Don & Rachel's Great Loop AdventurE

Wednesday was going to be our last day in Chicago so we made it count. First up (literally) was the Chicago Sky Deck. Inside the Willis Tower, formerly the Sears Tower, you take an express elevator 1,353 feet to the top. With incredible 360° views of the city and of course the glass lookout boxes.

From there we divided and concered. Don went to the Museum of Science and Industry, where he saw a WWll captured German submarine. They actually built the building around it. There were also some famous sculptures…in Legos.

While he did that, I took the opportunity of being in major civilization and went to Target and then over to China Town. Got some of the best Chinese food! I also made the attempt to pick up the package we had sent general delivery. PSA, not all Post Offices accept general delivery. So when my package arrived, they returned it to sender.

Luckily the sender was my dad so as long as it made it back we can get it eventually. After that debacle, I dropped my leftovers at the boat and sought out a grocery store. Though the one I found was somewhat far, it was the Illinois version of Wegmans. Having gone by myself and was walking, it required some restraint not to overload with extras and just get the necessities. Garlic stuffed green olives, apple fritter and salt and vinegar chips and blueberries count as necessities right? When I got back to the boat again, Tug Bussle had arrived and was docked right across from us. Having made plans to go to dinner with Rival and Shandie, we invited them to join us as well.

When in Chicago of course we had to go for deep dish pizza. This was Rivals third pizza place so they warned us it takes about 40 minutes to make! We split a meat lovers deep dish and a regular crust. Both were very good but the deep dish was a little to much cheese for me. Once again we left with leftovers 😋.

Thursday we got up and set off early. We wanted to be at the Chicago lock right when it opened. Well, we were late and had to wait for the group ahead to get through. It didn’t take long though and then we were on our way through the city. It was very cool to see the city from a different perspective. As we were going along someone saw us on Nebo (the tracking app), got pictures of us going down the river through the city and sent them to us!

Once out of the city the canal was all industrial. Factories lined the waters edge and big ugly barges were going by. It was less then picturesque. Though the heron, pelican and eagles seem to love this area. We have been seeing them the whole way along the river.

It was also in this section of river they have a submerged electrical barrier to try and stop the migration of Asian carp from entering Lake Michigan. We came to the second lock of the day, ironically called the Lockport lock. We had to wait about 45 minutes for a barge to go through. By the time we were allowed in there were 12 looper boats waiting. After getting through we all tied up on the free city wall in Joliet.

Friday morning Don called the next lock to see when we’d be able to get through. They said about 9:45. So we all set off to get there at that time, but when we did an up bound barge had beat us so we had to wait again for them to come up the lock. Once inside we rafted to a new boat we hadn’t met yet, Let Time Go Lightly. Further down the river the lead boat radioed the next lock to see what the situation was. They had a double barge coming through so it would be about a 3 hour wait! So everyone anchored off to the side and we rafted to our new friends to hang out. It ended up only being about a 2 hour wait till we were all able to lock through. Most of us went to Heritage Harbor. Superior customer service, the woman on the radio guided each of us right to our slips where dock hands were waiting to help us tie up.

We were only going to stay the one night and then go to Starved Rock marina the next day to go to the park. A local in the slip behind us advised we stay at Heritage as the quality was way better. Turned out this marina had a courtesy car and would let us take it as long as we wanted.

So Saturday morning we did exactly that. First we took the car to Starved Rock State Park. It was a beautiful spot, with lookouts over the river and damn.

All of the waterfalls were dried up but at the one spot there was a slight trickle and it was still a cool rock formation.

Afterwards we stopped at Walmart and taking advantage of having a car, we got the heavy stuff. Dog food, soup, drinks, etc. Summer was trying to make a comeback and it was a quite hot day. Luckily the marina had a nice pool, so when we got back we went and chilled out there a bit. The harbor master also does a nightly briefing for the Loopers. He guided us all the way to Kentucky. Giving us all the good stopping points, mile markers and things to look out for. It was very informative and helpful.

Sunday was another hot one. Don set himself up to watch the Dolphins game and I set myself up at the pool. After a lounging day for a change, we went to dinner with a few of the other Loopers at the marina restaurant.

Monday was another early day to get through Starved Rock lock. This time there were ten of us and the lock was ready for us right when we got there. Some boats opted for a shorter day and stopped at a closer harbor. We pushed on about 75 miles to the much talked about Illinois Valley Yacht Club (IVY) in Peoria. They had set us in a covered slip, which sounds fancy…but it was not. The dock was rickety at best and the covering was a spider warehouse! Still, there was power which gave us much needed air conditioning. The clubhouse itself was very nice, and the woman’s bathroom smelled like apples. Bring on Fall! 😄🍎🍂. We packed sparingly on the boat, but you know I’m going to have to get a Fall candle…and maybe a pillow…or leaf garland. Docktails that night introduced us to a few new Loopers and reunited us with some we haven’t seen in a bit.

