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Month: September 2018

3 Nights in Grand Haven

3 Nights in Grand Haven

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Stats for Friday, September 14, 2018

Origin:  Muskegon Lake Anchorage

Destination:  Grand Haven Wall

Distance:  16.6 miles

Speed:  8.6 mph

Time on the Move:  1 hour and 56 minutes

 

We woke up bright and early on Friday ready to head to Grand Haven and get a spot on their wall for Salmon Festival weekend, but Mother Nature had other plans.

The top picture is our view at sunset the night before. The bottom picture is our view when we woke up in the morning.

She apparently planned on fogging us in for a while.  We couldn’t see a thing, so we waited it out.  The kids played more Ruff Ruffman, Mike did some chores, and I did some of whatever moms on boats do.  Which probably means I checked the weather 10 times, fed everyone breakfast, cleaned up breakfast, and then begged them to brush their teeth.

A Ruff Ruffman challenge to make hats.
Cleaning windows! Having company is a good push for getting the chores done!!
A little reading and relaxing underway.

We were a little worried about our plans to just hang out on Grand Haven’s wall for the weekend since we got a later start than anticipated.  The wall is first come, first served, and it goes right along the channel, past a great downtown area, and next to the municipal marina, but it only costs $10 a night to tie up there.  In comparison, we usually pay between $70-100 a night in a marina, so the wall was a great deal, though it didn’t have power or water, so we had to rely on our generator and invertor for power and the luxuries of boating.  We called ahead and heard that there were already boats on the wall, but there was still plenty of space, so that put our minds at ease.  Sure enough, after a beautiful trip, we got there and had plenty of room to choose our spot (about which we had no idea, of course, because we’ve never been there, but I digress…).

 

We went exploring shortly after getting tied up.  Amphitheater stage, ice cream, splash pad, and cool t-shirt shops:  check, check, check, check.  We walked into a place called “Barefoot Dave’s” and sure enough, Dave was barefoot!!  He has an awesome t-shirt shop and has found a great way to make a living working for himself.  I shared our INNTW adventure with him while the kids scurried around and picked up all the loose change he had on the floor around the store (no lie–these kids are crazy!) and he seemed to relate to the free spirit of it all.  Of course, we also had to buy a hat and a shirt because he had some awesome stuff.  I visited with my friend Rachael for a bit, as she brought her sweet baby over for another visit.  Mike picked up some free tickets he won on Facebook to the Salmon Festival’s salmon and wine tasting event (gotta love a freebie!) and we had ice cream for dinner (surprise, surprise!).  We got back to the boat just in time to greet my friend Courtney from back home in St Clair Shores, MI who was coming to visit us for the weekend.  Courtney teaches at my school and was willing to drive 3 hours after work on a Friday just to hang out with us.  She really loves Grand Haven, so she was excited about that, but I like to think she was super excited to see all of us after missing us for 2 months, too.  Courtney even brought pizza because she is awesome.  We watched the lighted musical fountain that was right across the channel from us and enjoyed catching up on equal parts of beginning of the school year excitement and looper life.  We even got to see a freighter come right down the channel, which I did not actually know they did in Grand Haven.  It was very huge and needed to turn at just the right spot in order to not hit our boat.  Of course, it maneuvered just fine, but it sure seemed like a tight fit.  Then, just as we were all heading to bed, the boat in front of us decided it was a great time to start jamming some techno music at midnight.  The air conditioning was on, so it wasn’t too super loud, just not a good choice of bedtime tunes, in my opinion.  We fell asleep just fine, but then we were rocked awake at 3:30 am by a pretty big boat going down the NO WAKE channel ON PLANE (that means pretty fast and throwing a big wake (wave) for you non-boaters).  Luckily, our boat was tied up good and we have some giant fenders to keep us away from the wall, but it was still quite unsettling to be woken up like that in the middle of the night.  Mike went outside to check on the boat and he said just about every boat seemed to be up and assessing the situation.  Usually boaters are so kind and courteous, but there’s always that one guy….

If you’re a South River friend, you’ll have to tell Mr. Kozak that Colin found his gyro shop in Grand Haven!
Here is the amphitheater. We could not walk by without kids going up on stage, so we have lots of pictures and silly videos like this!!
Boats behind us parked all along the wall. We loved this big grassy area the kids could play in!
Bubble fun!
Weirdos
More cleaning and picking up before company arrives!

Amazing view of the fountain, just across the channel from the boat.
Here’s the freighter after it passed us by.

The next day was a prime example of go-go-go all day with non-stop adventuring that we have gotten used to on the loop.  We started off dividing and conquering, sending Mike and Toby off to the grocery store and the bank (thankful for Courtney’s car!) while the rest of us went to the farmer’s market.  Then our friend Brett Addis and his daughters Kaitlyn and Lila came to check out our boat and experience the kid zone at Salmon Fest.  Bretto and I have been friends since before he was actually born, and his girls are similar ages to our kids, so it was fun to see them and spend some time together.  The kids tried fishing in the trout pond, but I guess those fish were not very hungry because none of the kids actually caught one.

Toby loves riding on Sandy!
Waiting to fish!

Lots of fish, but no one wanted lunch.

They got to meet Smokey the Bear, have a glitter explosion at the craft table, paint some rocks, and watch some turtles crawl around.  Soon we were ready to move on to the weigh-in for the fishing tournament.  The kids were in awe of some of the big fish that were caught.  I made a mental note not to go swimming anywhere, ever again, because those were some huge fish!  Next up was “browsing” (as Hayley likes to call it) through the art fair which basically means the adults followed the kids around and reminded them not to touch anything.  We ran into my friend Emily Wood and her husband, Tom, and their kiddos while we were wandering around.  Emily and Tom used to teach in the same district as me but recently moved back to the west side of the state where they are from.  Emily even had stickers and tattoos for the kids, as she has been following us on Facebook and knows all about our travels and limited space onboard.  Ever the amazing kindergarten teacher!!  We wish we could have chatted longer with them but it was HOT in the blazing sun and we were getting HANGRY.

You know by now how exciting this was for Toby and how difficult it was for him to not reach down and pick them all up.

Toby told me he knows Smokey the bear is a “real bear” because he felt his fur. Hmmmm….
Toby had the best seat in the house. The workers were taking samples of parts of the fish to learn more about them. The kids were just as interested in watching them get cut up as they were to see how big they were.

Little creature lover!

 

Brett and Courtney insisted that we walk down to the Pronto Pup stand and try some corn dogs which are apparently a Grand Haven staple.  We waited in a long line and the reports were that they were pretty good.  However, I ate leftover cold pizza on the walk there because there is no way I would ever eat a hot dog, so I can’t give a personal review.  After this late lunch of Pronto Pups, we sent Bretto and girls on their way to the beach while the Herbons and Courtney went to the tasting part of the Salmon Festival.  We enjoyed lots of free samples of salmon entrees, beer, wine, cider, donuts, and popcorn.  The salmon was eh but the beverages were delish.  Again, I’m not a big salmon person, but Mike loved it (I settled for a turkey sandwich later).

