Stats for Thursday, August 30, 2018

Origin:  Traverse City

Destination:  Beaver Island

Distance:  69.2 miles (our longest trip so far, I think!!)

Speed:  9 mph

Time on the Move:  7 hours and 39 minutes

 

Thursday morning was sunny and calm, just as we expected, so we were up and at em and out of there early.  Heading out of the marina, Toby was crying that he didn’t get to go fishing and Mike said that he actually did wish they got to fish again.  So-we stopped and dropped the anchor so they could give it a go.  We had a great weather window all day and we aren’t on any type of strict schedule for this exact reason.  Mike and Toby loaded up and set out to try fishing for an hour or so.  Mike said it wasn’t very productive and that Toby kept busy by “casting” the tow line on the dinghy.  Oh well.  At least they got to try.  Hayley and I enjoyed some quiet moments on the sundeck while Colin read somewhere.  It was also my school friends’ first day back for meetings, etc, so I sent them some INNTW vibes and they sent me some great pictures back.  It was a funny feeling to know they were all back to reality and I was floating around on a boat just relaxing.

We planned to head to Northport, about a 2 hour hop from Traverse City.  However, we were kind of bummed about missing Beaver Island earlier in the month, and the weather was perfect to head that way.  It was a much longer trip than we were planning on, but we were set with food and fuel, so there was no reason we couldn’t go.  We saw it as a now or never opportunity and we decided to take it.  Again, every day is different and we are setting our route and schedule as we go.  So, to Beaver Island we went…  INNTW!!

The ride was calm and beautiful.  We got in plenty of relaxing and play along the way.

 

We dropped anchor about 6:30 that evening and loaded up in the dinghy right away.  After being on the boat all day, the sight of a playground on the beach across the bay was calling our names!

The next day we headed to shore early with plans to rent a car to explore the island.  It is 56 square miles and there are sights to see everywhere, so it wasn’t really feasible to ride bikes.  Plus, it would have been a pain to get bikes off the boat and into the dinghy, so renting a car was an easy choice.  We loaded up on sandwiches and donuts at Dalwhinnie’s Bakery and were on our way.  We stopped by Protar’s house and tomb.  He was a medicine man that helped the people of the island and took no money for his assistance.  The people looked at him as a saint.  We stopped by a big birch tree and a big rock.

 

On the way we passed by some “art” in the woods.

The first beach we came to had a little river that the kids enjoyed trying to build a dam across.  They also worked hard to float some boats (logs) down the river.  Mike and I enjoyed the quiet time to relax in the sand.  We haven’t had many “beach days,” and while the day started off windy and wavy, it was calming down into a beautiful afternoon.  The view of Lake Michigan was spectacular.

After a while at that beach we decided to move on (though the construction crew was NOT happy about it!).  There was a lighthouse not far down the road.  We climbed the beautiful wrought-iron staircase to the top for a great view.  The kids enjoyed the view and the climb, but they were disappointed that there weren’t many artifacts for us to check out.  Reading the history of these old lighthouses is fascinating and the grounds were beautiful.

At the second beach we had to cross a foot bridge and walk on a little trail to get to the beach.  That added a fun sense of adventure, and we obviously didn’t have any idea what kind of a beach we were in for.  When the trail opened up, we were surprised to see a beautiful sandy beach with aquamarine water all to ourselves!!  The boys took off looking for snakes to catch.  We swam and went on a beach walk here.  Again, the view was beautiful, and we were so thankful to enjoy some beach time.

 

On our way back up towards the harbor we passed by the state campground (which had a great view and a water pump that we were desperate to put to work),  Martin Point (a high overlook with a great view over the water), and tons of turkeys and deer.  The turkeys and deer were everywhere!!  Other than the swimming deer at Lime Island, these were the only deer (and large wildlife) we have seen.  We stopped at Daddy Franks (Frank Daddy’s?) for ice cream and then headed back to return our rental car.  We had a beautiful sunset dinghy ride back to the boat.

 

That night was forecasted to be quite windy and wavy, but luckily it didn’t end up to be too bad.  We had a good anchorage where we were hidden from 6 foot waves on the lake and we handled the wind like a champ.  The next day was supposed to be rainy and overcast, so we headed to shore to explore some museums and sights within walking distance.  We only got sprinkled on once, so it was a great day for a walking tour.  We started off at the Marine Museum with lots of local history related to the lumber industry, boating, and life on the island.  It was fascinating to read through an original Captain’s logbook from 1931 and look through accounts of local sailors throughout the years.  Plus, they had a great matching game for the kids where they matched old fashioned boating tools to their name which kept the kids busy for quite some time.

After the Marine Museum we passed by this huge rudder and boat remnants on the side of the road.  On Navionics (one of our trusted navigation apps) it says there is a shipwreck “always above ground” marked near this area.  It made me laugh thinking that this is the shipwreck that mark refers to.  The night before we were circling near this area in the harbor looking for an actual shipwreck in the water.  All we had to do was head to land to find it…?!

 

We went to the Toy Museum next where there were tons of antique toys and memorabilia filling a house to the brim (think hoarder style).  It was kind of stinky and overwhelming, but the kids liked looking through all the toys and trinkets for sale.  Colin ended up with a whoopie cushion and a ring that makes it look like he has a construction nail through his finger.  Hayley got a stuffed penguin.  Toby chose a plastic knife where the blade goes into the handle, like a magic trick.  Saying ‘yes’ to a knife might not have been a stellar parenting choice by us, but it fits his wild-man mohawk just fine.  Since that day, we have decided the knife stays on the boat, as Toby looks quite fierce wielding a knife around town.  (In case you’re wondering, I ended up with some post cards and a “Marooned and Happy on Beaver Island” bumper sticker and Mike chose some atomic fireballs.)

Next up on our tour was ice cream, of course!  I was getting hangry and ice cream is everywhere, so why not?  Then we headed to the History Museum.  Did you know that there was once a self-proclaimed Mormon king on Beaver Island with 2,600 followers?  In 1856 he was shot by some of his followers and his people were run off of the island by people from other local islands.  An American king?!  It is a very bizarre story, and we were eating it up.  The History Museum is actually in the only building from that era still standing.  James Strang, the King, had his own newspaper (controlling propaganda probably helps one gain power) and the museum is in the old print shop.  There are lots of other artifacts from long ago in the museum and also plenty from the Irish who swarmed Beaver Island after the Mormons left.  There is even an original jail on site.  Creepy and cool–Hayley is our history buff and she was in her glory!

After being overloaded with history and toys we headed back to the boat.  We were ready to sit and process everything we’d learned that day.  We felt like we had a great mix of fun and exploring on the first day and the history of the area on the second day.  Our weather window to head back to the lower peninsula didn’t look quite as perfect as it did when we headed to Beaver, so Mike and I went to bed with the alarm set and fingers crossed that the day would actually be calm enough for us to move on.  Thanks so much to Ellen Faurot and others that chimed in and gave us tips on what to do and see in Beaver!!