Today…sigh. Today was less than stellar. The next lock we had to pass through was undergoing maintenance of some sort and would not be open until 3pm. So we decided to do laundry before we left. Well so did everyone else apparently, with the marina only having one set of machines. So it was a bit of a wait for our turn. A couple we knew was right ahead of us and watching her angst with the dryer, when we finally got our clothes in I was not optimistic. Having waited most of the day and then the dryer taking forever by the time it was “done” we had to untie and head to the lock. Done however were not our clothes. I came back with basically soaking wet laundry. Using ever hanger and clothes pin we had we hung up everything all around the back deck and hoped it wouldn’t blow overboard while we traveled. Today it was 96°! Going along it was like being in a greenhouse. And of course when we got to the lock, a barge was coming up so we had to wait for it to clear. They just move so slow! After we made it through we had talked about trying one of the anchoring spots but it was too bloody hot! So we came to Tall Timbers marina. It was a tight squeeze getting in here as the edges of the river are quite shallow, but here we sit happily with air conditioning.

Here’s hoping mother nature realizes it’s mid September and chills the frick out. Literally!

Having made it across Lake Michigan and down to Green Bay, Tuesday we decided to check out the city. We took the scooters down to Lambeau Field, home of the Packers. Got a very interesting tour of the stadium.

Never thought about it before but the team got it’s name because the first sponsor/owner also owned a meat packing plant. Makes total sense. We got to go up to the roof, which is the highest point in Green Bay.

And we walked out through the home team tunnel onto the field. We had definitely gone further than we have before on the scooters and on the way back they died. Lyft to the rescue. We made it back to the boat and decided to go up to Sturgeon Bay, the entrance of the canal that takes you back out to the Lake. Where we tied up along the wall for the night.

Wednesday we simply fueled up and traveled down to Sheboygan. Another free city wall tie up there. But this one at least had an old fashioned ice cream parlor right there 🍦😋.

Thursday we went down to Milwaukee. We had planned on anchoring in the city harbor but the waves had picked up and it was a small area with another boat already there getting tossed around. So we called the Marina and were able to get slip. It worked out well as it put us right down the dock from Eric’s Inheritance, Tug Bussle and another Looper boat we hadn’t met before. We had a round of docktails and then we went with Eric’s Inheritance to a “Sports Bar” to watch the Bills game.

The place did in fact have a lot of TV’s airing sports games and was set up like a bar…but was playing very loud and obnoxious club music. Not quite what we were in the mood for that evening. The food was good, but we only made it till half time. Luckily we get fairly decent reception on the boat and were able to see the Bills stomp all over the Rams!

Friday looked decent to travel in the morning, so we made our way down to Racine. We had actually bought our other boat from here so we were hooked up with a free place to stay which put us closer to Chicago. It was only 20 miles down so we got there early. Don took the opportunity to change the oil and I took Skia down to the beach.

Saturday we set off for Chicago. The water conditions were pretty good right up until we got into the Chicago area.

The inner harbor was even worse. Huge tour boats coming and going churning it up. We had booked a mooring ball for two nights and ours was located on the end basically facing the opening in the break wall right out to the lake. With the tour boats going right past us 🫤. It was very wavy! We managed to get tied onto the ball and called the water taxi to take us to shore.

We walked down to Shed Aquarium. It was HUGE!

Three levels set up cylindrically and separated into water regions around the world. The last one brought us to the big kahunas. Beluga whales and Pacific White Sided Dolphins. Both were very cool! The Beluga’s had two “babies” which were very playful. Then the dolphins put on a training show.

Leaving the aquarium we stopped at a most delicious burger bar for dinner and then past the Buckingham Fountain.

When we got on the water taxi back to our boat the waves were worse than when we left! Once on the boat we knew we’d never make it through the night like that. We were a rubber duck in a bathtub. We called the dock master office and they told us we could switch to another mooring ball that didn’t have a tether on it which meant it was taken already. So as the sun is setting we navigated our way through the 400 mooring ball field filled with boats. Not ideal. But as we moved inward the waves lessened. We found a free ball and hooked back up. It was better but still by no means calm seas. We were rocking back and forth all night.

Sunday morning we knew we did not want to spend another day and night like that. We called the marina we had reservations at for Monday but they didn’t have an open spot for Sunday. We had been planning on meeting up with Shandie, who were at another marina further out of the city. They said there were plenty of open slips by them so we went down there for the day. It was much better than getting tossed around some more!

They are from North Carolina and Panthers fans. Brandie had found and actual sports bar that was an old warehouse. You could make reservations with certain teams playing that day. There were different areas of the building designated for each team. We went with them and hung out in the Carolina Panthers section.

They graciously put the Dolphins game on one of the tv’s for Don. It was pouring rain on the way there and still pouring rain when we left. So the rest of the day was spent just chillin on the boat.

Monday was another misty morning. After getting laundry done we moved over to the Marina where we had reservations, which was more centrally located along the city. It is actually right outside the Bears stadium.

We got set up and then went to the Field Museum. It was much bigger than I was anticipating. Also three levels with so many incredible things from all over the world. My favorites were the Ancient Egyptian artifacts and dinosaur fossils. Including Sue, the most complete T-Rex ever found.

