Where did the days go?

To our family and friends that have traveled with us it has been a pleasure sharing this experience. I may not have recorded the events and they would definitely meld into a memories if it was not for you guys. I also learned a little about blogs and tried the ideas out on you. There was a lot more to say about the experience and places but I hope it was not to short... or long. Please pardon the grammar, punctuation and whatever I forgot in english composition as I don't have a proof reader... but a good spell checker.


Sunday Sept 6th we departed Elk Rapids on calm waters and sad to see the closure of our trip so soon. Connie is ready for some dirt-dwelling but I could go on a while. I long to join our friends doing the Great Loop. http://greatlooptwo.bondwaresite.com/index.php

I just took off my swimsuit and have to make other selections appropriate for the occasion. Connie says "I feel like the boat is still rocking" but not sick... she was never sea sick during some heavy weather.

None of this stuff on our trip (discipline aboard tall ships in the past) kinda like water-boarding I guess!

"Motion torture included some or all of the following techniques. One, by tying a person by their ankle to the ship and dragging them through the water. Two, by tying a person to the figurehead at the bow during high winds where they are nearly drowned by surging water. Three, by tying a person under the crow's nest where they always have to keep themselves from crashing into the masts, the rigging, or back up into the crow's nest itself".



We were greeted by a flock of swans as we arrived at Northport Bay Boatyard and loaded the boat. It was a much larger project than I recalled reversing the process but about 2 hours of work got us on the road.



It has been 21 days out and I can only say this has been one of the busiest times of my life. It was restful at times but more realistically it was engaging. I mean that you were constantly seeing something new and meeting someone new. Old chores like laundry, shopping and transportation to and from destinations was by foot or bike. I actually lost a couple of pounds and Connie is "not sure".

We have decided to continue feeding the fruit flies as they won't leave the boat as we ready for travel back to Flint. They prefer the red wine to white and don't seem to mind bug sprays?



Of course the cost of the trip extends beyond the water. We fill the truck and I measure the mileage. All the steep terrain in the Northwestern part of Michigan drops the mileage to 8MPG!


Back... this photo looks about like the one 21 days ago with Lindsay behind the lens and me in the photo with Connie and of course her very much missed cat.


Before we part I will add a few details of our trip:

21 days out
To and from Northport by truck 550/8 mpg
Boat miles about 675/about 3 mpg (not bad for a boat) $471... this is 90 octane/avg $3.40
Boat travel days 9/about 75 miles per day average
Weather days we could not travel 6
Layover days for fun and recovery 5
Marina costs $540 Michigan has some of the BEST facilities in the states and likely the world!
Our favorite marina... hard to choose but leaning towards Elk Rapids
Blog... well I am slow but I probably spent 1-2 hrs per day writing and adding photos
WIFI at marinas sometimes good but Verizon BBcard usually better even on Beaver Island

Would we do it again... YOU BET! Will we do it again... let's hope so. The North Channel or Erie Canal is on the list. Our ambition to join Kurt and Kristen in the Bahamas as they too have an MC30 and were an inspiration to us on their recent trip. http://mc30deuce.blogspot.com/

Thank you Lindsay Jo, our daughter, for holding down the fort and keeping the cat alive for your mother... Mr Pete is a chore we know.

Thank you Sig and LuAnn for the company and adventure on the Lelenau Peninsula... we have great memories and wine now.

Now, mail to sort, hedges to trim, boat and dinghy to clean out... this list is LONG! I hope I still have a job so I can rest up for a while... that will be starting 0600 tomorrow.

No weather to check as it has dictated our schedule. http://www.weather.gov/forecasts/wfo/sectors/apxMarineWeek.php?expandweek=ON#tabs This marine "graphical forecast" is great for planning. Scroll over the days and times to see the "predicted" wind and wave conditions. It is a computer generated model and I have found it to be very useful.

The buoy data is for now only interesting not critical information http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=45002


Thanks for traveling with us,

Tom & Connie Jo
Cat's Away/Flint, MI
Next destination...WORK!

Made in USA... what is with that?

Just riding the bike early this am I discovered something in the road! Why it was one of those curb gutter grates made down the road in E Jordan... it is nice to see something that says "made in USA" although I don't think we export this heavy cast iron anywhere. Oh, we are going to do wind and export energy!




