Trip #2 Charlevoix, MI - Cleveland, OH

Length of Trip: 16 days

Nautical Miles Traveled: 475

Hours of Cruising: 27

Longest Driving Day: 70 NM: Lexington, MI - Detroit, MI

Pleasant Surprise: No bugs nor humidity in August!

Biggest Disappointment: Cheboygan, MI

Favorite Destination with Timi: Mackinac Island, MI;

Favorite Destination with Matt & Rich: Cedar Point, OH

Favorite Meal with Timi: Carriage House, Mackinac Island, MI

Favorite Meal with Matt & Rich: Joe Muer Seafood, Detroit, MI

After a nice leisurely morning, it was time for Matt and I to play tourist in Cleveland. Our first stop was the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The museum, opened in 1995 and designed by I.M. Pei, chronicles the evolution and history of rock and roll beginning with its roots in gospel, blues, rhythm & blues, folk, country and bluegrass. I found particularly interesting the section which detailed the early influencers of today’s popular rock and roll bands. The museum features a large 3-screen theater which has shows a continuously running collage of performance video clips of each inductee into the Hall of Fame. We spent a little over a hour to watch the entire loop of inductees. The top two levels of the seven level museum are dedicated to temporary exhibits, which during our visit was on the Rolling Stones, arguably the greatest rock and roll band of all time. I found it particularly interesting since I just saw the Stones in concert at the San Jose Arena last May.

From there we traveled by cab the West Side Market, a historic indoor/outdoor market spread across three magnificent brick buildings. Many stalls have remained under individual family control for much of the life of the Market, in a few cases dating back to its 1912 opening. The market's tenants and sellers reflect the cultural diversity of the surrounding neighborhood and Cleveland as a whole. The current roster of tenants includes those of Irish, German, Slovene, Italian, Greek, Polish, Russian, and Middle Eastern descents, among others. We had lunch in the quaint West Side Market Cafe located within the complex before returning to the boat to sun on the aft deck and to prepare for our departure tomorrow morning.

After another leisurely morning, Matt and I left for the final destination for this segment, Cleveland, OH. Since our trip to Mackinac, the seas have been very smooth, even flat calm in some instances. I noticed in checking the morning weather, things would be different today because of increased winds and the shallower depths of Lake Erie. While not has bad as the Mackinac voyage, we faced 3’ head seas the length of the run reminding me the Great Lakes are not really lakes.

We were originally scheduled to stay at a public marina but Captain Tim had a contact at the Lakeview Yacht Club and suggested that would be a much better/safer place for me to leave the boat for the 18 days between trips. We arrived, checked in and had lunch on the deck of the Club where several members told us we would find the club the friendliest on Lake Erie. That certainly seemed to be the case. We decided to save our touring for tomorrow and instead relaxed and caught up on work on the aft deck as it was yet another beautiful day. Before we knew it, the time was almost 8:30 and we headed out to the Little Italy section of downtown Cleveland. According to Travel Advisor, Mia Bella offered the best Italian food and was the #11 highest rated restaurant in the city. It did not disappoint and Matt and I both enjoyed heaping plates of pasta before heading back to the boat and off to sleep.

We had leisurely morning before saying goodbye to Rich who departed a couple of days early to be home for his anniversary. A morning thunderstorm gave way to hazy but sunny skies and given the fact neither Matt nor I are big roller coaster fans, we opted to try the adjacent Soak City water park. I have always been a fan of the lazy rivers and the park offered two - Main Stream and Renegade River, both of which we enjoyed as well as a run down one of the many water slides. Following a typical amusement park lunch, we settled into our lounges for a little R&R. We were lamenting the fact that unlike the amusement park, there was no beer to be found anywhere when Matt noticed a sign reading Adult Swim Up Bar. Needless to say, we decided to relocate from Tadpole Town to the Bubble’s Bar for the remainder of our visit.

Around 4:30 we hustled back to meet our dinner guests for the evening, Jon and Tim, who came in a 52’ Cruisers the short distance from Marblehead, OH. It was there I purchased the Latitude Adjustment (we have come full circle back to OH). Jon sold me the boat and Tim was the captain who I hired to “teach me the ropes” when we ran the boat from OH to MI last October to position it for these summer trips. Tim reminds me of Don Lombardi, a salt of the earth kind of guy willing to do anything for you. Naturally we had a few drinks on the aft deck while catching up and then we walked the short distance to Bay Harbor, a restaurant offering casual fine dining and which did not disappoint. After Tim and Jon left, Matt and I watched some TV before heading to bed.