That evening we met for dinner at Victoria Tap Italian restaurant, with Looper boats Rival, La Vida and Call me Curly. They had this amazing wine and lasagna the size of your face!

Today we packed it in. First went to the free Lincoln Park Zoo. It was a very nice zoo with well set up habitats. There was even a lion cub 😍. I only took a million pictures.

From there it was over to Navy Pier. It was a cool place to walk around. Lots of good restaurants, including a delicious taco bar with a very yummy pork belly taco. I’d put in second place to Smoke on the Water. Still chasing that lost gem 😭. We rented some bikes and went to see the famous bean.

We ran into Chuck and Kerrie from the boat Rival while there and set up plans for tomorrow. Made it back to the boat on time for docktails and leftovers lasagna. (Which I probably have enough for 2 more nights!)

We extended our stay till Thursday, so more Chicago adventures to come!

Well, as predicted, the wind came to stay for a while. Throughout the day last Sunday a bunch of other Looping boats came to Leland Michigan. Don and I took Skia for a walk and checked out the town a bit. It was a really cute area, quiet woodsy neighborhood with mom and pop shops.

Monday we did a few odds and ends on the boat and then I walked the stores with Janet and Peg, fellow loopers we’ve met along the way. After dinner the whole collection of Loopers at the marina met up at the lounge for docktails.

Tuesday we walked over to the beach to check out the waves on the lake.

We stopped at the grocery store on the way back and got snacks for docktails, then headed up to the Distillery with Tug Bussle and Eric’s Inheritance. We were told Eric finds his parents boat name amusing 😄. After dinner the whole group of us met back up for docktails and it was a chill evening.

Wednesday was still windy but it was a short walk to a smaller lake inland where Skia could swim in calm waters. We came back and checked out some more of the shops. Then it was ladies choice this evening and we went to the winery. They had a really good Riesling and very peachy peach cider 🍑. That evenings docktails was also a weather meeting. Everyone compared apps, reports and plans. There looked to be a small weather window in the morning so the consensus was to make some travel progress. Most planned on going to the same place, a few were aiming for a bit further.

So Thursday we were all up early around the same time and the Looping armada set off. We got to Frankfort MI, just a little further south, and got set up to wait out the next bout of wind. The marina had a nice pavilion where another large group of us met back up for docktails. Including some new Looping boats/people we haven’t met before.

Afterwards we went to dinner with Jerry and Peg from Eric’s Inheritance and Shane from Shandie. His wife’s name is Brandie and she will be meeting him in Chicago. That boat naming style probably wouldn’t work for Don and I. Donchel, Rachon… definitely not.

Friday I walked down to the beach and the waves were crashing up the break wall.

I did pick up a bunch of good shells though 😄. Unfortunately with the waves being so forceful, they were pushing in through the opening of the break wall and down into the harbor. It made for a rocky few nights. Docktails that night had us chatting with a couple from the Flora-bama area who had some good info about where to stop and what to see. Like where there are super playful dolphins and the best tacos. 🐬🌮 The important stuff!

Saturday for a change in pace, more wind.

So we went to this bakery for breakfast and got an apple coffee cake for docktails later. We went to the farmers market, laundromat, and where else, an ice cream shop of course. This one had fancy waffle cones dipped in all sorts of goodies.

Another Ranger Tug doing the Loop pulled into the marina so we invited them to docktails.

Sunday Don finished the extra seat he has working on for the dinghy so I don’t have to sit backwards on the tubes. The wind and waves had calmed down a bit, so while Don did his fantasy football draft, I took Skia to the beach for a swim. A few more boats arrived, one of them from the area who just started their Loop today. We gave them a rowdy welcome. There were also three other boats from Buffalo! One was even originally from North Tonawanda! We joked about starting our own WNY sub group.

Today all reports indicated that it would be a good weather day. So we decided to make the jump across Lake Michigan to the Wisconsin side. It was not quite as calm out there as we would have liked, and we were definitely glad the Lake wasn’t any wider, but we made it. Still being early in the day (partially because we changed time zones), we decided to push all the way to Green Bay.

We got a slip for the night and plan on checking out the city tomorrow. The weather/wind the following few day look to be even better, so we are hoping to make our way down to Chicago.

After hanging on the hook and just relaxing in Sutton’s Bay for a few days, Sunday we headed to Traverse City, MI. At the very bottom of the West arm of Grand Traverse Bay. As we were pulling in to the marina Uncle Bernie and Aunt Barb were there to meet us 😁. After getting set up we went and got lunch at Pangea Pizza. Lot’s of choices and very yummy! We then drove up to the tip of Mission Peninsula to Mission Point Lighthouse, which sits on the 45th parallel. Exactly half way between the equator and the North Pole.

The 45th parallel also travels through Italy’s Piedmont region and Bordeaux France. Wine anyone? 😉🍷

So it’s no surprise that amongst this stretch in Michigan, along the two Peninsulas there were 22 wineries. Naturally we had to stop at a few on the way back, luckily we found the perfect one!