Unlike Oscoda, our home port, the sun rises over the land not Lake Huron... you know the "sunrise side" of Michigan.


Connie is making some great pancakes and we will use some real maple syrup ... thanks Vanie!




Later,

TR

Made it to Elk Rapids

Wow! What a great day to cruise on upper Lake Michigan from Petoskey to Elk rapids, about 55 miles on the GPS. Apart from some early morning fog just out of Petoskey and a 2 ft chop around Charlevoix the seas were calm and the sun was shinning.


There is so much to see and do in these ports that it is impossible to accomplish much in the day or two that we are not moving. We hit it right... appa-teasers at the City Grill and drinks 1/2 price on weekdays. The Calamari and sampler platter was a meal in itself.

We are very glad we toted the bikes and rode a small portion of the extensive bike trails from Harbor springs to Charlvoix, they have over 20 miles of very improved paths. There are scenic overlooks, picnic areas and the portion we rode was on the shoreline. Gotta do this in the fall to appreciate the seasons change. We figure that we have used the bikes for groceries, West Marine supplies and touring to the extent of 30 miles so far. They have been easy to stow but do not add any sense of order to the decks and the handle bars are in almost all photos from the bridge of the boat.



Just before entering the Elk Rapids Harbor I did some snorkeling. The water was 20 feet deep but the bottom was easily visible. The water was almost aqua blue and the photos are straight from the camera without any filters to change the light refraction. Like being in the Caribbean but fresh water and 66 degrees!





http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=elk+rapids,+mi&sourceid=navclient-ff&rlz=1B3GGGL_enUS259US259&um=1&ie=UTF-8&split=0&gl=us&ei=xRugSv_dEc6w8QbDwfTzDw&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=title&resnum=1

Thanks for traveling with us,

Tom & Connie
Cat's Away/Elk Rapids, MI
Next destination Northport (tomorrow)

Petoskey, MI

We made it today about 1400hrs... we are off to see the sights and "power shop" !

http://www.petoskey.com/

Tom & Connie Jo
Cat's Away/Petoskey, MI
Next destination Elk Rapids, MI

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=elk+rapids,+mi&sourceid=navclient-ff&rlz=1B3GGGL_enUS259US259&um=1&ie=UTF-8&split=0&gl=us&ei=xRugSv_dEc6w8QbDwfTzDw&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=title&resnum=1

What now Connie... Swans?

Well that Cormy is a "fir piece" behind us. But Connie has now taken to swans and feeding them around the dinghy here in East Jordan, MI.



I apologize for the focus but I am usually out and about with my camera in the evenings as the light is fading. Sometimes I wish I had taken the tripod as I can't hold my breath long enough to compose and expose the photos.

We have strayed fom the plan and traveled down Lake Charlevoix to East Jordan on the East arm of Lake Charlevoix where they have some industry left in Michigan! We have left the trendy stores and restaurants of the vacationers for the spot where people still produce something like iron products.





The plant is huffing an puffing tonight as I write this entry into the blog and I fully exect that they have a graveyard shift. No matter as the boat is pretty quiet and despite being downwind I have not noticed soot on the deck yet. My recall of Cleveland, my home town, were that things in the steel manufacturing downwind areas were quite dirty and rusted.


I do not pretend to know this community but from appearances it is a place where families fish together on the local pier for perch or whatever bites.



You can go into the small town and order the "burger basket" with slaw and fries for five bucks and a draft beer for $1.25... a big change from the tourist areas we have visited.

The examples of what folks can do with money only astonishes us! A boat house for four vessels we are told with 17 bathrooms!




Just some photos from yesterday evening... you fill in the captions... life as I see it through the lens.





Thanks for traveling with us,

Tom & Connie Jo
Cat's Away/East Jordon, MI
Next destination Petoskey, MI

Cormy is gone... Connie is sad.

Ah ha... we are finally rid of that critter! No sign in the sky but be prepared for another visit from him.

We are in Leland, MI for two days enjoying the Fish town and local sites.




This photo inserted especially for Randy S... the fishing must be great in these waters.



There are many Loopers here preparing for the trip south, through Chicago and on to Mobile, AL on their way to the Florida Keys. We WILL follow this migration in the future.