We said good bye to Michigan early this morning and after getting fuel and a pump out set off for a 60 mile cruise down the Detroit River and across Lake Erie to Cedar Point, OH. Founded in 1870, Cedar Point is the second oldest amusement park and most visited seasonal amusement park in the nation (I am sure you can guess the most visited continuously operating amusement park). The harbor is located steps from the entrance to the park with a couple of restaurants right in the marina, We enjoyed a nice BBQ lunch at Famous Dave’s BBQ before heading into the park around 2:00.

The park boasts 16 different roller coasters and is the only park in the world with four taller than 200 feet. After Matt and I went on the first one. the Raptor, the tallest (137’), fastest (57 MPH) and longest inverted roller coaster in the world when it opened in 1994, we were done with roller coasters. Rich, however, went on many others including the Gatekeeper, the highest (170’) and longest Wing Coaster as well as having the highest inversion on any roller coaster in the world and the Top Thrill Dragster, the tallest (420’) and fastest (120 MPH) roller coaster in the world when it opened in 2003. The “signature roller coaster” we learned was the Millennium Force, the #1 ranked steel roller coaster in the nation, the tallest (310’) and fastest (93 MPH) complete circuit coaster in the world when it opened in 2000. This coaster was the only one with a line over 15 minutes, so Rich plans to go early tomorrow to enjoy this one last thrill before he departs at noon tomorrow. In addition the roller coasters enjoyed a couple of beers watching the Ultimate Country live musical show at the Red Garter Saloon.

Then in was back to the boat to catch up on some work, relax and cocktail on the aft deck. Before we knew it, it was 9:00 and after calling around we learned just about every restaurant closes at 9:00. Dinner was not looking promising until we learned there was a TGIF in the Breaker’s Hotel on the opposite side of the park open until 11:00 so fortunately we were able to avoid starvation.

While I packed, John, Matt and Rich fixed the fan in the bathroom which had stopped working Sunday. Then we walked to see the Guardian building in downtown Detroit, considered by many to be the finest example of art deco architecture in the nation. We then grabbed a cab to the Detroit Institute of Art, the fifth largest art museum in the nation with a collection valued at over $2B. There are works from Greco-Roman times through contemporary. We spent most of our time in the European art from Pre-Renaissance through the turn of the century (1900) - works from Rembrandt, Rubens, Monet, Gauguin, Van Gogh and Picasso were all on display. We recognized some paitnings from the game Masterpiece and Rich pointed out some hidden allegorical faces in some paintings and symbolism in others. We took in the contemporary collection as well which I wasn’t fond of except for one Franz Marc and one Picasso, but Rich and Matt appreciated it.

John picks up the blog: Following lunch at the DIA cafe we said our goodbyes and Timi headed to the airport while Matt, Rich and I headed for the Ford Rouge Factory Tour. “The Rouge” was established in 1917 to build the Model A. The Rouge in its early days was completely vertically integrated - the plant took in iron ore, lumber and sand and made its own steel, glass and other needed materials to manufacturer and complete car onsite. While the glass and steel mills have been subleased Ford currently assembles the Ford F-150 pickup on the grounds, employing 1,000 workers to crank out one truck every 60 seconds. For the workers on the line who work 10 hour shifts, that means repeating your task 600 times a day. As we peered down onto the assembly line from the catwalks above encircling the 678,000 sf assembly floor, we were reminded why we went to college.

After the tour it was back to the boat to enjoy another late afternoon on the aft deck catching up on email enjoy several cocktails and reflect on the fact tomorrow we will leave Michigan after having visiting 16 different cites and towns there since purchasing the boat. Around 8:30, we headed back down the Riverwalk to Joe Muer Seafood for dinner before retiring for the evening.

In the morning, Rich and I watched one hundred little sparrows perched on the bow railing, fluffing their feathers in the morning sun. Then we did some yoga on the dock while John prepared the boat for departure and Matt slept in. It was an easy three hour cruise under blue skies from Lake Huron into the St Clair and Detroit Rivers. Once we had left behind the charming summer holiday towns of Michigan on Lake Huron, the skies took on a haze and the surrounding landscape was dotted with piles of rock, gravel, coal, cranes and factories – signs we were now approaching gritty urban Detroit, MI.