The wine was quite good! I mean with it’s name being what it is how could it be bad? 😆

We also went to Mari Vineyard. Their wine wasn’t as good but they were seated high on a hill overlooking the lake, so the view was nice.

Came back to “downtown” we walked around checking out the cute shops before landing at 7 Monks Taproom for dinner. The waiter was…. interesting. Very attentive and nice but…. quirky personality we couldn’t quite figure out.

Monday morning we met at The Omelette Shoppe for breakfast. Strawberry shortcake and blueberry lemon ricotta pancakes 😋! We then picked up the fluff and went for a walk around Boardman Lake. After we came back to the boat and said our goodbyes, Don and I took Skia to the beach for a swim to cool down. Later that night it was docktails with co-loopers on the boat Buena Vida, who had a lot of good info to share about the up coming part of our journey.

Tuesday was a prep day. We cleaned the boat and got ready for our second visitor, Don’s brother Pete. When we were done we took the scooters to Buchan’s West ice cream. All homemade with some unique flavors. The blueberry was particularly good, loaded with whole blueberries. Don really liked their cookies and cream that had huge chunks of Oreos. We ended the evening with another round of docktails on Fhil-N-Wild, another looper boat.

Wednesday Pete, our personal mailman arrived with all the packages we had sent to Don’s mom’s house. We took Skia for a swim and then walked to Bubba’s Burgers for lunch. Mine was HUGE! I mean, I read what came on it and that’s why I picked it but I was not prepared for how tall it would be. So scrumptious though!

Stopped at the popcorn shop for some fun flavored popcorn and then drove out to Sleeping Bear Dunes visitor center to get maps and plan our excursions. We ended up taking a short hike to an overlook of the cliffs. Short as it was it was all uphill and I was in flip flops 🫤. Still, the views were pretty impressive.

From there we went up to Glen Arbor to check out the Cherry Republic store. Super cute, lots of products…if only I liked cherries. 🥴

Thursday was kind of dreary with a high chance of rain so we went to Peace Love & Little Donuts. So many fun flavors in mini so you could try a bunch!

Meanwhile, Skia decided the couch bed was just as comfy as the big bed.

We headed over to The Commons. An old asylum turned into a shopping center. There were a bunch of cute shops, an event center, a winery and a brewery. The brewery had a really good beer cheese dip with pretzels.

From there we went out to Lakeshore to the old Coast Guard station. We got to see the Lyle gun demonstration on the beach. Which was used to send a rescue line out to stranded ships.

We went and got lunch at this restaurant which reminded us of Mississippi Muds in NT for those familiar. A nice waterside patio restaurant. We walked the shops along the main street and I found a Petoskey stone polishing kit!

Friday we took Pete to The Omelette Shoppe for a hearty breakfast in preparation for the days hikes at Sleeping Bear Dunes. We first did another short hike to a different overlook (me wearing appropriate footwear this time) and from there you could see the Manitou Islands.

Next came the Dune climb and it was a CLIMB!

And just when you think you’ve made it to the top…there’s more!

But once again the views were pretty spectacular. And the way down was super easy! 😄

This was the guys second visit to Sleeping Bear Dunes. The first being when they were kids. Jean sent us some photos from the first trip that we were able to recreate. They boys might object but I think it’s cute and they don’t read this so 🤫🤪😆.

We then drove the scenic view road which takes you to the top of the 450ft dune. It is highly discouraged that you go down to climb back up. Given how exhausting it was climbing the one half this tall, I did not need talking out of trying it. All good thanks.

There were rescue crew standing by making sure all who did go down make it back up. They said the record slowest time back up was almost 7 hours (a bachelor party endeavor, so you can just imagine). And the record fastest was 7 minutes! 🤯

We got back to the marina and let the fluff go swimming before we headed to dinner at a local BBQ joint.

Saturday it was Grand Traverse Pie Co. for breakfast. It had Panera vibes but in a good way and the breakfast sandwich was really good. The farmers market was happening just down the street so we strolled through and got some corn on the cob. Took a trip to the grocery store before taking the boat out into the bay to enjoy the beautiful day. It was Agave Mexican Grill for dinner, which was not only delicious but had the most comfortable bench seats of any restaurant I’ve been to. The marina had lawn games along the beach, so a few rounds of corn hole made room for more ice cream. This time I got salted caramel crack 😄. It had chucks of chocolate covered candied Ritz crackers in it. Good times.

This morning we got up early, Pete headed back home and we took advantage of a short weather window. Leaving Traverse City and coming up out of the bay and down Lake Michigan a bit to Leland. And here me might be for a few days as the weather is supposed to be windy and wavy for next bit. So we’ll see how and when it goes.

So we are officially checked back in to the States. We went from Sault Ste Marie, Ontario to Sault Ste Marie, Michigan. Right next door to the marina we docked at, there was the largest Great Lakes ship museum, on an actual Freightliner.