All these people couldn’t wait to get their Pronto Pups!!
Yum Yum!!
We were constantly AMAZED by the number of boats heading up and down the channel!! All day!!
Enjoying the tasting!
Tickle fest on the way back to the boat.
Impromptu episode of Ruff Ruffman at the amphitheater.

Speaking of later, wasn’t this a loooong day?!  We’re not even done yet!!  The kids set up a lemonade stand right next to our boat where they made more per hour than I made teaching, so that was fun and entertaining and profitable!  They even had a gaggle of kids dressed up for homecoming stop by!  Then, shortly before the musical fountain, another of my roommates from Western Michigan University, Nikki Bedore, her husband, Kelly, and son, Charlie, came to see the boat and catch up.  I think I average seeing Nikki about 1 time a year, but it is always fun to see her and catch up on mom life and what’s new in our ever-changing roles.  There is just something refreshing about people you’ve known for a long time, who have seen you through lots of life stages, that makes them feel like home and that’s Nikki (and so many others who have visited!).  I was so glad she stopped by for a visit.  After the kids were in bed and Nikki and Kelly took Charlie home, we were just getting ready for bed when another boat started jamming out some classic rock.  We enjoyed it for a while and then it put us all right to sleep.  Much better bedtime music selection than the techno.

They kept singing “Lemonade and cookies for a dollar!”
The kids thought this was the coolest!!
Captain Colin watching the fountain.

 

On Sunday we decided to get ice cream and head to the beach.  The ice cream was yummy.  The beach was hot and packed, but the water was so cold that it almost hurt to walk in (I think it was 58* that day!).  We did the usual dig holes and get all sandy, but there were some new activities on this beach day, too.  Some of us walked out on the pier which led to great boat watching, and one of us found a way to watch football on our phone from the beach.  All in all it was a great day and by 4:00 we were so thankful Courtney agreed to pack all of our sandy stuff and kids into her car for a ride back to the boat.  She quick dropped us off and headed for home.  We were sad to see her go, but we’re hopeful we’ll see her again in a few months!  It was so hot and we were exhausted.  Showers, pizza delivery (amazing choice!), and a movie set us right up for bedtime!  We had the kind of fun, jam-packed weekend with lots of friends (and met lots of new ones, too) that you just need a day or two to recover from.

Sand angels!
Apparently being sandy is fun!
Big brothers are so fun…

Courtney saying “bye for now” to the INNTW kids!
This was an amazing idea! Pizza delivery right to the boat!
It was so hot and sunny on the boat, we actually ate in the shade of the boat. Great people and boat watching!

 

Two things stick out to me about our time in Grand Haven.  First, we were amazed by the massive number of boats that were out and about enjoying a last beautiful weekend of hot summer weather (at one point, Colin counted 33 that passed us in a 20 second time period!).  It reminded us of boating at home on Lake St Clair with boats of all kinds going by constantly, but we haven’t seen many (any?) other places quite this busy since we left Harrison Township.  The different types of boats was also interesting to me–dinghies to pontoon boats, cabin cruisers to yachts–we saw everything!  Seeing all those boats was really fun!

We saw this Navetta pass by us every single day and it was so cool looking! If you know who owns this boat, tell them I’m buying when they sell! 😉  Ha!
A constant boat parade!

 

The other fascinating thing about Grand Haven was all of the love we felt there.  Obviously we had lots of visitors, which was amazing, but we also met lots of new friends who were interested in our journey.  People walking down the sidewalk would stop and ask us about our trip.  Boats honked and waved as they went by, then later emailed to tell us they had heard about our trip and were excited to see us on the wall.  Parents of friends slowed down and waved as they passed by us on their own boat.  A former school administrator gave me multiple fist bumps after hearing about the experiences we’re providing for our kids.  It was just so cool to feel supported and encouraged by so many of you, and we totally get it.  We know a trip like this isn’t for everyone.  And we know a trip like this is the dream of a lifetime for many of you.  We get it.  We feel the same way.  I think Mike and I wake up in awe of our situation pretty much every day.  Believe me, it’s not all perfect weekends filled with friends and beach days, but it is awesome to wake up each day knowing we have control of what we do today.  All day.  And we can be all together.  It’s amazing how one small idea can grow with enough determination.  So whatever you crave and wish for, whatever you really want out of life, find a way to work it into your life more often.  Be brave and take the risk.  You are telling us how amazing it is, and you can do it, too.  Being able to share it with our kids is just the icing on the cake!

Thanks for following along on our adventures!!  More to come soon!!

 

1 Night in Muskegon

1 Night in Muskegon

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Stats for September 13, 2018

Origin:  Pentwater Anchorage

Destination:  Muskegon Lake Anchorage

Distance:  44 miles

Speed:  8.8 mph

Time on the Move:  4 hours and 59 minutes

Leaving Pentwater

We had a extra day before we had to be in Grand Haven, so we decided to enjoy a beautiful, smooth, sunny ride to Muskegon and explore a new place.  One of our goals on this trip is to see many different places, so off we went!!  During the ride, we checked boat school off the list, passed the Silver Lake sand dunes (which looked awesome for dune buggy rides–someday!!), and had our first on-board surgery.  Toby had a sliver from a pricker bush for a few days that we were hoping would just work it’s way out, but unfortunately, it started getting infected.  So, Dr. Mom and Nurse Hayley to the rescue!  A sucker for the patient and one big YELL, and the sliver was out, but look at how huge that thing is?!  Good news is that he is healing up just fine!!

Captain is in good spirits
Sand dunes
Procrastinating from getting boat school done with a game of solitaire.

 

Some PEZ always makes determining odds and evens easier!!

 

He was not a happy camper when that pricker came out!

 

Sometimes it’s rough being 4 1/2.

 

Playing Egyptian War with Daddy.

When we got to Muskegon there were a tug and a barge coming out the channel at the same time we were so that got the kids up on deck for some excitement.

 

 

My friend Rachael told us about a submarine right in the channel that you can tour, so I scored an awesome last minute Groupon and we headed there right after anchoring.

(I should note–I had a brain fart while anchoring and nearly ran us aground.  Mike was on the bow getting ready to drop the anchor when suddenly the depths jumped up much faster than we were anticipating and I totally forgot how to put the boat into reverse.  We had 8 feet under our keel…4 feet…2 feet…Mike kept saying “reverse!  reverse!!” and I just couldn’t remember how to do that with all that pressure.  I actually put both engines in forward for a quick second on accident and I thought Mike might just kick me off the loop right then.  Luckily, instead he stomped up to the flybridge and did it himself…and just in the nick of time!!)