We docked in a small state harbor right downtown and at the recommendation of the harbormaster turned right and walked down a scary street with emergency callboxes and No Standing signs every 12 feet to lunch at Andrew’s. We were the only patrons for a late lunch but the the food good and the waitress cheerful. We went back to the harbor where some napped and some worked on their computers. As the almost full moon came out over the river, this time we turned left walking down the nicely redeveloped Riverwalk to dinner. We ate at Andiamo’s on a patio by the street along the river - the same restaurant we dined with Travises when we in Detroit on the CAA. There were very few cars but those that did pass seemed to all be playing loud hip hop music cruising a desolate boulevard.

We even had a fancy yacht do a ‘drive by’ filled with people and music blaring. The city does a great job keeping the Riverwalk safe, although they have to work very hard at it. There are bicycle police and at 10 pm a man shouts authoritatively through the PA system, “The Riverwalk is now closed. please leave immediately”. Since the very large, grand, modern GM building that houses a mall and a fancy Marriott sits at the end of the Riverwalk, I think that may have something to do with their desire to keep at least this area safe.

While John and I have thoroughly enjoyed our time together, we are also looking forward to Rich and Matt joining us tonight. To me them we cruised peacefully from Port Austin to Lexington, MI. Lexington is probably the most scenic small town we have visited since leaving Mackinac. We walked to lunch at a wine bar and I sampled some local wines including one which apparently won a gold medal in an San Francisco competition - we’re never as far from home as we think.

As with all the other small towns, other than a pleasant place to walk and eat, there wasn’t much do, so I relaxed on the front chaise, while John did some final detailing of the boat in anticipation of Rich and Matt’s arrival around 6:00. John gave Rich a tour of the boat (which takes about five minutes) and then we enjoyed another evening of perfect weather with cocktails on the aft deck before walking in to town for dinner at a local restaurant/bar called Steis’s Village Inn.

Another smooth cruise with gorgeous weather brought us to Port Austin. The harbor is very pretty and active with new docks and amenities. We walked through the quaint town, had lunch on the patio at ‘The Bank’. Then it was time for recreation. We planned to rent kayaks or stand up paddle boards thinking we would go up river and explore, but the rental place said that we could only paddle in a tiny section of the river and harbor, which didn’t sound very interesting to us. So instead we opted for a round of miniature golf. After the first two holes, John got his game back and had a few holes in one. While I wasn’t as talented, I got something he called a ‘snowman’, which I’d never heard of, so that was cool.

We had our usual afternoon leisurely reading/cleaning, then it was to off to dinner. Wikipedia says ‘The town is an acknowledged fine dining destination’, so we yelped our choices and went to the best restaurant in town, Joe’s American and Italian Cuisine, but my mostaccioli that tasted like Spaghetti-Os. I opted for an after dinner cinnamon roll instead.

We had a beautiful and uneventful cruise to Harrisville, MI. John had told me our stops along the eastern Michigan would be quiet as there are only small, simple towns along the shore. Although not fancy-pants like Charlevoix, Harbor Springs, and many of the ports we have visited on the Great Lakes, Harrisville is a clean and nicely kept harbor in a quiet town with a lot of manicured grassy areas. We cruised the town, shared a soft serve ice cream in the park, then headed back to the L.A. for another evening reading, cleaning, relaxing… We didn’t think about dinner until later, and in a small town, everything is closed except for the bar and a pizza place. John walked to town to forage for pizza and bring it back to the boat. We then watched ‘The Godfather’ (me for the first time), and another day was done!

Today we had a perfect and beautiful cruise to Presque Isle Harbor. Presque Isle (French for peninsula) is a pretty wooded peninsula surrounded by turquoise blue water. It has two lighthouses about a mile from each other, both built in the 1800’s – the one built in 1840 is the ‘old’ lighthouse, and the one built in 1870 is the ‘new’ lighthouse. We had lunch at the only restaurant in town (the “town” consisted of said restaurant and a general store) then took a lovely afternoon walk to see both the lighthouses. The museum at the ‘new’ lighthouse (1870) had the original beacon light lens in the foyer. It was about four feet tall and 3 feet wide with multiple catadioptric prisms mounted around the periphery of the barrel. Although it looked like an art piece, Fresnel had invented a light that used less than half the energy (at that time, whale oil) of previous beacon lights. Each prism collected and intensified the light and the output was increased dramatically from the old reflector systems, with as much as eighty percent of the light transmitted over twenty miles out to sea from a single 1,000 watt bulb..