It was really cool to see the inside and how things were set up on a ship launched in 1917!

Saturday morning we set off aiming for Drummond Island. As we were going along, Lake Huron was about as flat as a lake gets and we were making good time.

So we decided to keep going to an anchorage across from Mackinaw City where we made reservations for the next two days. It was a fairly nice cove but very busy. I had to jump in to the main body of Lake Huron as well. We thought it would calm down after the sun set but there were still a few crazy people apparently out boating in the middle of the night! We got wake rocked a few times well past 1am. What the frigg people!?

Sunday we were up early and headed for Mackinaw City. This was one of our favorite little towns so far. A very nice, tourist(y) shopping area along the water. Fudge everywhere! We stopped for lunch at Wienerlicious. 😆

We walked around the shops a little bit, got ice cream and taffy. Right next to this marina was the Coast Guard Ice Breaker Museum aboard the USCGC Mackinaw (WAGB-83) a 290-foot former Coast Guard icebreaker. We went and checked it out as well. Very cool.

Later in the evening we went and played mini golf which was fun. Couldn’t tell you the last time I’ve been. Didn’t do to bad either haha, and we actually ended up tied. Back in the Marina we saw The Perch. The boat owned by our broker who helped us purchase our boat, and the director of the AGLCA. We got to meet Mike, Kim, and Margot the cockatoo, the boats namesake and mascot.

Monday we took the scooters to see two lighthouses on each point at the top of the mitten. The first one faced Lake MI. McGulpin point. It was pretty neat to see and read how the whole family lived in and took care of the property. Very nice views from the top of course too.

The other lighthouse faced Lake Huron and actually had two keepers and two families living in and taking care of it.

That night we went to dinner with Mike, Kim, and a few other Looper couples we haven’t met before. It was fun to hear about everyone’s Great Loop journey and encounters so far. Everyone starts from different locations so they have been places we haven’t yet.

Tuesday morning we got ready to go to Harbor Springs. When we got there though it didn’t look all that great, and there wasn’t anything in particular we wanted to see or do in town, so we decided to scoot across the bay to Petoskey. After we got set up in our slip we walked down to the beach and I got my swim in Lake Michigan, making it official that I’ve swam in all five Great Lakes 😄.

Petoskey is famous for the special stones found here. They are prehistoric fossils over 350 million years old of a coral called Hexagonaria percarinata. Of course I had to comb the beach looking for them, and we found some! They are very cool looking and you can see how they got their name. Apparently you can polish them and really make them stand out and shiny. Which of course I intend to do.

Wednesday morning we walked around town a bit. Went to Petoskey Pretzel Co. Very delicious freshly baked soft pretzels! From there we went to Kilwins Chocolate Kitchen. This was a HUGE chocolate factory where you could see and watch them making everything sold in the shop, including their own waffle cones for the “homemade” ice cream.

Having saw what we wanted to see, and go where we wanted to go, it was still pretty early. So we set off to our next stop, Lake Charlevoix. We had to pass under a 15ft foot bridge, that does open for large boats but being 12ft at our tallest point we could just squeeze under it. From my viewpoint it seemed pretty darn close, but nothing clanged so that was good. We went down one arm of the lake and found a decent spot to anchor for the night. There were some pretty incredible houses along the water.

Thursday we cruised around and checked out the rest of the lake. There weren’t a lot of any more really good anchor spots so we ended up at the city marina. It actually worked out well because then we were able to walk around town and check out the Earl Young’s Historic Homes district. He was an architect that built a whole neighborhood of “mushroom houses” that look like large fairy cottages. They were really cool, and it’s crazy to think about people living in them as their regular home.

As we were leaving this morning we past one along the shore that was a full on fairy castle!

We cruised over to Grand Traverse Bay and found a good little spot in Sutton’s Bay where we’ll hang out for a few days. 😎

Well as you may have saw, last Friday, we finally did find an actual waterfall. Bridal Veil Falls. After a nice little hike through the woods following a babbling creek, we came out to a lovely waterfall with a large natural pool in front that you could swim in. There were stairs going up to several viewing platforms at different heights.

Back in town there was a chocolate store down the road from the dock where we had parked the boat. So naturally we stopped in and got some quite delicious truffles and chocolate cover blueberries and cranberries.

The boat Rival we had briefly met before was at the dock as well and they knew of a good anchorage nearby, so along with New Adventure, we followed them there. It was a pretty cove, but a little more exposed to the bay than the other’s we’ve been in. Luckily it was a fairly calm evening and the water was still. But VERY cold! Yet there was a rock just barely above water I just had to swim out to and do my best mermaid impression on.

Saturday morning New Adventure was having generator problems so they were going in search of a mechanic. The weather looked good so we decided to stay and enjoy it. We took a dingy ride around the island, went swimming and had happy hour with Rival.

Sunday was a dreary morning. We decided to move just a little further along to John’s Island. We got set up at anchor and it rained all day, so we just stayed on the boat, played games and watched a movie.