SOOOOO….anyway, about that submarine.  It was just a short dinghy ride away and had an amazing World War II museum as well–it was definitely worth the stop!!  We spent most of our time in the museum, as Hayley wanted me to read her every last description and then retell her what it said in my own words.  It was the first time we got into some details of the war and there was so much to see (and read), we almost didn’t have time to go in the sub before they closed.  Ironically, all but one of my pictures are from the sub and not the museum.

We passed right by the submarine on our way down the channel.

Toby at the helm of a submarine.
Walking on deck of the USS Silversides was a little creepy. I think Hayley thought we might dive down at any second and I was looking out for big spiders…

 

Not much space in that bunk room! There weren’t even enough beds for all of the men on board, so some of them had their quarters assigned to them for only certain hours of the day and they would rotate.  How would you like to snuggle up next to that torpedo??!
The kids were interested in the hatches that separate the different rooms.

 

We were warned by several signs not to touch buttons or levers because many of the systems onboard are still functioning. That’s probably why the boys have their hands visible in the control room! No one wanted to fire that baby up on accident.
In the mess hall the cupboards were covered with records of the ships the Silversides sunk during each patrol. Notice at the bottom of the first cupboard, there was one man killed in action on the boat. There was a plaque on deck to mark the spot where he was killed by gunfire just 10 days after the submarine first left for active duty.

 

Toby in the engine room. It was LOUD in there! We heard a recording of how loud just one engine is, and the Silversides has 6!

We thoroughly enjoyed this stop!

 

After the museum, the boys headed for more fun on sand dunes while Hayley and I enjoyed some quiet time on the boat.

 

After dinner the kids made up their own version of a tv show they have been watching on PBS Kids lately.  “Fetch!! With Ruff Ruffman” has a game show style with an animated dog for a host named Ruff.  The show is based around history and science topics, so I love that aspect of it.  Colin came up with this idea to be Ruff Ruffman and give Hayley and Toby challenges so they could earn points, just like the kids on the show.  He even called them names of contestants on the actual show.  It was hard to get used to hearing him talk to “Julia” and “Kalil,” but we loved the creativity and they played so nicely together for about a whole hour or so before it was time to go to bed.  This homemade entertainment made for a relaxing night for mom and dad!!

Apparently dress up was involved in this skit?! I don’t know….I was reading on the peaceful sundeck!!

Thank you for following along and being so patient as I just keep having more and more fun instead of blogging in real time!!  We hope you’re getting inspired to start your own adventure, big or small!!

2 Nights in Pentwater

2 Nights in Pentwater

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Stats for September 11, 2018

Origin:  Ludington Marina

Destination:  Pentwater Anchorage

Distance:  14.6 miles

Speed:  8.8 mph

Time on the Move:  1 hour and 39 minutes

 

 

We left Ludington and headed just a short hop south to beautiful Pentwater.  It wasn’t a long trip, and the waves were forecasted to be small, so we took our time leaving the marina.  That really means Kelly decided to take advantage of having a marina to shower in right before we were leaving, so the kids took advantage of the extra time to play with the Wilson girls.  Our friends returned back to their boat in Ludington the night before, so the kids were all anxious to see each other that morning before we left.  It was great to see them and catch up after being on different schedules for a week or so.  By the time we left the small 1 foot waves were coming right at our beam which means they were hitting right on the side of our boat.  That made for uncomfortable rocking side to side the whole way to Pentwater.  Mike tried tacking (aiming into the waves for a while and then turning 90* back so they are behind you for a while) so that the rocking wasn’t quite so bad, but we still felt bleh by the time we reached our destination.

Thanks to Wendy for getting this picture as we left the harbor!
The black line was our recommended route, but the yellow line is actually where we went, hoping to make the ride a bit more comfortable.
The boys played games to stay distracted and pass the time.
Hayley felt yucky so she tried to take a nap on the flybridge.

 

Shortly after we arrived in Pentwater and dropped the anchor, we got ready to go exploring in town.  We tied up to the dinghy dock and headed towards an awesome bookstore we had heard about.  (Actually we headed away from the bookstore for a while because my map app had the wrong location so we took a side trip, but we eventually got there!)  The Wilsons met us at Storybook Village and the kids had SO MUCH FUN exploring, playing, and browsing through all the goodies.  If you are ever in Pentwater and need a unique gift for a child, this is your place!

The short dinghy ride was much calmer than our rocky ride in to Pentwater. All smiles now!!

These walls are painted to match a book they sell in the store. and they obviously help get the kids’ imaginations flowing!

The owner is a former teacher/administrator and puts a lot of time and effort into making this a very special store. It was nice to talk to her and she was very interested in our adventure!

 

I think we need this book. And if you don’t have it yet, Aunt Sherry, you need it, too!!

We ended our evening with dinner out with the Wilsons, and then we said goodbye to them for a few months.  Their schedule has them moving a bit faster than us in the coming months, but we should catch up again in Florida –which sounds like a long time from now!!  We will miss them in the meantime, but thank goodness for social media!

The next day was a bright, sunny day, so after some chores and school work in the morning, we headed out to take the kids tubing and go to the beach.  Look at that empty beach!  It is definitely obvious that school is in session and most of you people are at work.  We don’t mind hanging out at the beach on our own until you can come back again to play, but it sure is quieter.

The kids loved reaching over to touch the no wake bouys.

Thank you so much for reading about our stop in Pentwater!  On to new adventures!

 

4 Nights in Ludington

4 Nights in Ludington

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Stats for Friday, September 7th

Origin:  Frankfort Anchorage

Destination:  Ludington-Harbor View Marina

Distance:  50.7 miles

Speed:  9.4 mph

Time on the Move:  5 hours and 23 minutes

 

We left Frankfort nice and early knowing we had a bit of a ride to get to our next stop.  Setting the alarm is quite a commitment to get moving early!  Plus, we knew Mike would have about half an hour of cutting weeds off of the anchor before we could actually get moving.  And whew!  We were right!  Lots of weeds in Betsie Lake!

First Mate at the helm!
It was a beautiful morning for boating!
INNTW enjoying a smooth, sunny day on the water!
Hayley wrote a blog post about her Top 10 Favorites so far during the ride…jammies and all!  Check it out on our “From the Kids” page!
Mike worked on re-wiring some of our electronics to put them on different circuits. We’ve had a problem with the breaker tripping underway, so we’re hoping the problem is now solved. It is always something on the boat!! And just look at all those helpers!

