Monday July 29 -- Day 58

After a week in Illinois with Mom Millie, we are back aboard Waterford.  Millie is doing well and has begun the long journey through rehab.  With the help of a great team of doctor and therapists, she is determined to regain her independence.

First task on arrival Sunday afternoon was provisions, so we borrowed wheels from Captain Jack on "Tis Grand" and hit the IGA and the hardware store (of course).  We returned to find a familiar tender tied up to our swim platform --Alizann is in the harbor!  As we finished stowing all the purchases, Marty and Suzanne arrived after dinner at the Angry Trout.  It was great to relax and get all caught up.  We'll surely be meeting up again somewhere later in our travels.

Monday is another beautiful sunny day, a bit cool (54 degrees), but calm seas again.  We are off to Isle Royale to meet up with Day Dreams.  We'll be there for a night or 2 before continuing our trip.  We hope to see one of those mythical moose -- my great friend Mary, who has been vacationing on the "Nor shore" all her life, is quite sure they don't exist since she has never seen one!

There is no cellphone or wifi on the island, so we'll catch up again in a couple of days. 

Friday July 19 - Sunday July 21 Days 48-50 49 miles / 1033 total

Huge ore dock right next door at Silver Bay

Yesterday's fog is gone and after a night of storms, we have a gorgeous sunny day!  Departure time was 7:30 a.m. with Day Dreams in the lead.  What a joy to be able to see the sights along this rugged shore line.




Several rivers empty into Lake Superior in this stretch, including the Manitou.




Caribou Falls

9:30 a.m.  Just as we passed the falls

                 1000 miles!!





It was a great ride into delightful Grand Marais. 

The marina and adjacent campground form the Grand Marais Recreation Area.  It's a little tight, so we are out on the end of separate piers.  Both boats secured by 3 p.m.

Unfortunately, we got the news on arrival that Garry's mom, Millie, had been hospitalized earlier in the day.  She had suffered a "small vessel" stroke.  So, on Saturday, we worked on making arrangements to leave the boat and get back to Illinois.

Our great friends, Don and Mary, joined us Friday evening.  Grand Marais is a favorite destination for them and they were happy to show us the town.  We enjoyed great food, shopping and all the sites we could fit into a day and a half. 

Grand Marais from above --- Artist Point to the left, harbor entrance on the right, marina out of sight to the far right.

Saw Tooth Mountains (ya think?) from Artist Point.

 
 
 






The Happy Hikers on Artist Point.




Harbormaster Dave and fellow boaters at the marina helped us move Waterford from the end of the pier to a more suitable spot for a week's stay.  Everyone has been wonderful, offering whatever help we may need to get to Illinois and back.

 

We said goodbye to Day Dreams Sunday morning as they set out for Isle Royale.  We hope to rejoin them a week from now.

Don and Mary dropped us off in Duluth (110 miles away) on their way back home to the Minneapolis area.  We made a couple of stops to enjoy lunch and the scenery along the way.  We'll stay in Duluth overnight and fly out at 0 - dark hundred to Illinois.  We hope to return to Waterford and the blog in a week or so.  In the meantime, please keep Millie in your prayers.

Thanks to all for following along!

Monday July 15 - Thursday July 18 Days 44-47 Silver Bay Marina 46 miles / 984 total

We're out of the dock and on our way by  8 a.m.  Another cloudy, overcast day in the harbor. 



Waterford lead the way under the lift bridge and into Lake Superior.

Day Dreams following us out.









It was out of the harbor and into the    FOG! 
We had hoped to see the beautiful cliffs of the shore line and the Split Rock Lighthouse along our way ---- not today.  The fog was relentless!

Captains Garry and Doug moved us safely along using all the tools available and frequently checking with each other by radio as the day progressed.