Monday was another drippy day. It rained most of the morning, but weather reports said it was supposed to clear up. It finally did and with Rival we took the dingy’s to Bear Drop Island to look for blueberries. Another boat that had left earlier said they had saw a bear on the island. We saw neither berries nor bears. I was the only one disappointed about not seeing a bear.

Tuesday, New Adventure let us know they were all fixed up and ready to continue on. We met them at another anchorage on the North side of Long Point further up the North Channel. It was a very cool spot, almost completely surround like a bowl. There were several beaver lodges and different pretty water flowers.

We climbed up the surrounding rocks and did find a few blueberries. We ended the night playing games with New Adventure. Don got to try out Triominos. We liked it well enough that we ordered our own set from Amazon.

Wednesday morning we set off early to beat the winds to Thesselon. The bay was still pretty choppy, but we made it to the marina and got a slip for the night. Along the way we passed an island lighthouse, and New Adventure got some good pictures of us cruising along.

After we got set up in our slip, we walked to the nearby stores, and LCBO. Don found this particularly yummy blackberry cider they have up here. 😋 We went to dinner with Steve and Ann (New Adventure), and said our goodbyes for now as our paths would be diverging the next few days. We may run back into them down in Michigan. The restaurant had some fun pictures on the walls. One of them was by the same artist that I have a picture by hanging above my stove back home. He has a very distinct style and is easily recognizable.

Thursday we went up to Sault (Sue) Saint Marie, Canada. There was a street festival going on that night which worked out for us as the Queen’s Tarts Bakery had special evening hours. This would be our last night in Canada so we had to get one last batch of tarts in! This place had all kinds of special varieties. Being our last chance at them we got a dozen of all sorts of delicious flavors.

I had also saw on the map an intriguing looking restaurant called The Breakfast Pig. So this morning we went and checked it out. They had a lot of specialty items, including Pulled Pork Eggs Benedict on Sourdough. It was particularly yummy! The restaurant reminded us of The Country Cottage in North Tonawanda, which I call the pig place 🐷😆. Decorations of pigs adorned the whole place.

Afterwards we walked to the Canadian Float Plane museum. It was pretty cool. They had some of the first ever made, some of which you could go inside. There was even the plane that Amelia Earhart was a passenger in as the first woman to fly across the Atlantic in 1928.

From there we went back to our boat and set off for Lake Superior. I’ve decided I need to swim in all five Great Lakes. It isn’t the warmest of days today, and it’s typically the coldest of the lakes, but I’ve just gotta put my big girl suite on and go for it! My strategy was to put on jeans and a hoodie to warm up before jumping in. We first had to pass through the Sault Ste. Marie canal lock. It takes you under the International bridge connecting Ontario to Michigan.

Update: my strategy did not help lol. It was still the coldest water I’ve been in! Okay, the Polar Bear Swim in Lake Ontario was probably colder, given in was in February and they had to cut a section out of the ice. But that was a good 10+ years ago and my body has since forgotten. But now I can check it off the list! ✔️👍

Skia didn’t seem to mind at all. While my swim was a quick one, she happily kept going back for more.

We were going to spend more time on Superior, but with time and the cost of fuel we decided to just stick our nose in to say we were there and head back. Next stop, the corresponding city of Sault Saint Marie, Michigan, USA. And thus ends our time in Canada.

After a chill Saturday evening we all woke up early Sunday morning to move on. Nautoncall were heading in a different direction so we said goodbye to them. Our three other boats set off to Killarney, towards the top of the Bay. We were racing against some incoming weather and along the way we passed through some thick fog. Kathy from Salty Dog called ahead and made reservations at a marina for all three of us. The Killarney Mountain Resorts. It was an exceptionally cool place. Your ideal cabin in the woods on steroids 😆. The main building had it’s own light house and octagon bar with a 360° fire stove. It looked even cooler at night.

We walked down to another locally famous fish and chips restaurant, making it the third fish and chips and only meal I’ve eaten out for dinner while in Canada. I’m thinking I’m going to call it my fish and chips tour and do a running review 😁. This one was very good, I’d put it in second place so far.

There was also a gift shop next door we popped into, and I made a new friend.

There was just enough time left in the day to go see the world’s largest paddle. Don and Skia are in the picture, behind and to the left of the red chairs.

Monday morning before we left we hit up, can anyone guess…a bakery! Shocking I know. But hey, when in Rome…or Canada. This one also had fresh baked bread still warm that they sliced for you too. Soooo good!

The three of us then headed to a nearby anchorage. It was a beautiful spot, surrounded by pines and rocks. The three boats rafted together, and as a little rain came in we met on Salty Dog and taught them one of Don’s family favorite games. We brought Skia over with us and she and Zeus both wanted to be with the people so it was a fluff cuddle party.

Tuesday morning we took the dingy to the end of the little cove we were in where there was a trail leading to the top and wild blueberries patches. The views were pretty spectacular. While we were up there, Steve and Ann from New Adventure came out on their dingy and got pictures of us from below.

We found the blueberry patches. They were cute little ones but very tasty.