 

We arrived in Ludington just in time for me to finish making lunch while Mike unloaded the bikes off the boat.  It should have been a simple task, but you know how that goes.  We all heard a big commotion at the side of the boat, and I rushed out to see what was going on.  It turns out that as Mike was setting Toby’s bike trailer onto the dock it bumped Colin’s bike which, in turn, sent Colin’s bike into the water.  Mike was about 2 feet too far away to reach it as it bumped and turned just the right (wrong?) ways to fit into that tight space you see in between the boat and the dock.  Colin’s bike sunk fast and we weren’t sure we had anything long enough to reach it.  The depth in marinas is usually pretty significant to allow bigger boats to come into the slips, and sure enough, we tried all those hooks and nets you see next to Mike and we didn’t have anything long enough to reach the bike.  Mike went right up to the office to see if they would have anything longer, and they gave him the long yellow pole you see him holding in this first picture.  The pole gets to be 18′ long and Mike had to extend his whole arm down in order to feel the bike.  After we had this longer pole, it only took some ratchet straps and about 5 minutes of trying to get the bike out.  Crisis averted!  I knew Mike would get the bike out, I just didn’t know how long the ordeal would take.

Colin never actually seemed too worried about his bike being down 18′ in the water, but he sure was relieved when Mike pulled it back up! I think Mike was pretty relieved, too!

After lunch we attempted to swim in the pool, but it was a bit chilly.  Somehow we all ended up in the hot tub instead!!

Grandma and Grandpa Herbon were coming to visit, so we didn’t swim for long.  Instead we visited, checked out the playground, and then checked out brewery #1 of the stay.  Never a dull moment around here!!

We saw this cool mural and the boys wanted to be a part of it–they’re catching birds supposedly.

We were treated to an amazing sunset after dinner.  Hayley was so excited to spend the night with Grandma and Grandpa in their hotel room so we packed her up and sent her off, put the boys to bed, and then enjoyed our view of the Badger ferry from our sundeck.

 

The Badger is a car and passenger ferry that goes between Ludington, MI and Manitowac, WI daily.  The Badger is well known because it is the last remaining coal burning steamship on the Great Lakes (see all that smoke coming from the smokestack?).  It was interesting to watch it dock, as well, because it drops it’s anchor first, swings 180* around it, and backs into the dock.  The dock was literally behind our boat so we had a great view!

Toby enjoying Mom’s coffee (really it’s just fancy hot chocolate!).

We had breakfast at House of Flavors the next day where the kids actually got ice cream with their breakfast.  A place after my own heart, obviously!!

They also have these cool benches and EVERYONE just had to have their pictures taken on one…

Toby hid a rock on his bench, so that is what he is proudly showing off!

Next up we walked to a playground on the beach to burn off the extra ice cream energy.  We left that playground to head back to the playground from the day before.  These kids live the life, I tell ya!

After some errands and more visiting with Grandma and Grandpa, we said goodbye for today, until we see them again–hopefully soon!

Kelly’s college roommate, Rachael, her husband, Ryan, and their 3 kids were headed over to meet up with the INNTW crew next.  The kids loved showing off their bedrooms and toys on the boat, and soon there was a toy explosion and boys were building with legos while the girls were playing with whatever they could find in Hayley’s room.  It is so fun to see how these kids play so easily together and have so much fun, even though we only see each other once or twice a year.  After the toy explosion and some more playground time, we walked through the boat and camper show on our way to brewery #2 of the stop.  We love how the kids can keep each other entertained at dinner (mostly) so the adults can catch up (mostly).  Thanks so much for the visit, Rachael & Ryan!!

Checking out an RV at the camper show. Would we rather have an RV than a boat?! Nah…
Lots of laughs (and crumbs on the floor) with this crew!
Ludington Bay Brewery was super yummy! If you take enough pictures of a big group, one of them is bound to be pretty good!!
These girlies had so much fun together!
Don’t forget sweet baby, Fallon! Colin and Hayley loved trying to make her smile!

The next day (whatever day that was…) we packed up a picnic lunch to take with us on a bike ride to Ludington State Park.  We hoped to make it to some more sand dunes, but there wasn’t much of a bike lane through the park, so we stopped to enjoy the beach and the view at the first spot we could which turned out to be fantastic until the flies from hell arrived.  Those buggers were biting and they were everywhere.  But we had a great time until they showed up!

Enjoying a sandy pb & j with his fly friends…

 

We appreciated a visit from Kelly’s cousin, Mike, who lives in Ludington.  He stopped by the boat, but when we weren’t there, he came right out to the beach to visit there instead!  That is some service!  Thanks for making the effort to visit, Mike!!

After playing in all that sand, we had to rinse some of it off and the pool seemed like a logical way!  It was still pretty chilly, but we had some daredevils today…for about 2 minutes, at least!

 

Monday morning we had some routine maintenance scheduled at the boat, so I left Mike behind with this guy to take care of changing oil, oil filters, and whatever else needs to happen down there.  The kids and I went to the clubhouse for boat school and goofing off.  Of course, we snuck in laundry and another playground stop, also!

We looked out the window of the clubhouse to see this big freighter coming down the channel, so we quick ran out there to get a closer look. It was the Mississagi and she parked right behind where the Badger parks.
We made a detour to the playground on the way back to the clubhouse…and a skate park!

The floor of the boat was still all open at lunch time, so we took one for the team and headed back to House of Flavors for ice cream for lunch!!

We rounded out our Ludington stay with another view of the Badger as it comes in to port, cheering the Lions on in Monday night football, and another playground stop.

Coming down the channel.

 

Dropping anchor
Spinning around to back into dock. The back of the ferry is already open with the first trucks to drive off visible in the back.

Toby pulls his weight doing dishes.
Hopeful about a new, fresh season for the Lions. Our hopes were dashed.  Will the Lions flag fly again…that is the question.
Mike’s set up for Monday night football. Not too shabby.

After 4 days, we plan to move on in the morning for more great adventures!!  Thank you so much for following along!

 

 

 

 

4 Nights in Frankfort

4 Nights in Frankfort

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Stats for Monday, September 3rd

Origin:  Leland Marina

Destination:  Sleeping Bear Dunes to play, then onto Frankfort Anchorage

Distance:  40.7 miles

Speed:  8.7 mph

Time on the Move:  4 hours and 41 minutes

 

Exploring Sleeping Bear in the dinghy.

We had a perfect chance today to move on from Leland, stop by Sleeping Bear Dunes for some exploring, and then drop anchor in Frankfort before dark.  This means we will skip the Manitou Islands, but the weather isn’t giving us a nice stretch of calm to enjoy them, so I guess we’ll settle for Sleeping Bear and move on.

The battery bank…

Before we left, Mike had to take a quick look in the engine room for something or other.  This basically means he pulls our whole salon (living room) floor apart and we have to all stay put while he does something very important (not always an easy feat with 3 kids who are SO CURIOUS about what goes on down there!).  This trip to the engine room seemed especially important because he needed to wear safety glasses and rubber gloves and he also needed special water.  Of course we couldn’t find the “easy to get to” rubber gloves, so I also had to pull the whole storage shower apart to get to my “cleaning” rubber gloves which aren’t easy to get to because I never actually wear them for cleaning (or maybe because I rarely clean…?).  Anyway, he tells me he topped off the water on our battery bank.  Very important!  After the floor was put back together, we were all set to head out on the first leg of the day’s journey.