The two pictures on the left represent how we navigate in good -- and especially bad weather. The top photo is an electronic version of a paper chart (or map). This operates on our HP All-in-One PC. As Waterford moves along, the chart moves too. Here you can see we are less than a half mile off shore and it's 600 feet deep. Yet there is a significant 'bump' to the left that is only 11 feet deep (yes rky stands for ROCKY). The volcanos and glaciers did amazing things 1.2 billion years ago when this Lake was formed!

The lower photo is our radar. 24 mile maximum range, and it is very effective for detecting rain and storms. But the real value is detecting other boats and land in the zero or poor visibility. The "gain" can be adjusted so we can even detect flying birds VS boats or land.

Captain Doug made a terrific discovery the other day -- the radar "zoom box". In the lower left you can see a square box. We put a sticky note on Waterford and just below that Day Dreams. We generally lead / follow about 1/2 to 1 mile apart. If there is ANYTHING else in that square box ... not good. So the zoom box feature simply magnifies what is normally in the center ring of the radar. The radar range can be adjusted from 330 ft. per ring to 6 miles per ring depending on the need. And boy did we need it set on CLOSE range coming into Silver Bay, MN!

This is a fairly new marina and does not show up in detail on the electronic charts. In fact, all we knew for sure was that there were 3 red buoys (on the right) and three green ones on the left at the harbor entrance (per other reference material we had). Dialing the radar down as low as it goes we inched our way to the estimated position of the first green ... could not see it by eye -- but radar showed it was there (about 100 to 120 feet away).



Safe in the harbor.

Then suddenly we saw the first red. Radar does not lie. We had a radar fix on all 6 buoys, but at the end of the day we only actually saw 5 due to the super thick fog.

We never did actually see the harbor break-wall (entrance) or the island connected to it. In fact it was a day later that we even saw the little island that has been joined by this beautiful black granite stone that forms the protective harbor (so big that dump trucks could only haul 4 rocks at a time).

After a pump out, we were tied up safely side by side for the evening.  After dinner we were treated to the sounds of a saxophone from the Nordhaven trawler at the end of the next dock.  From the Beatles to Jazz to Clair d Lune, the "concert" continued for over an hour.  A lovely end of the day!

Tuesday, July 16

Finally, a sunny day! 



The harbor office/shower facility with a little morning fog quickly departing.

We all spent the morning doing chores --- so we could play in the afternoon.  Off to Beaver Bay Sports to rent ATV's for a tour through some of the many trails in the area.

As Garry says, "always an adventure"!

Here we are 15 miles up the trail at 2000 ft.  elevation on our trek through the "Minnesota Wilderness".






This was the turn around point -- time to head back.







 Gramps and Mimi on our "red hot machine".  What a hoot!






On the way back we took a little side trip to Bean Lake.  Inland the water was actually warm enough to cool off in!

It was such a beautiful evening, we decided to do a beach fire complete with hotdogs and s'mores ---- within sight of the boats!





Wednesday, July 17

The day got off to a sunny start, so we decided to deploy the dinghies for a cruise to the Split Rock Lighthouse --- that's the one we missed completely in the fog on Monday.  So off we went for the 5 mile ride to the lighthouse.  It was well worth the trip.....

This is the most photographed lighthouse in Minnesota, several hundred feet off the water.  The building materials were lifted off a barge because there was no road at the time.


There was a pair of Loons in the little bay as we approached -- loons and lighthouses...........



 
 
 
 Time to head back to the dock as the fog began to roll in once again.







The return trip was quite a challenge.  Fog, a 180 degree wind shift, some rain --- we had it all!


By the time we made it back, the sky was really threatening.  Thunder was rumbling as we loaded bikes and dinghies.  We just got everything secured when the storms began --- thunder, lightning, fog, continuing for most of the night.  A great night for a murder mystery movie!  Doug and Jan brought the popcorn and we enjoyed "Anatomy of a Murder".  This was the 1959 movie that had been filmed in Big Bay, MI.  What fun to see the scenes shot in places we had visited.  For you old movie buffs, it's classic Jimmy Stewart.