There was going to be some more weather coming through so we decided to move on a little further to Marianne’s Cove. Another protected anchorage our tour guides on Salty Dog knew about. We rafted up again and Ann introduced me to Triominos. Domino’s in a tripled triangle format. 😯

Wednesday was when the winds came, but we were protected in the cove so we just hung out. Brian and Kathy taught us another really fun new game. After a dinner break, and dingy ride for cell reception we finished the game around almost 11:30! Our latest night by far. We are up with the sun these days so that is quite late.

This morning things had calmed down so we moved on. Salty Dog were headed towards home from here so we parted ways with them, and couldn’t thank them enough for guidance and company these last several days. New Adventure and us were still headed in the same direction so we motored to a marina in Little Current. We went grocery shopping and checked out some of the local shops. One of them had fish I swear were radio active. They seemed particularly bright to me lol.

Brian had recommended this one Brewery, so we headed there for dinner. I had overhead a woman telling her grandchildren about a really good ice cream place, so of course we went there too.

Tomorrow we are aiming for a location with an actual waterfall. So we shall see. 🤔 Stay tuned for the verdict!

Continuing on our journey, Tuesday morning we left the marina. We headed for one of the islands in Georgian Bay, Beausoleil Island. Which the whole thing is a National Park. There were several hiking trails we wanted to check out. The first one was supposed to lead you to a light house. It was a very beautiful trail, pretty forest along the water. But it ended up being more of a light tower. Metal scaffolding with a light box on top. Not particularly charming.

Each trail head was at a different spot along the island that had its own dock so we scooted over to another trail head that only had a very small dock with two boats already tied up. We decided to anchor out and take the dingy to shore. This hike was called Fairy Lake. So a lake on an island on a bigger lake 😆. This “trail” was very different. Open flat rock marked by poles that was somewhat hard to follow. Fairy Lake was very pretty though, and there was a small section on the back part of the looped trail that was through the trees and was nice.

When we got back to the boat, our buddy boats, Salty Dog and New Adventure messaged us to say they were headed our way.

Wednesday we all set off together to another anchorage a little further north. It was a nice little cove with plenty of space. They introduced us to Nautoncall, another boat traveling our way. After we all got set up, we took the dingy’s to this locally famous fish & chips restaurant called Henry’s. It is very specially popular with boats and float planes! We saw a few take off as we were coming in.

We started calling our group the Don floatilla 😆

The fish fry was excellent! 😋 The next few days looked iffy for weather, so we decided to stay and hang out where we were.

Thursday we took the dingy around to explore some of the other coves. We saw the boat Voodoo, which is another Ranger Tug, one size bigger than ours. We also checked out this community picnic area that had a fire pit. We wanted to do hot dogs and whatnot but it was too windy. We met on Salty Dog for happy hour instead. Ooo if you’ve never had garlic stuffed giant green olives, yum!

Friday the wind and current were particularly rough. The anchor came loose and we started freely drifting in the water. 😯 It was a scramble to get the anchor up and reposition the boat. We decided to move entirely to a different spot across the bay that would hopefully be less affected by the wind. Don also tied our stern to shore so the boat wouldn’t swing as much. The group decided to try the fire pit in evening after the wind died down a bit. There were several boats rafted together near our new spot that had a dance party going well into the night. The music was good at least, but it’s hard to fall asleep to Pump up the Jam.

This morning the weather seemed to be better so we set off to check out another location further North still along the loop route. We came to Snug Harbor and found a good spot to anchor that was nice and calm. As we were coming in there was an actual lighthouse on the island edge.

There was a nearby restaurant/store that Nautoncall Don said had the best smoked fish. We were able to try some and it was really good. Basically fish jerky. My Don and I opted to just get ice cream though.😊 They also had these neat coasters that had pictures of the area printed on stone. We’ve been saying we need some for the boat so we got two.

When we got back to our boats we met up on Nautoncall for happy hour. We planned an early and long day for tomorrow. Headed up to the top of the Bay. So it’ll be an early bedtime for us. Which after listening to last night’s dance party will be welcome tonight.

Stay tuned for the next part of the journey!

So as you may have seen, Friday we made it through The Big Chute! It was definitely a unique experience. Being on a boat going over land on railroad tracks.

After we had gone through we tied up at a dock off to the side and walked back over to watch other boats go through. You really get more of a jarring view seeing it from land! After we got back on our boat and headed towards the last lock, a jet ski gang arrived to go up The Big Chute. I can only imagine what it was like on those lill water craft!

We got to the last lock, lock 45, and there was a major traffic jam. There were some extra floating docks off to the side, so we decided to tie up and wait it out. We had heard there was a little general store nearby so we went to check it out. Ended up getting a freezey pop. (Tried the snap in half trick, totally worked!) By the time things cleared out it was pretty late so we decided to stay the night on the wall and go through Saturday morning. Needing to refuel, get water and a few groceries, we made reservations at a marina just inside Georgian Bay for Saturday and Sunday night. They told us if we stay two nights we get the third free. Our timing was good as well, there was Rib Fest happening and Tall Ships in the harbor. So after we found our slip we went and got groceries, passing yet another bakery we decided to hit up in the morning. Canadian grocery stores also continue to be a gold mine, along with the classic milk in a bag we also happened across this delightful cereal.