We were excited to see sand dunes in the distance!
Hayley and I wrote out some post cards.
Toby chillaxed.
Colin read.  He’s working his way through the Harry Potter series currently.  He started them around the beginning of August and he’s now about halfway done with book #5.  He’s a maniac.
Mike drove.

With a whole shoreline of dunes, it was hard to know where to stop.  We ended up stopping just north of the actual dune climb and we had the place mostly to ourselves except for a half dozen or so people that walked by while we were there.

We anchored right next to the dunes and dinghied over to shore.  The water looks calm but the boat was pretty rolly just sitting there, and not very comfortable to hang out on, though the view was beautiful.  The dunes might not look that steep, but that is an optical illusion.  They were steep.  Toby kept asking if they were going to be “tall-tall, like up to Heaven and into space.”  He was disappointed when he saw them from the boat, but he was thoroughly entertained while climbing them!

It was a tad tricky to get in the dinghy because of the rolling swells, but eventually we all made it!
You can see some fog over the dunes in the background.

As soon as we beached the dinghy, the kids hopped off and started right up, life jackets and all!  They made it look pretty easy to just run right up that bad boy, but let me tell ya…it was pretty steep!  Toby got about halfway up this part and just started crying because he was scared he was going to fall.  Colin rescued him and took him down a slide he made to get down to the bottom.  After a few hours here, you will sure have sand EVERYWHERE!!  Especially if you are 7!

INNTW!
South Manitou in the distance.
Climbing up right next to the kids. We’re guessing it was about a 45* angle. Which is a mathy way of saying STEEP!  Luckily it rained a bit the night before and I think that was in our favor.
Taking a break about halfway up, which was actually the top for me.
The water was a beautiful teal color, but it wasn’t actually clear at all.  I think the waves stirred up the sand, making it cloudy but beautiful to look at.
See Colin about halfway down on his slide?!
Toby looks like he’s smiling, but I’m pretty sure he was actually clinging for dear life.

Hayley, Toby, and Mike made it to the tippy top. Then they realized there were actually just more and more dunes behind the first one.
The water was a perfect way to cool off and rinse off.

 

Knowing we still had about half of our trip to go, we left the dunes around 4.  We had a very fun, exhausting afternoon climbing them, but we were ready for a break.  The kids can’t wait to climb another dune!!  We enjoyed a calm trip to Frankfort along more sand dunes.  As we got closer, we saw an influx of fishing boats.

Chess and checkers have gotten to be quite popular among the INNTW crew. Thanks to this magnetic board, we can play underway!!
Point Betsie Lighthouse

As we pulled in to Lake Betsie in Frankfort we were overwhelmed with the amount of fishing boats EVERYWHERE!!  And then we noticed that the salmon were actually jumping out of the water all around us.  Mike didn’t wait more than a minute or two after dropping the anchor to get a line in the water.  He and Colin took the rest of us to the playground and then dinghied around the lake trying their luck.  Eventually, it started to rain, and Mike said he hoped one of them would just jump in the boat.  They were really jumping that much!

Sure enough, that night the boat next to us heard quite a commotion in the middle of the night.  They wondered if someone was trying to steal their dinghy, but they soon realized a 40″ salmon had jumped right into their dinghy and was flopping around.  Quite a wake up call!!  Mike was jealous that they actually had a salmon jump right into their boat, but unfortunately, they threw it back in.  They said it would have been way too difficult and messy to clean that surprise guest in the middle of the night on their boat.  This story gave Mike hope that maybe one would jump in our boat and he would get his chance.

The next morning was the first official day back to school for so many of our friends, and it was a weird, bittersweet feeling for all of us.  To celebrate our first official day of boat school, we started off the day by sleeping in.  Then, we cuddled with TV and coffee.  It was amazing.  I was curious about how the first day was playing out at my school back in St Clair Shores, but I got plenty of texts and updates from my girls in the trenches throughout the day.  The kids seemed semi-oblivious to the fact that their friends were all heading back that day, but we talked about it a bit and looked at lots of “1st Day” pics!!  I think we’ll be over that nostalgic feeling about missing school real quick!!

Not having to rush around on the first day=priceless!!
We wrote some more post cards and of course used the extra stickers on the sheet of stamps as goatees.

Colin read.

We watched some TV, wrote some post cards, and read some books before we decided it was time to get off the boat and explore Frankfort.  Our kids had their first day of school pics on the playground, on scooters, and on the beach.  Doesn’t get much better than that, no matter what grade you’re going into!!

 

We rounded out the first day with lunch out, more playground time, exploring the town, a little more playground time, and then a trip to the grocery store before heading back to the boat.  After a long day of gym class, we wound down with some “Sid the Science Kid” to round out our subjects for the day.  I could get used to this!  (Or, I already am, depending on how you look at it!)

It was quite wavy on the lake, and we enjoyed watching the few boats that went by. We were sure glad to not be out in the waves!!

Grocery shopping by scooter and dinghy requires some impulse control. Should have taken pics on the way to the dinghy, but our hands were full of shopping bags (as were the scooter handlebars!).
No day is complete unless we find something to make our pet. However, Tobs easily understood this small snapper would not be a good choice, so maybe we’re making progress.
Only the essentials!! Gotta have my pops!!

The next day we woke up to a rainy, windy day.  We were fairly protected being anchored in the lake, but it was a bit rough at times throughout the day.  Check out those waves hitting the breakwall!  Yikes!!

The waves eventually made our good luck chicken want to toss his cookies.
The boys practiced some good ol fashioned arm wrestling.  At first Colin thought you were supposed to lay your arm backward instead of using your muscles to push it forward, so Toby smoked him a few times!  It’s funny what they don’t know sometimes!!
Hayley is learning to type on Typing Jungle. She is doing great! Gotta love learning in your robe on the sundeck. Life is good.
A rainy walk to Stormcloud Brewing.

We spent part of the rainy morning playing cards on the sundeck.  All of a sudden I noticed a giant bird swoop down right behind our boat to grab a fish.  I was amazed at how big his talons were, and then I noticed his legs were white–it was a bald eagle right behind our boat!!  Everyone was so excited to see it, but it just grabbed a fish and flew away.  We did see him come back our way, but he was too high to see easily.  Now, everytime a big bird is flying overhead, Toby is sure it is an eagle.

The next day we took advantage of beautiful sunshine and cool fall temps to hang out at the beach.  What a perfect way to spend a not so nice on the water kind of day!!