Thanks for traveling with us,

Tom & Connie
Cat's Away/Leland, MI

Leaving Arcadia Tomorrow

As promised I will introduce you to "Cormy" the KING of the dinghy. He defies my protests with complacency and continues to be on Connie's good side! She takes sides with him until I mention cleaning out the dinghy.


Another unexpected adventure with our friends Sig and LuAnn from Arcadia.



We explored another set of vineyards and sampled the grapes from the LeeLanau Peninsula of Michigan. For what I know and observed from Connie's expressions the grapes and cherry wines are great... how they compare to others of left coast we are not expert. On this subject just satisfied customers. We now have ballast!




We will be leaving from Arcadia in the AM saying good by to our friends with a promise to return soon. The point on the photo is being dredged and we hope to have fair passage beyond the dredge in the early hours. Another much larger vessel ran aground in the piping while entering the harbor during a storm. The dredge boom or some portion of it was partially submerged and fowled props, bent shafts and still has the vessel in slings.



"Red sky at night is a sailor's delight" let's hope it is true. Only 10 miles up the shoreline to Frankfort, MI tomorrow.

Thanks for traveling with us,

Tom & Connie (Cormy too)
All this fun on a MotorCat30 MC 30 friends http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MC30/
Cat's Away/Arcadia, MI

Lake Michigan IS Windy

I will try to pick up where we left off the other day but a lot of new things have come our way despite not traveling much. I was under the weather for 3 days with an ear infection and it really puts me down. I said to Connie one night while at anchor"you are in charge" and she was but a little nervous... anyway I am back in the game and feeling fit.





The Sleeping Bear Dunes are about 450 feet above the lake at a point where we noticed many people climbing the dunes. We anchored in the lee of the dune and took the dinghy to shore for a closer look and an attempt for the summit. Well I've had a cardiac stress and it was no way as difficult as climbing only a few hundred yards. The dunes are very steep and the easiest is towards the bottom (where I started) as the incline in not quite as steep from the accumulation of sluffing sand. Needless to say I decided the view was OK from about 1/3 the distance.







BTW, We saw several kids that were up AND down in the time it took us to visit!

We arrived in Arcadia, MI secure at Veterans Marina and glad we have friends to share some time with. Some years ago a close friend , with leukemia, became terminal and our mutual friend from Arcadia provided us with some time together at his beautiful lake shore home. We enjoyed the late summer with Lyle and I have great memories of his friendship from this location.

Well wouldn't you know it! As we walked into the only resturant in town there was my long lost friend from Flint... I thought he had moved as I had transpoed the last two digits of his phone number. Well we had the pizza and a few with plans to spend more time together during our weather lay-up in Arcadia.

Jerry (Sig) brought a car for out use during the lay-up, toured a winery outlet, visited local artist and had a great meal with them in their beautiful home... it is great to have friends in unexpected places! They cooked a salmon fillet we brought along (thanks Andy & Erich) acquired while on their trip to Alaska last month rafting on the Tetashini River.




We spent a quiet and restful evening with our friends ashore . Sig had his secret fish chowder recipe prepared for us from Lake Michigan stock and it was great! Boy, salmon from the West and East in one eve.


Sorry for the long post, we are trying to keep oru family and friends along with us so to say.

As for the small things (bugs)... we bombed yesterday and have not noticed a large body count. As they say "what dosen't kill you makes you stroger" we will see what today brings. Our local friends say it is from the fruit trees and plentiful harvest. The orchards left a large portion of the harvest to rot as the market could not absorb the excess fruit. What a shame we have to destroy or abandon mother's nature's bounty to preserve the prices that support the farmers... or is it the resellers we are protecting? Enough of my rantings for today.

To add to the bugs we now have the friendliest Comoran I have ever seen. I can't bet him to vacate the dinghy for more than a few hours. He scared the C... out of me last night in the dark as we returned to the boat with all his flapping.

Photo missing of this menace to come.

Thanks for coming along with us,

Tom & Connie
Cat's Away/Arcadia, MI
Very windy and cool but sunny today

Small things matter a LOT on a small boat

We don't know where the small bugs are from but the locals in Traverse City and Northport say they are Fruit Flies. They are everywhere and Connie is about beside herself driving me a little buggy. They seem to have hatches and blossom every few hours, it is more of an aesthetic problem... they don't bite or sting so what's the big deal Connie?