After we came back and in put everything away, we headed over to the harbor to see the ships and eat some ribs. We were able to go aboard The HMCS Oriole. The Royal Canadian Navy’s oldest and longest serving ship.

Along the pier there was another cool metal sculpture, this one supposedly of a trumpet swan but looked more like a goose to me. Plus I mean, Canada-Goose, come on!

The other ships you had to pay to go look at, $20 a person! So we decided to take the dingy over later and see them from the water for free 😁. They were pretty cool.

In the meantime we headed to rib fest. Which ended up being slightly misleading as there were only three places selling ribs. So we divided and conquered, each going to a different restaurant and each getting a half rack to share and compare. Don was excited to try the whiskey based sauce. Both were quite delicious but the place from Kentucky was slightly better, though the whiskey sauce was definitely tasty . I just couldn’t believe the size of their signs! There was also a fried onion booth so we brought one back with us.

Walking back through the marina a few boat names caught my attention…

As we discussed plans for the next few days we realized we forgot some things from the store. So we made a plan to go to a further, supposed to be larger store on the scooters. When we woke up Sunday it was windy and rainy. So we waited for it to calm down, but it didn’t look like it would really clear up to go for a long trip. So I did laundry, Don washed the boat, and I took Skia to go swimming at the nearby beach in between rain showers. Figured we were getting wet anyway. It was a pretty low key day.

This morning was clearer, so we took the scooters to the bakery and of course got some more butter tarts. Cause ya know, it’s not like I have a wedding dress I’m gonna have to fit into or anything.

We then set off for the further store, which ended up being Walmart like. Found the rest of what we needed (assuming we remembered everything).

We scoped out Georgian Bay Islands and found a spot that looks good to check out tomorrow. Our other looping boat friends let us know they were on their way up and almost through the canal. So hopefully we will be able to meet back up with them. In the meantime we will see what we see. 😊

So continuing our way through the Trent Severn, we were in need of water and a few groceries. As we set off in the morning and got to lock 30, we found ourselves and others waiting. The employee from the day before took the keys with them and today was their day off. After a few minutes today’s employee’s managed to get a window open and climb in. So we were on our our way. We were aiming for Bobcaygeon which had stores close to the lock, but when we got there it was packed. So we decided to try the next lock up, Fenelon Falls. It was also along a busy part of town but there was room on the wall with water and power. We of course found a bakery nearby so went and got some more butter tarts. These were fresh off the rack and warm and gooey.

On the way back we saw the boat New Adventure whom we’ve met along the way, coming up the lock. We made a spot for them to park behind us. After they got set up and we did laundry (where I found the above article about butter tarts), we went to dinner with them at Murphy’s Pub.

Monday morning we planned on running errands but it was raining when we woke up. It finally let up and we were able to go out and get what we needed. The Canadian grocery stores have most of the same brands as our stores but different flavors! So fun to try some of them….though I think I’ll skip the ketchup flavor Lays. Not sure if they are going for a French fry idea or what. Once we got what we needed we decided to move to the next lock for the night where it would hopefully be quieter.

Tuesday morning a few other boats arrived to go through the lock. The next section was very shallow, like 4ft in some spots, and very narrow. It was like going through Disney’s Jungle Cruise ride, only without the hippos and goofy puns lol.

At Balsam Lake we reached the peak of the canal and at lock 36 we started going back down. It was also a lift lock and going down you got a really cool view.

Along the way you also pass under a cool bridge called hole in the wall.

We got through lock 40 and parked on the wall at the bottom. Skia got to go swimming and we had lock-tails with our buddy boats

Wednesday we were ready to cross Lake Simcoe, the largest lake along the Trent. It was a little choppy but not bad. At one of the previous locks, the manager told us that the Big Chute, lock 44 would be closed today for maintenance, so we decided just to go to Sparrow Lake and find a good anchor spot. We found a nice little cove that was all tree lined, no houses. Went swimming and took the dingy around to check out the houses around the next cove. When we got back to the boat it started to rain, so we just hung out and relaxed.

This morning it was misty rain so we waited a bit before setting off. We got to lock 43. It is the tallest single lock at 47ft. We decided to wait to go through the Big Chute till Friday. That one is particularly unique 😉. We found another small cove to hang out in just past Severn Falls.

As we did when we moved to CO, we seem to have left the Roku remote behind again. (Next time we set off for somewhere, someone please remind us to take the damn thing!) Having got like 6 bars of Dr. Squach soap for Christmas, I swear we brought them but haven’t been able to locate them either. Well Don talked to his mom today and she found the remote and the soap in the camper. 🤦 Oh well, we will plan a day and a place for her to send them to us.

So that’s that. We are almost at the end of the canal only 2 locks left!