Stats for August 20, 2018

Origin:  Harbor Springs

Destination:  Charlevoix Marina

Distance:  18 miles

Speed:  8.4 mph

Time on the Move:  2 hours and 9 minutes

We headed to Charlevoix to take cover from some windy and wavy weather headed our way on Tuesday.  Actually, the next 10 days or so looked kind of iffy, so we knew we were going to have to play it day by day.  That is one of the biggest lessons I’ve had to adjust to while living on a boat so far:  not being in total control of WHEN we go somewhere or WHERE we go.  I’m a planner by nature, so it is hard for me to not have a set plan and know where I will be tomorrow and next week and next month.  When the weather is iffy we are checking weather apps every hour or two and constantly adjusting our “plan.”  We’ve heard Lake Michigan can be especially temperamental this time of year, when summer turns to fall, so we are practicing patience and learning to choose comfortable weather days for travel.

I have to say, if you have to get stuck somewhere for a few days, Charlevoix is a great place to be!  My cousin Kim has been trying to get Mike and I to Charlevoix for a few years, and now I can see why.  There were so many things going on around town–I’m mostly interested in cheap or free things to do that would interest kids, and I felt like I hit the jackpot!  First of all, there was a Rainbow Trout pond at the end of our dock that kept the kids entertained every time we got on or off the boat.  And those poor things, of course Toby couldn’t just WATCH or FEED them, he also had to try to TOUCH and CATCH them.  After we got tied up and checked in, we went walking around town and made notes about cute stores, fun restaurants, and even a movie theater close by to keep us busy.  Plus, the Steins and Wilsons were also taking cover from weather in Charlevoix, so that was an added bonus!

We were lucky enough to have several visitors come to Charlevoix.  On our first night, Bill Baughman and his wife, June, family friends of Kelly’s, came by.  They live about 20 minutes from the marina and wanted to welcome us to town, check out the boat, and hear about our trip so far.  It was great to catch up with them, but of course the kids were apparently needy for attention, so they were acting like animals.  That happens sometimes….and usually when we have company, lol.  Mike’s parents, Larry and Cheryl, came to visit another day.  We haven’t seen them since right before we left home in July, so it was great to see Grandma and Grandpa!  We chatted on the boat and then took the kids to the playground to burn off some energy before heading to dinner at Lake Charlevoix Brewing Company.  After watching the Beaver Island ferry come in, Grandma and Grandpa got ready to head home.  The kids were disappointed that they weren’t staying overnight, but I think we might be able to convince them to stay on the boat next time they come visit.  Mike also had a friend he plays soccer with at home, Phil, stop by and say hi.  Phil happened to be in the area and read we were, too, so he came looking for us.  Thank you so much to everyone who visited!  It is great to see familiar faces and share a little bit of our looper-lifestyle with you!!

From the moment we first tied up in Charlevoix I was amazed at how many Great Loop flags were in our marina (of course they are all smart and were hiding from the same weather we were, lol!).  I’m pretty sure there were 13 or so looper boats, so of course “docktails” was in order.  I think I went over this before when we had “rocktails,” but think *happy hour* on the dock or on rocks.  In this case, it was quite windy and blustery, so we moved it into the marina’s boater lounge.  It was great to visit with people from all over the country (even Australia!) all traveling the Great Loop.  We all come from slightly different backgrounds, have slightly different boats, and slightly different interests, but when it comes down to it, we all have the same interest in experiencing this amazing adventure.  It was hard to move past the first few people I met, because I wanted to hear more about their adventures and their successes and struggles, and likewise, they wanted to hear about ours.  I didn’t have time to get all the way around the room, but it sounds like docktails are a common occurance when loopers gather, so I’m already looking forward to the next one.

After docktails we wanted to walk out to the water to see if the waves were really as bad as they were forecasted to be.  Out in Lake Michigan by Charlevoix they were predicted to be 6 feet and further out in the lake they were expecting 9 footers.  As soon as we neared the river coming in to Charlevoix it was clear that there was some wicked weather.  We saw 3 foot waves coming down the channel which would be absolutely no fun to navigate while waiting for the bridge.  Watching the waves pound the shoreline, we were reminded of the amazing power of the water and how very small and insignificant we are in the grand scheme of things.  We were very thankful that we were tied up in the marina where we could barely feel any movement on the boat.  And we were also very thankful for a playground on the beach for the kids to burn off some of their energy.

 

One windy afternoon we went to see “Christopher Robin” at the movie theater with the Wilsons.  It is the story of Pooh Bear’s friend and how his life changes as he grows up.  It had a great INNTW theme,  and I may have even teared up several times thinking about the magic of childhood and how fleeting those precious years are.  It made me extremely happy that we are on this trip together as a family while our children still think we’re amazing and magical, as well (usually, at least).

Another morning (the days that we were there all run together) the kids developed quite an entrepreneurial spirit.  Hayley asked if she could go to the end of the dock to sell rocks (yes….rocks) and some other toys she is apparently ready to part with.  I wasn’t sure she was going to be very successful, but she was pretty determined, so I let her have a go at it.  About half an hour later, some nice ladies came by our boat from Hayley’s stand.  They wanted to hear about our boat adventure and they told Mike that Hayley said she was trying to earn some gas money.  I’m pretty sure that was just a joke, but I decided I better go sit a little closer, just in case she was telling tall tales.  The boys decided to come with me and try selling lemonade.  As soon as those red solo cups showed up at the table, the kids had a line-up waiting to get some lemonade.  It was so cute to see how they handled it all.  Toby was in charge of greeting people and asking if they would like some lemonade.  Colin was in charge of sharing details, collecting money, and pouring lemonade.  Hayley would then ask if they were interested in purchasing anything from her “Lemonade Shop” which really meant rocks and knick-knack toys.  I was very impressed by how outgoing they were and how well they did explaining our boat adventure.  They handed out some boat cards to people who were interested in following our adventure, and I got lots of kudos for undertaking this journey.  It always amazes me how supportive and encouraging everyone is about our adventure.  People always seem to ask about school right away, but they quickly agree that the experiences our kids are having are priceless.  Many people add that they wish they would have had the guts or foresight to take their own families on a trip like this when their kids were young.  Older people, especially, seem to think this out-of-the-box way of life with the whole family is amazing.  Unless….maybe everyone is just lying to us and you all actually think we’re crazy and horrible parents, lol.  I thought we would experience a few more challenging personalities along the way, but I appreciate everyone showing us your supportive side!!

 

One last big adventure was our walk to see the mushroom/hobbit houses.  There is a whole block right by the marina that was built or remodeled by Earl Young in the mid 1900’s.  He wanted the houses to look like they just popped right out of the ground, and I’d say he did a pretty good job.  They say he didn’t have formal plans drawn up for these houses, but instead he drew sketches in the dirt at the site.  I thought the houses were beautiful and mystical, but I’m not sure I’d want strangers walking by my house taking pictures all the time.

The rest of our time in Charlevoix was spent taking bike rides, eating ice cream, visiting the library (mostly to keep the kids busy while we used wifi), shopping at the farmer’s market, going to a concert in the park, and taking care of boat/life chores.  It was a great 4 days, but we were getting restless to move on, so as soon as the smallest weather window appeared, we took it.  Probably should have waited another day in hindsight, but more about that in the next blog.  Thanks for following along and reading about our adventures!!