We pretty much had the beach to ourselves!
This kid is either reading, digging a hole, or making a dam. Always…
Tug of war with a long root they found.
Toby and Daddy play frisbee. <3

 

 

Thanks for following along on our adventure!!  We hope we will encourage you to start your own adventures–big or small!  Do it now!

1 Night in Leland

1 Night in Leland

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Stats for Sunday, September 2, 2018–It’s our anniversary!!

Origin:  Beaver Island Anchorage

Destination:  Leland Marina

Distance:  52.4 miles

Speed:  9.4 mph

Time on the Move:  5 hours and 34 minutes

 

We woke up on Sunday a little unsure of what our move was going to be.  We were ready to move on from Beaver Island, but the perfect weather window didn’t look quite so perfect anymore and we had about 22 miles of unprotected waters to travel through with waves coming out of the southwest.  Ultimately we decided to try it knowing we could turn around if it got too rough and we weren’t comfortable.  The bummer was that we would have already gone about 10 miles (over an hour!) before we were out of the protection of Beaver Island, so turning back at that point would be disappointing, but if it had to be done, it was an option.  We were also dealing with fog.  It was hard to tell exactly what the visibility was in reality because the sky kind of blended in with the water or maybe it was fog…with nothing to “look at” it was hard to tell.  Our apps said we had 1 mile visibility.

Can’t see fog in this picture, but it gives you an idea of the overcast sky and ominous water.

The beginning of our trip was a little eerie, just anticipating what was to come.  Also, the kids were all still sleeping which was a little eerie, though we enjoyed the quiet.  The fog didn’t turn out to be a problem, but we had the radar going just in case it surprised us.  After we cleared the protection of Beaver Island, the waves did pick up significantly.  It was right on the edge of doable, but I did not want to deal with much more.  When it got pretty bouncy, I tried to distract the kids (and myself) with a game of Uno that ended up lasting about 2 hours.  We played on the floor so that the card piles wouldn’t slide all of the tables and onto the floor (instead they just slid all over the floor).  Mike sped up a bit so we wouldn’t get tossed around by the waves quite so much, and before we knew it we were out of them.  It was not a bad ride all in all, though the wind was building by the time we got to Leland.  We got tied up in the marina at just the right time.  It was a bit windy and we were a bit exhausted from an early morning and a long trip.

A freighter on the horizon with North Manitou in the background.
Lots of time for games underway!
The sky cleared, the sun came out, and we started to see some sand dunes!

Leland is dubbed “Fishtown” because it is centered around a fishing community.  The downtown shops and restaurants all occupy old fishing shanties right along the docks of the Leland River which are quite rustic looking.  Some of these huts still sell fresh and smoked fish (which Mike loved), but others sell ice cream, candy, sandwiches, and all kinds of cute Leland wear.  The marina and the village were PACKED.  I realize it was Sunday of Labor Day weekend, which is a pretty big tourist day in resort towns, but it was so busy I could barely turn around in some of the places we went.  There were lots of backpackers waiting for ferries over to the Manitou Islands, charter fishing boats unloading, and millions (okay, hundreds) of people milling around.  What a fun place!  After the kids were allowed to pick out candy at the candy store they instantly loved Leland, too.

There is a dam that blocks the river and creates a little waterfall right at the edge of the docks.
These signs were everywhere and they cracked us up. “Smoke fish not tobacco”

We topped off the afternoon with wine tasting and grocery shopping before we headed back to the boat for a taco dinner.  We had a great view from the sun deck of the dunes to the south and other fishing boats and pleasure craft returning to port.  We also met some loopers that just left their home port of Elk Rapids that day for day #1 on the loop.  They were so excited to come across us, their first loopers!!  Boaters are such a great community of like-minded people who are interested to hear about your story and help you out, and loopers are just the same.  It was great to meet these guys and hear about their plans.  Also, it was nice to meet fresher loopers than us!!  That was a first!

Candy store goodies
We tossed in some coins and made some wishes…
Today was our 11th wedding anniversary and hanging out in Leland was a great way to spend the day with our crew. I knew my life would be filled with fun and adventure with Mike as a partner, but I never could have imagined anything like this!! <3
Looking over Fishtown from the bridge over the dam.
What a character! Love her!

We probably could have stayed in Leland another day, easily, but we had good weather to  head south the next day, and we were hoping to hit Sleeping Bear Dunes.  So  one night in Leland it was.  Leland goes on the list of places I would definitely return to one day!!  Thanks for following along and reading about our adventures!!

Sunset over North Manitou Island from the marina.
3 Nights at Beaver Island

3 Nights at Beaver Island

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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.

So proud!

Hayley and I just relaxing, feeling happy we’re here in Grand Traverse Bay and not sitting through school staff meetings.

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.

Kelly blogged while Hayley crafted.
Thanks to Hayley we now have crowns!
The boys practiced some magic tricks. One of Toby’s tricks is that he put on 3 extra shirts…might need some more work in the magic department.
The captain got to put his feet up and relax a bit while the autopilot drove.
Somehow we always squeeze in movie time underway. Mike and I enjoy the quiet time on the flybridge.
Creative kid!
No regrets on making that beautiful trip!

 

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!

Working hard for their dinner…snapping beans.
Mike snuck in 2 fantasy football drafts in 2 days.

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.

A good donut stop if you like frogs and mud…
Protar’s house…Mike liked examining the construction of it all.
250 year old birch tree
250 year old rock and there’s our sweet Subaru!

 

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

After not being in a car for about 6 weeks, the ride was part of the adventure. I think the fastest Mike went was 22 mph, which felt like speeding compared to the trawler speeds we’re used to!
Tree covered in shoes–“Found Soles”
Tree covered in underwear–“Under Where?”
Tree covered in bras–“Still Developing”

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.

Hayley walking along the beach next to some sort of metal debris. It was burried pretty good and had some pulleys all over it. Not quite sure if it is a remnant from a mill/dock/shipwreck or what??
Hayley playing in the waves and Toby jumping waves. So carefree. <3
The river where the kids played most of the time.
The dam under construction.

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.

It was a steep 46′ to the top!!

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.

Finally the beach! Tobin and Colin are already ahead, exploring!

 

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.

Walking the beach at the state campground. It is a rustic campground, but there are some sites right on Lake Michigan–might be one to remember for future adventures.

Just because we always have to do a funny face!!
Turkeys
Toby is thrilled. He wants to catch and keep every single living creature he ever finds. He always asks us if they can be his “pet” which usually leads to tears. But, if we don’t reinforce the “letting go” of the creatures, they will soon be loved to death by him….
The motto at our ice cream stop suits us perfectly!!

 

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.

Hayley cheered on some runners in a “big” race while daddy pumped gas in the rental car.
More creative kid time…
Scooter brigade
You’ll notice Toby still has half of that band-aid stuck to his head…boys…
The kids explored this old ship at the Marine Museum.