Thursday, July 18

FOGGED IN!  Plans to move on today were definitely not going to happen.  The fog was so dense at times, we couldn't see the office/shower building.  It was a good day to get some chores done.  Garry changed oil in the engine while I defrosted the frig/freezer and did a general cleaning.  The fog finally cleared in time for cocktail hour where the evening's entertainment was watching the volunteer fire and rescue folks go through their paces in preparation for the big fishing tournament here this weekend.  Weather permitting, we'll be out of here by then! 

Saturday July 13 - Sunday July 14 Days 42-43 Duluth, MN 74 miles / 938 total

Passing by Bayfield on our way out.

We left Pike's Bay at 6:45 a.m. under cloudy, hazy skies, but calm seas once again.  We passed between Bayfield and Madeline Island, then out past Raspberry and Sand Islands --- destination Duluth.






Sand Island Lighthouse

It was a little hazy and far away, but this lighthouse is identical to the one we saw back in Eagle Harbor on the Keewanaw peninsula.  According to Bonnie (Superior Way , by Bonnie Dahl is our guide for this trip), we'll see it again as the Passage Island Light at Isle Royale (next week's destination), 

This was one of our longer days and a bit cool, a good day for cooking/baking.  I had found local fresh strawberries in Bayfield, so I did a shortcake (my grandma's recipe) for dessert.  After the cake was done, I threw a chicken "stew" in the oven and just let it bake. 

We approached the south entry into Duluth's Superior Harbor about 4 p.m.


South Entry Light

This is a very busy industrial harbor shipping  iron ore, grain and coal aboard the massive freighters we've seen throughout our journey.



Ore boat just inside the channel.

The harbor is lined with huge grain elevators and the world's largest ore docks.




Huge grain elevators.

There was so much to see as we made our way 9 miles to the north end of the harbor and Lakehead Boat Basin.  Seen along the way.........

 


The SS Meteor, launched in 1896, now a museum.







Freighter loading.

Finally within sight of the marina located near the Aerial Lift Bridge that is the north entrance to the harbor.

Admiral and Captain communicating on the approach to the marina entrance.  Where's "green can #3" ?


We were safely docked by 5 p.m. with Day Dreams right behind us.  It's not your premier marina facility, but it is within easy biking distance to the Canal Park area with it's aquarium, maritime museum, shopping and restaurants.  Location,  Location,  Location!

Dinner was ready on arrival -- no need for restaurant tonite!


Sunday, July 14   -- Let's do Duluth!


Our day began at 9 a.m. as we biked across the lift bridge into the Canal Park area.  We grabbed coffee and rolls from a bakery café and enjoyed them across another foot bridge near the excursion boat docks.  From there we could see our marina across the way and also watch the traffic in and out of the harbor.

Downtown Duluth is behind us along with the SS William A Irvin, an ore boat/museum.  He's not going anywhere!

From there, it was on to the Great Lakes Aquarium.  Garry learned all about the variety of fish in these waters (got to put the new fishing pole to use soon). 

The numbers you see in this picture are the average water temperatures of the Great Lakes.  Easy to see why those swimsuits are still in the drawer.............




Next, we parked the bikes and did a little shopping.  The showers that had been threatening all morning finally arrived. So we took the opportunity for a late lunch/snack at Grizzlies before jumping back on the bikes for a little exercise.  We took the Lakewalk north along the shore  --- there are both bike and walking paths for several miles with parks and observation areas all along the way.  Everywhere, people were taking advantage of this great facility. 

 





Looking back on the lift bridge and the skyline from the bike path.


We rode all the way to the Leif Erikson Rose Gardens.

The park features over 2600 varieties of roses displayed in several settings along with other perennials and more varieties of peonies than I have ever seen!  Absolutely beautiful.

My mom and dad always had a "Crimson Glory" rose, like this one, climbing along the fence in their flower garden.








This one's for you, Mom.