Well we departed Traverse City, what a great town, then traveled to North Manitou Island where we were greeted by the National Park Service members that were interested in our trip and boat. There was a very fowl odor from the harbor and I mentioned that it was not our holding tank... it was rotting matted vegetative matter.

Both invasive mussels are prodigious algae feeders, which produce clearer lake water and spur the growth of Cladophora, a lake plant that grows quickly, dies, washes to shore and rots on the shoreline.

Anchored in the harbor of South Manitou Island for the nigh. It was our first "on the hook" night of the trip. We had East winds of 5 MPH and quite calm conditions but it was a little difficult sleeping soundly... it is not like tied to a dock with resources available.

There is a lot to write about living as a0 couple on a small boat but you can imagine the adjustments for folks living separate lives with work, kids and our usual circle of friends. Is is going quite well and we both look forward to the next week aboard Cat's Away

Thanks for coming along.

Tom & Connie
Cat's Away/ Arcadia. MI

Weather has improved...but

We have been waiting for the weather window to allow us to proceed to Leland and the Manitou Islands off the west shore of Lake Michigan as promised by the weatherman it was today.

Well, we departed Northport, MI this AM early and headed into a head sea for the Grand Traverse Bay outlet into Lake Michigan.We were again greeted by BIG WAVES! I had the window open just enjoying the fresh breeze and the ability to see over the spray on the windshield... I for some unknown reason closed it just before taking a large wave over the bow and into the windshield. Boy, I would have been looking for a snorkel had it been open. Enough said so we turned tail and ran with the following 3-5 seas to Traverse City. It took about 2 hours to retreat and a comfortable ride as agreed by Connie. Our choices were to return to Northport, Sutton's Bay or the new port of Traverse City.

Lot to do here and the temptations abound for our stomachs and wallets. Traverse city has transformed itself since we were here 15 years ago and is very tourist friendly community with shops and eateries on Front Street extending to the South Mall area. It reminds us of our home stomping grounds, on Lake Huron, the Tawases but on a much larger scale on a larger scale.

We had a lack of good information and picked up a copy of the 2009 Waterway Guide that the local West Marine store had overnight-ed from another store for us. It was 3 miles on bike to the store and Connie was once again convinced that I did not know where I was going... I showed her my sense of direction was about usual. A little "recalculating" as the missing GPS does when we are off course got us there. We even stopped at the Great Wolf Lodge for a brew on the way back, we have been to the Wisconsin Lodge with family a few years ago... ditto!

We are at the South end of the Grand Traverse Bay in the Duncan Clinch Marina which was remade per the harbor master just a few years ago for 10 million dollars and it is 1st class all the way! You want it it has it, laundry, grills, access to the city and of course fuel and ice at a fair price.

We are on floating docks tonight with a little motion and as you can tell the dock and boat are not moving in sync despite the camera being placed on a piling to steady it.


Thanks for traveling with us,

Tom & Connie
Cat's Away/ in Traverse City, MI as of 8/26/09

All is well with the crew of Cat's Away.

Sorry for not getting to posting for a couple of days but this is a vacation. Photos will not upload with our current connection... more to follow when a better speed is available.

Tom & Connie

Cat's Away/ now in Northport, MI

http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0XnknSyJz8QGm2DJuFkhncrUl9ndT3q85

Sometimes "same" is OK

Well the weather has been the same for 3 days, strong gusty winds, rain and little sunshine however today the forecast will change and it may be good for travel tomorrow. All new arrivals (by boat) were very glad to be in a protected bay for the night.

We rented an auto and traveled the length of the Beaver Island taking in the sights... the largest birch tree in Michigan and "big rock".





The mosquitoes are very glad to see us despite the rain as we walked along a trail . I think they live under the ferns and like Connie's red jacket... she believes this.



There is a well preserved light house on the south end of the island open to the top.




At the very southern point where the water was clam, in the lee of a small bay, we saw 11 white swans feeding in the shallows... these guys are big but far from the camera lens.




Thanks for coming along,

Tom & Connie

Cat's Away/Beaver Island, MI
Phone still works 810 287 8397