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!

Unfortunately I didn’t take any pictures of the actual building, but I did get this sign.
The kids are stuck in jail. See Toby with the knife?! That’s probably why they’re in jail.

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!!

We passed by the Beaver Island radio station and the dj was kind enough to give the kids a little tour. Cool!
After touring Northern Michigan for a few weeks now, I’m pretty sure I know what all these symbols on the totem pole stand for.
This is how we roll…
The working lighthouse by St James Harbor. This buddy shined a red light at us every night and helped to orient me in the harbor all 39749873 times I woke up at night.
We loved watching the Emerald Isle (Beaver Island Ferry) come in to the Harbor several times.

 

 

 

 

 

4 Nights in Traverse City

4 Nights in Traverse City

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Stats for Sunday, August 26, 2018

Origin:  Sutton’s Bay Anchorage

Destination:  Traverse City Marina

Distance:  19.4 miles

Speed:  8.1 mph

Time on the Move:  2 hours and 23 minutes

Grand Traverse Bay upon arrival
Cool-kid Toby just lounging…  (Hayley and I are writing–boat school!)

We enjoyed a great trip to Traverse City with sunshine and calm waters.  Whew!  I told Mike I was anxious for a beach day, so when we were all tied up, that’s exactly what we did.  We were quite the site with beach gear, skim board, and three scooters all piling off the boat.  Again, we always joke about all the bikes, kayaks, lilypad, etc on the boat–we’ve got all the toys, but we sure use them!  Unfortunately, the sun went away shortly after we got set up at the beach, but that didn’t slow the kids down, so we adults didn’t let it get to us either.

Colin is ALWAYS digging a hole!
Mike loves his cooler with speakers. Thanks DTE!!
The kids got a kick out of this sailboat–the lower peninsula of Michigan is part of a paw print.

The next day was a rainy, blustery one, so we stayed tucked in.  Thank you to Grandma and Grandpa Herbon for all of the string (I think from a past Christmas gift?!)–we had our first big day of making friendship bracelets on board.  We youtubed some quick tutorials for the fancy versions, and I did the good ol fashion knot style from back in the 80’s.  This kept us busy for a couple of hours, and now we all look like we have lots of friends.  We also did a bunch of laundry, watched a bunch of Daniel Tiger, and watched a bunch of rain fall.

 

In the afternoon, the skies cleared up and Mike unloaded the bikes so we could go on our own self-guided brewery tour.  We checked out North Peak, The Workshop, and Mackinaw Brewing.  It was a nice mix of relaxing and adventuring for everyone.  We ended the night with a dinghy ride around the bay with a quick stop to meet the nice folks anchored by the beach that were also by us in Sutton’s Bay.  It is great to meet other boaters and hear their stories, and it is especially fun when you cross paths with them again and again.  Kind of like neighbors if you live in a house.

North Peak (You might notice one of my stellar parenting techniques is to bribe the kids with chips so they won’t want to order food at the restaurant…)
Taking advantage of wifi to update the kindles…we must have looked like we are technology obsessed, lol!  I call this everyone occupied and happy–parents with beer and kids with kindles.  Toby doesn’t look thrilled because his is charging… 
The Workshop Brewing co.
We ordered pizza and soup here–half off pizza night!! Yum!
The kids are practicing their hand at their ring toss/hook game. Also another stellar parenting technique.
Last stop on the tour–Mackinaw Brewing Company
The water in the bay was calm so we went for a spin before bed.

Monday night brought in a wicked wind/rain storm around 1:30 am (so actually Tuesday morning).  Mike and I both jumped out of bed and watched it blow through the marina.  A big sudden wind is quite interesting in a marina because all the boats are moving and bouncing and it’s hard to tell if they are moving and bouncing more than they really should be.  We saw some flashlights out on other boats as people went out to tighten lines and make sure all was secure–Mike thought about popping out to check ours, but decided they were just fine (and they were–great to be prepared!!).  It was a little unnerving heading back to bed, but great to know we were in a marina and not floating around on anchor.

The next day we set out to bike the TART trail from Traverse City to Sutton’s Bay.  We didn’t quite make it all the way, but we did go about 17 miles by bike.  Toby was in the bike trailer behind Mike, but Colin and Hayley were self-propelled and they did great (they were probably less sore than I was the next day)!!  We saw a little bit of everything along the way, including 3 wineries where we stopped for tastings.  We loved exploring, and it was a great activity, but somehow it seemed uphill the WHOLE WAY.  Literally.  Hayley and I walked our bikes a few times.  We also saw some debris from the storm the night before and several areas we passed through were without power.  We planned it right and took the Bike and Ride bus back, arriving back at the boat about an hour before another stormy night.  Mike snuck in a quick bike ride to the grocery store to pick up a few things (see–I told you he’s amazing!!), we had dinner, and snuggled in for some classic Disney Peter Pan before bed.  The second night of storms was not near as rough for us and it also occurred while we were still awake, which always helps.

We appreciated this nice trail for riding!!
Tasting wild grapes along the trail. We also gathered a fine assortment of pears and apples that no one really wants to eat.
Hayley practicing her pull ups at a stop along the way. This girl rocks!!
We passed several downed trees and lots of branches along the trail.
We found some cool goats.
Walking our bikes….some of those hills are STEEP!!
Dancing with your daughter in a winery….INNTW?!
Toby contemplating the view–gorgeous!! (And eating more chips…)

Beautiful view of Grand Traverse Bay on a very steep downhill. (The only downhill of the whole day!)
Waiting for the bust stop. Hayley was DONE with our biking fun by this point, so thank goodness Mike’s plan to catch the bus home worked out!  And the boys are doing what boys do…
Happy to have made it on the bus!! Toby’s first time on a school bus!
We realized while we were waiting for the bus that we actually didn’t have any cash, so we were worried they wouldn’t let us on.  That is probably why Hayley is crying in this picture.  And again–she was DONE biking!

 

Our last day in TC was a lazy one–Mike and Hayley checked out the farmer’s market.  Hayley and I walked to the Post Office (twice) to send off my passport for renewal (Bahamas, here we come!!).  We did some boat chores.  The kids enjoyed having PBS kid TV for the morning shows, played legos forever, and practiced magic tricks.  Eventually I was going stir crazy, so I rounded everyone up to walk out to the break wall with me.  The kids found a playground that kept them busy for an hour and Mike and I enjoyed watching the sailboats (all of a sudden—dozens of them!) on Grand Traverse Bay.

