Sept 27-30, 2008 Charlevoix, MI

We moved from Harbor Springs to Charlevoix a distance of 15 miles today. We cut our stay in Harbor Springs short as we have a weather report that predicts high winds and wave conditions for later this weekend. Our crossing to Charlevoix is in beautiful weather and perfect conditions.

Nearing Charlevoix. Large St Mary's Cement Company complex in background.

Charlevoix South Pier and Lighthouse.

Drawbridge at the entrance to Round Lake

We arrive in Charlevoix about 11 am and are docked at the Charlevoix City Marina right in town. Charlevoix is on Round Lake inside a protected area away from Lake Michigan. There are quite a few other boats here even though it is late in the season. The marina tells us that it is two nights for the price of one and then, beginning Oct 1st, it will be free.

Charlevoix City Marina

Large homes with very large boathouses in front.

Downtown Charlevoix

Ferryboat EMERALD ISLE goes 32 miles between Beaver Island and Charlevoix.

Chris Branch (Owen’s cousin) and Russ Otterbine live in Boyne City about ten miles away and come over to see us in Charlevoix for lunch. Great to see them again. They completed the “loop” last year and so we have a lot to talk about. They have given us a car to use while we are here. WOW! Fantastic! Florida is on national TV again and we watch the Florida Gators lose to Old Miss 31-30. We have dinner at their Bay Harbor Yacht Club. Weather is pretty all day.

Charlevoix has some unusual homes designed and built in the 1930's by a local resident, Earl Young. Really unique!

Two Earl Young homes visible from Round Lake. Click on photo to enlarge.

Earl Young home. Back of house is a glass wall.

Stone wall in front is also his design.

Freestyle roofs and few straight lines make his homes interesting. This home is known locally as "the mushroom house".

Unusual style

Small cottage home

Earl Young also did a few commercial buildings. Here is his largest and most famous, "The Weathervane" now Stafford's Restaurant, a local landmark overlooking the waterway at the drawbridge.

Mackinaw Sloop

A wooden sailboat is sailing in the harbor and we learn that it is a reproduction of a sailboat once built by the Mackinaw Indians for their own use. This "Mackinaw Sloop" was build by a local in four months and donated to the local Sea Scouts. It is a pretty sight sailing in the harbor. The boat is tied up almost next to us and we notice it has many round stones in the bottom of the boat for balast.

Chris Branch on her beautiful maroon and black Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

Chris Branch comes by on her Harley to check on us as we clean out the boat. She is dressed in her "leathers" for warmth. Looks like she is "born to ride" and has her sights set on Sturgis, South Dakota, in August 2009.

We are getting ready to put the boat away for this year. Sunday brings cooler weather (high 55) and grey skies. High temperature for Monday is to be 48. It is feeling like fall. We are expecting the leaves will change soon.

KOKOMO II at "Irish's" being hauled out for the winter.

Damaged stabilizer. Still worked fine but lost it's skin.

Both props are bent. We hit a granite ledge in the 30,000 Islands area of Canada. Rudders undamaged.

Being loaded on a large hydraulic trailer.

We will travel over the city streets to Bergman's Marine for our winter storage.

KOKOMO II joins several other boats in the Bergman's heated storage building. Building will be full of boats.

KOKOMO II stored away for the winter.

Charlevoix is where we will put KOKOMO II in heated storage at Bergman's Marine for the winter. We clean out the refrigerator and freezer and pack everything up for the trip home. We have travelled approximately 1500 miles this summer from Brewerton, New York beginning in mid May to Charlevoix, Michigan at the end of September. Our plan is to come back to the boat in late May or early June 2009 to resume our trip on the “Great Loop“.

Sept 26, Harbor Springs, MI

Today we go from Mackinac Island to Harbor Spring, Michigan a distance of 60 miles. We awaken with an air temperature in the 50's and find we are completely fogged in at Mackinac. The weather forcast for the day is for more of the same beautiful weather we have been having and the forecast is for winds of 5 mph or less. We are looking forward to a clam day. The ferries are unaffected by the fog and they are active this morning bringing workers and tourists to the island beginning at 8 am. The sun begins peeking through the fog for us about 9 am and by 9:30 the fog is thin enough for us to head out.

Mackinac Bridge

We go under the six mile long Mackinac Bridge and into Lake Michigan. Then continue to head west around an abandoned lighthouse and then south staying a mile or so offshore along the western coast of the Michigan peninsula. It is one of those rare days on the water with no wind and very calm water. Air temperatures are in the mid 70's by afternoon. We finally arrive in Harbor Springs about 4 pm so it is a long day. We have had one more day of beautiful Indian Summer weather.

Homes facing Little Traverse Bay as we approach Harbor Springs.

Little Traverse (Harbor Point) Light on the point at Harbor Springs.

Harbor Springs as we round the lighthouse and approach the town.

Pretty Church

Downtown Harbor Springs

Walstrom Marine has a large marina and upscale ships store.

Harbor Springs Marina is right at the foot of the town. Almost empty.

Our marina in Harbor Springs Marina is right down at the foot of the village and we walk the town and enjoy the rest of this beautiful day. We are wearing shorts for our afternoon of exploring the town.

Sept 24-25, Mackinac Island

The wind has died down to almost nothing overnight. Our marina in Cedarville has about 30 American flags flying and they were straight out most of the night but are now just luffing as we get underway. We think we have another day of good weather. We continue in the protected water of Les Cheneaux Islands and motor by the small town of Hessel. There are lots of places to explore and we look forward to returning and spending more time here next summer.

Boathouse on the waterway through Les Cheneaux Islands.

Compound

We see many nice homes. This must be a wealthy area.

A "fixer upper".

Hessel

We entered Lake Huron and found a moderate chop almost on the nose of the boat. The crossing from the Cheneaux Islands to Mackinac Island was about 10 miles and took just over an hour.

Approaching the harbor at Mackinac Island

Lighthouse at Mackinac Island Harbor entrance

Mackinac Harbor with Fort Mackinac on the bluff overlooking the harbor.

The docks at the marina are empty.

We arrived before noon and checked into the Mackinac Island Municipal Harbor which is located just below the historic Fort Mackinac and right in the middle of town. This marina is normally crowded but now we are one of only four boats here. We can feel fall in the air. We walk the main street and find the stores and restaurants are still open and most of the stores are having 50% off sales. The ferries are still coming and going, so the island is a busy place.

No cars on the island so horse drawn carriages wait for passengers

Linda checks out the menu. The crew on KOKOMO II travels well fed.

Mackinac Island has some very pretty homes and hotels. There are no cars allowed on the island so there are bikes everywhere and horse drawn carriages, too. More than a little touristy but still a nice place to visit.

Stone Church

Grand Hotel

Main entrance to Fort Mackinac

Arch Rock

This trail decends 140 feet.

Our second day on Mackinac Island was as nice as the first. 50 degrees overnight, warming to 70 by midday. Clear skies. No wind. We took a three mile walk from the marina downtown, up to the Grand Hotel (now $10 to enter) past the golf course and stables, around the back side of Fort Mackinac to Arch Rock and down the stairs (140 feet) to the bike path and back to the marina. Nice walk on a beautiful fall day and unusual for us to walk so far.

Ferries are active right in front of KOKOMO II

Fort Mackinac is up on the hill above the marina. We can hear the bugle play "taps" in the evening.