It was just beginning to sprinkle again as made our way back to the bridge area.  So we quickly donned the rain gear and pedaled over to the Corp of Engineers facility and Maritime Museum.  It had an interesting group of displays on the evolution of the shipping industry in and around Duluth and the Great Lakes.  By that time, the rain had stopped and we made our way back to the dock for the night.  We have certainly enjoyed Duluth's spectacular lake shore facilities.

 



Thursday July 11 - Friday July 12 Days 40-41 Bayfield, WI 16 miles / 864 total

Another gorgeous, sunny day with light winds.  Day Dreams joined us for late brunch on the back deck, then it was time to move.  Garry needed reliable phone and wifi service for a couple of Friday calls, so we loaded up the dinghy and headed out.

Overnight it had been so calm that we had
turned every direction causing the "trip line" (a short line attached to the anchor to mark it and to assist in raising it if caught on rocks or debris on the bottom) to wind around the anchor line.  With assistance from Doug and Jan in their dinghy, we got it un-wound and were on our way by 1 p.m.  It was a short, smooth, beautiful ride over to Pike's Bay Marina about 2 miles south of "downtown" Bayfield.  It is the newest marina in the area and it showed.


Where's Waterford??

As you can see, sailboats prevail!

After stopping at the fuel dock for a pump out, we pulled into our assigned slip ------- right next to a Beneteau 42s7  just like our great friends', Skip and Linda's original "French Kiss"!  Although this one had a black dodger, you couldn't mistake the beautiful lines.




We'll come back to this later.................


There is a great clubhouse with lounges, excellent shower facilities, kitchen and laundry --- just a bit of a hike up the hill from the docks.  With some great tips from the marina staff, we got the bikes down and took off on the 2 1/2 mile bike/walking path to downtown Bayfield. 



City docks and ferry dock from the bike path.

We pedaled along the shoreline past several beautiful homes tucked into the hillside with a view like the one above.  Once in town, we scouted out the hardware store, several interesting shops and the waterfront.  It was nearly 6 p.m. by then and time to locate a restaurant.  We decided on Maggies --- a local favorite with a "pink flamingo" décor and Mt. Gay rum!  It's claim to fame is the whitefish livers (just can't do it) and their fresh fish, of course.  We opted for sautéed whitefish sandwiches, yumm!

Friday, July 12
While Garry took care of business, I did some laundry and other chores (I'm building great calf muscles going up and down that hill).  We're on a great dock with a fun group of sailors who've given us lots of tips about the area.  We may see them on the north shore later in the trip -- what fun!

Now about that 42s7 docked next to us .................  The captain, Kelly, arrived this morning and when Garry got to talking to him, we found that this IS the original French Kiss!  We've traveled nearly 900 miles to once again be docked side by side.  So many happy memories.  Garry and I learned the joys of sailing under the patient tutelage of Skip and Linda.  The result was 12 happy years on our 45 Jeanneau, Waterford, and now the trawler, Waterford II.  Thanks, you two, for introducing us to the "big water".





       Side by side again!   









Day Dreams arrived around 10 from their second night at anchor in Julian Bay.  Once settled, they took the bike path into town, where we joined them when Garry finished his last conference call.  First stop, the hardware store, of course.  We checked out the Maritime Museum, did a little shopping and then had "refreshments" on the deck of the Bayfield Inn overlooking the harbor.

After showers, we took a "docktail" tour checking out all the boats, followed by dinner at the marina restaurant.  Fresh local strawberries (they're about 3 weeks behind schedule up here), great scallops, and barbecue ribs?  We've certainly enjoyed out time at this great facility.                              

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

                                                                                                             

 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday July 10 - Day 39 Stockton Island 16 miles / 848 total

A very leisurely morning --- after a check of winds and weather, we loaded up the bikes and departed Madeline Island at 11 a.m. for Stockton Island.  Winds were brisk, WNW at  15 knots, so we headed for Julian Bay. 


Along the way we met up with this fishing boat returning from tending his nets.  Think the seagulls have it figured out?!


By 3 p.m. we were securely anchored in beautiful Julian Bay. 