Mike investigated our stuffing boxes and packing putty. This is where the prop shaft rotates and the floor above this area was all wet after our bumpy ride the other day. Not quite sure why, but I’m sure we’ll be fixing something related to this in a future post.
Mike fixed our hot water heater! Yay!
The kids played legos for.ev.er.
Haircut time for the captain. When you’re the barber, you get to cut your own hair!!
Hayley and I did some browsing, which to her means she begs to buy everything. This is hard when you live on a boat and are trying not to buy frivolous stuff but is another good life lesson. Call it boat school, I guess.
The kids played with this thing for a long time at the playground–it was like a hamster wheel.
Great day for sailing!

 

The next day, Thursday, was forecasted to be a perfect travel day, so we went to bed knowing we’d be up and at em early.  Excuse the millions of pictures, but after 4 days, there was a lot to share!!  Thanks for reading about all of our fun in Traverse City!!

 

2 Days in Sutton’s Bay

2 Days in Sutton’s Bay

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Stats for a very wavy trip on August 24, 2018

Origin:  Charlevoix Marina

Destination:  Sutton’s Bay Anchorage

Distance:  32.8 miles

Speed:  9.4 mph

Time on the Move:  3 hours and 30 minutes

INNTW at anchor in Sutton’s Bay

So we thought we would perhaps have a slight weather window on Friday morning to head out of Charlevoix.  Mike got up early and went for a long bike ride.  He checked out the lake which was apparently very calm, and he texted me and said we should plan to go.  We weren’t really *prepared* to rush out, so we had breakfast, took showers, and went to the grocery store quick.  In those 2 hours the wind had picked up a little, but the forecasted waves were 1-2 feet coming at our bow.  When the waves come right at us, our ride is much more manageable and comfortable than when they’re coming at our sides (beam).  I expressed my concerns that I wasn’t sure it was a good idea to go.  Mike said he was done in Charlevoix.  I walked to the river and saw flat water on the lake, so I texted him and said he won, we could go.  The friends untying us and helping us out of our slip didn’t seem too sure about our decision, but we knew we could always turn around.

The ride started off okay, just more choppy than anything.  However, as we cleared the protection of land, the waves were building and it became quite uncomfortable.  That is boater code for REALLY WAVY and ROCKY and OMG I CAN’T LOOK OUT THE WINDOW.  I put a movie on for the kids, so thank goodness they were distracted.  Except for that moment when they came to tell me the fridge opened and everything was falling out of it, I didn’t hear from them for an hour or so.  That was probably the same hour I was staring out the back window because the waves looked too big out the front window.  Mike says they were 3 footers, but I think they were more like 4 with the occasional 5.  I’m pretty sure I took flight, like actually flew, once while walking in the galley–there was just no floor and I was airborne.  Also, I almost flipped over in the loveseat on the sundeck just sitting there, trying not to throw up.  The bell rang about a dozen times–for real this time.  I told Mike he owed me big time for this one (his recollection is that I had “angry words for him.”)  At that point, he said we were halfway and turning around would be silly.  I agreed–even the act of turning around seemed impossible.  Then, just when I thought we were crazy, we passed a trawler heading the other way, and somehow that was a relief–that there was actually another boat out there.  Then, I watched a boat come over the horizon (remember I could only watch behind us without feeling way too anxious) and gain on us quickly over the next 15 minutes or so.  That’s when I noticed a Coast Guard helicopter hovering over the water along the shoreline about two miles away.  We turned on the VHF and realized the CG was responding to a call about 2 people in the water closer to shore.  By the time we tuned in, the people were out of the water and safe, but knowing there was a rescue close by didn’t do much for my nerves.

And just like that, it was calm.  Not calm calm, but back to just being choppy.  I realized we were in the protected area from Mission Peninsula and I was so thankful.  It was totally doable again.  The next hour was choppy, but it was a big relief after what we had just been through, and the anchorage was in sight.  Hayley didn’t feel well so she came up and fell asleep on the sundeck.  Toby played quietly with the binoculars.  Colin probably read through the whole thing.  I was just thankful that we were almost done with that stretch.  Mike apologized for his poor judgement and we moved on.  He also said he had to go change his pants.  We will not go out in weather like that again.  We were safe, but we were not comfortable at all.  That is not what this trip is about.

This is the screenshot I sent to friends, showing them where we were when it was apparent that we were going to live.
Poor Hay wasn’t sure she was going to make it, but she fell asleep for a while on the loveseat (the same one that almost tipped over on me!) and that got her through the worst of it.

But ya know what it IS about?!  Amazing quiet anchorages!  We set the anchor and prepared to take advantage of the next couple of hours before rain moved in by taking the dinghy to shore.  We explored cute Sutton’s Bay with lots of little shops (but we don’t really want to buy anything) and cute restaurants.  Mike got suckered in by a review of a pizza place we read about on Active Captain (boating app) so we took pizza back to the boat just in time for the rain to start.  After dinner we watched “The Greatest Showman” and it was great.  It was a cozy, calm night and we slept like babies.

The next day was rainy off and on, so we did school work, played games, made banana bread, and enjoyed an excuse to lay low.

Painting sun catchers.
A little Hello Kitty go-fish, anyone??
This is what actual boat school looks like!
Colin practices keyboarding on typing jungle. This is also what boat school looks like!! Developing skills that will benefit him throughout life.
Another example of boat school! Writing post cards to cousins!
Toby does dishes. 🙂
Colin vs. Hayley in chess

Then somehow I realized that we were about a quarter mile from a brewery.  So the next break in the rain we came to, we loaded up in the dinghy, beached it right in front of the boat, and walked across the street to the brewery.  Hop Lot is a super cool space, mostly centered outdoors around fire pits and picnic tables.  We found a chess board and I brought cards and a writing tablet with us.  So the kids played games and we enjoyed the break from the boat and some yummy brews.  We explored a trail in the woods, checked out the pond for frogs, and played with sticks for a while.

You know it has to be good with an overflowing parking lot!
Playing games at the brewery.
We loved exploring the outdoor space!
Ninja skills…another example of boat school! 😉

 

On our way home we stopped at the playground on the beach right in front of our boat.  Mike’s new favorite game is “Daddy run for his life but don’t hurt himself” which is basically where all the kids chase Mike until they’re all exhausted.  They did that for a while and then played tag.  That lead to looking for petoskey stones, which lead to swimming in their underwear because we weren’t quite prepared for swimming on this rainy, overcast 65* day.  I admire how kids can just create an adventure anywhere–one thing leads to another and next thing ya know you’re swimming in your undies.  So carefree.

Walking back to the boat.
I just can’t resist photo ops with our boat in the background!!! Can you tell?!

After we got back to the boat we had dinner and played the game Sequence for the first time together.  It was a calm evening in our anchorage with just about 6 other boats and plenty of room.  More weather was heading our way on Monday, so we decided to head to Traverse City the next morning to take shelter for a few days.  We enjoyed Sutton’s Bay and were looking forward to the next adventure.  Thanks so much for reading and following our adventure!!