. For dinner we collected Al and the 5