 

With it's sandy beach and hiking trails, it's a popular spot when winds are out of the west.



By the end of the evening, we shared the harbor with 13 sailboats and Day Dreams.  Plenty of room for all.

After we got settled, we deployed the dinghies
and went in to the beach.  There are several hiking trails on the island, so we chose the one that led to the Ranger Station and docks. We got lots of info on the island wildlife (13 bears) and on the shipwreck back in Julian Bay.  Back at the beach, we jumped in the dinghies and went to check it out.







This is the latest and greatest --- who needs a glass bottom boat, Doug invented the glass bottom bucket!  We could actually see the pieces of the ship clearly in about 12 feet of water.  Patent pending?




Time to head back to our respective boats for cocktails and dinner, followed by an after-dinner dinghy cruise to top it off.  We just drifted in the calm of the evening --- beautiful.

Monday - Tuesday July 8-9, 2013 Days 37-38 70 miles / 832 total

With Waterford in the lead, we departed Ontonagon at 7:30 a.m. bound for the Black River.  Rains, heavy at times, had stopped by that time.  Patchy fog became moderate to heavy at times, completely obscuring our view of the Porcupine Mountains.  These are the tallest in the Midwest with elevations of 1200 ft above the lake.  We didn't even get a glimpse!

Fortunately, the fog cleared enough for us to find the entrance to the Black River with relative ease.  We had had varying reports of this harbor --- "too shallow", "plenty of water", "no problem".  So we decided to go in and take a look while Day Dreams waited outside the entrance.

 
Above is the way it should have looked ----- instead, the rains from the night before had the river swollen and rolling with a swift current and lots of debris.  As we went in, we saw that 6 fishing boats had filled the available wall space, leaving no room for two 40 - ft trawlers.  The trick would be turning around in  the narrow channel with the raging current and 2 hairpin turns to get back out to the lake.  Captain Garry did a great job of maneuvering Waterford back through the opening.   Whewwwwww --- Day Dreams took over the lead while we got our heart rates back to normal levels!

On to Plan B --- our second option was Saxon Harbor just 17 miles farther along.  However, the only info we could get indicated depths of only 6 feet ---- so on to

Plan C ---  just continue on to Madeline Island Yacht Club in the Apostles.  It made for a little longer day than usual, but because of our early start, we were able to get docked and settled in by 5 p.m.

 

This is a lovely marina on the largest of the Apostle Islands, with a great view from our back deck of Bayfield, WI across the way.

Doug and Jan hosted cocktails on the bridge and then we walked into "town" checking out restaurants.  We ended up back at the Pub, just a stone's throw away from our dock.  Dinner was delightful and the sunset even better!  Perfect end to a rather exciting day!







Tuesday, July 9

We had planned to take a dinghy tour around Madeline Island, but the weather foiled our plans.  The day started out foggy with rain forecast for later in the day.  We thought we had time for a  bike trip 7 miles to Big Bay Park.  When we got to the park, a check of the radar forced us to high tail it back to the dock --- made it back just as the raindrops began to fall!

The afternoon was spent on rainy day projects --- Garry cleaning a shower sump with his able assistant, Jan doing laundry and Doug working on the itinerary.  We got a break in the rain during cocktail hour.  Jan introduced us to Rick, whose wife has family on the island and who has sailed all around these parts for years.  Rick went over charts with us, making many recommendations for ports and anchorages illustrated with beautiful photos he had taken.  It's people like Rick who enrich our experience along the way.

This is just the beginning...

Garry and I hopped on our bikes to pick up a pizza for dinner.  While we waited, we went over a block to the infamous Tom's Burned Down Café for a beer .......

The story goes, the original café burned and instead of rebuilding, they just threw a tarp over it!





Needless to say, all we ordered was bottled beer!




By the time we picked up our pizza (NOT from Tom's), the raindrops were beginning to fall again.  So we quickly pedaled back to Waterford and called it a night.