After several days of offshore runs along and across Lake Huron, we have settled in for a few days at Mackinac Island, Michigan. Two teaser facts about the island: first, it's on Lake Huron, not Lake Michigan. We'll have to go through the Straits of Mackinac to reach the waters of the lake where we started our Great Loop journey. And, second, aww, you would be recognized as a tourist for sure if you pronounce it Mackinack ack ack ack. Get Back! It's pronounced Mackinaw, with the funny spelling due to the history of the Indians, French, and British struggles for control of the island. More on Mackinac in a bit.
We left Blind River on Friday for a 32 mile offshore run to Thessalon, our last stop in both Ontario and Canada. Like the other small towns we'd visited along the North Channel,
Thessalon looked like the northern rural outpost that it is. You could have been in Jackman, Maine, or Bettles, Alaska. The buildings were practical, unadorned and lacked any obvious understanding of architecture's golden ratio. That said, the marina did host a vessel in honor of the Admiral although they didn't get the vowels quite right. And,
the town took some obvious pride in the planters of annuals that lined another typical
main street whose storefronts were more abandoned than prospering. Nonetheless, we found a surprisingly great lunch at the Roasted Bean Cafe which served me the best breakfast wrap I've ever eaten. At least I think that's the case although that 33 mile
offshore run without breakfast might have affected my assessment.
In any event, an overnight in Thessalon was plenty and, with a lumpy forecast, we set sail for the United States at 07:30. Sure enough, the 25 mile run did provide some bumps. As we traveled, the wind grew from roughly 10 knots to 15 to 20 and the corresponding seas increased from about a foot to more than 2 feet, primarily on our forward port beam. Happily, we had started the SeaKeeper which definitely reduced the roll but we took an inordinate amount of spray..
As we crossed into the US at Chippewa Rock, I submitted our arrival on the CBP Roam App. Within a minute or two, we had a request for a video interview with an immigration agent. As it was the first time I'd used the app, my phone's mic wasn't connected to it and we lost the first call. The agent called back almost immediately by which time I'd turned the mic on for the app in "Settings". After a cordial chat and a request to get a glimpse of the Admiral, he welcomed us home--thus ending our nearly two months in Canada.
We arrived in the US at Detour, Michigan, another northern rural town which had a Dollar General, a small grocery store, and a couple of restaurants. I spent the afternoon cleaning bugs and other residue off the boat while the Admiral took a long snooze. We then hosted our acquaintances, Brad and Susan Light for cocktails. They and their Sabre 45 Katahdin look alike had arrived an hour after us at the marina. After drinks, the Admiral and I walked to the Mainsail Restaurant for a light supper. The picture tells all--
about the restaurant and the village. At the marina, the owner of a Sabre 48 that we docked next to had told us that there would be live music on the adjacent lawn that evening. Sure enough, when we walked back, a relatively good band (think the late Jim Dowe's Retro Rockerz) was providing a free, tailgate concert. Seriously, there were some people sitting on the lawn but cars and mostly pickups were backed up to the grass on two sides with folks swinging their legs and clapping in time. We enjoyed the concert
until about 8:00 when the band's leader pointed out that a major thunderstorm loomed just over the next hill and would end the evening. The Admiral and I retreated to the boat and arrived just before the heavens opened. It poured torrentially and lightning struck all around us. You couldn't get to "one thousand two" after it flashed. After a couple of "engaging" hours, the storm quieted and we went to bed to prepare for the 40 mile Lake Huron crossing to Mackinac Island.
We rose early and I postponed my usual morning routine to get underway right after sunrise at 06:30. The forecast promised rising winds and seas. The Great Lakes are nothing to fool around with and we wanted to get across while we could. We managed
it with winds only in the 5-10 knot range but with "leftover" seas in the two foot range along with a new moderate chop. With the waves on our port stern, the trip was somewhat dryer than the day before's.
We arrived around 09:00 at Mackinac Island harbor and dropped the hook to wait and see if a slip would open for us. Sure enough, about an hour later, the State DNR folks radioed that they had one. We got secured, cleaned up, and, both starved, headed off to
an early lunch at the Pink Pony. Happy to say we are back in a higher end locale and the
grub was pretty good.
After lunch, we bought tickets and took a wagon ride around the island. The tour started out winding through the village streets, then climbed the hill past the Grand Hotel,
and finally took us through the state park before dropping us to walk back to town at the Governor's summer home. Along the way, we stopped briefly to take pictures of a natural stone arch, supposedly created by the tears of an Indian maiden whose father tied her in the woods because she wanted to marry a warrior who was half from the spirit world.
Later, we enjoyed drinks and dinner at the 1852 Grill, a very good meal 150 yards from the marina. Not willing to wait for an 8:30 reservation, we ate in the bar.
Excellent! You didn’t have a meal at the Grand Hotel? There is ambiguity about whether Mackinack Island is in the upper or lower peninsula. As a Michigander who had never been in the UP, this was a problem. Then we resolved it by going to Saul’s Ste Marie, definitely UP.