We later enjoyed a leisurely evening on the boat reading in the sun, then it was to dinner at the restaurant. The next morning was beautiful again, and we borrowed bikes from the general store and rode back to the lighthouses, stocked up on supplies at the general store, and headed out of the harbor to our next destination. (We have since learned that the Old Presque Isle Lighthouse is haunted. We didn’t notice, but it makes me wonder if that is why they built the ‘new’ lighthouse only 30 years after the original).

Today we awoke to a gorgeous sunny day, Our neighbors Marcella and John (whom we met when they wanted to come aboard to check out Latitude Adjustment as they are interested in possibly upgrading their 2003, 37 foot Cruisers) loaned us some nice bikes and we rode around perimeter of the island. Mackinac Island is truly beautiful, with gorgeous turquoise water, white pebble beaches, and lushly forested hills. There are no cars, so you never hear the sound of an engine, which is a wonderful thing.

Before we leave for Cheboygan, MI, a new boat pulls into the slip next to us. The woman on board tells the harbor master what horrendous sea’s they had experienced coming from Petoskey and how relieved they were to be in safe harbor! In Mackinac Harbor, it is completely sunny, quiet and beautiful, and seems hard to believe that a few minutes before they were stressing about the conditions. We told them of our surprise high seas the last two days. They, like us, had checked the weather, wind and wave reports, and all said 2 foot seas, so they had been quite surprised by the difficult passage and five foot seas. Obviously checking the conditions isn’t enough! One must also calculate wind speed and direction along with the topography of the lake’s floor and the dispersion pattern of the water, or just let yourself be surprised.

Luckily, we had a nice cruise to Cheboygan where we pulled into a plain little harbor. All the harbors on this trip so far have been beyond lovely and picturesque in charming, idyllic towns, but Cheboygan, while not bad, is just plain. We walked ½ mile down cracked sidewalks to downtown looking for a nice place to have lunch as it was already 2:00 and John hadn’t eaten yet. The only decent looking place was Mulligan’s Irish Sports Bar, so we ate there and headed back to the boat where John promptly blew up the little red raft he had purchased in Petoskey, hopped in the water and began cleaning the boat. I chatted with neighbors and handed cleaning supplies down to him now and again. Later we took in an evening movie “We are the Millers” (which was very silly and bawdy, but we laughed pretty hard.) Afterwards we went back to the only decent restaurant in town, Mulligan’s, for dinner. On our walk home, the streets were completely empty except for several cute little black bats flashing about eating tiny insects.

I wake up with an uncharacteristically stiff back and neck (I guess I haven’t been doing enough yoga). Today we’ll try again to make it to Mackinac Island. The day is fine, with sun and a light breeze. Weather reports confirm 10 knot winds and 1-2 foot seas, so although not glassy waters, still easy. We leave early to avoid any change of an afternoon thunderstorm and perkily cruise out of Harbor Springs. La di da di da….

Within ¼ mile of the harbor, the wind picks up to 20 knots. The waves get bigger. There are white caps everywhere. Suddenly, there’s a giant splash against the port side bow and spray flies over the hull and through the sun roof, spraying the cockpit. Here we go again. We close all windows and the roof. I move from my seat next to the captain so I don't make him more nervous and uncomfortable as I brace with each wave. (The mystery of my stiff back and shoulders is solved). Captain suggests I take two Dramamine and go to sleep. I know I can't because I need to be alert and ready in case of emergency! I put on my life jacket. I grab my iPhone and for the next ninety minutes try to distract myself by photographing the waves crashing across the windshield. It begins to feel a little like we are rounding Cape Horn. This sucks! (I am however amazed and impressed by my lack of seasickness).

John informs me that this all has to do with ‘fetch’ (the distance over which the wind excites the waves) which is interesting so I later look it up and learn that wave height is determined by ‘fetch’ and by the depth and topography of the seafloor, which can focus or disperse the energy of the waves. It’s a Northerly wind, and we are heading north, but as soon as we turn east approaching the straits of Mackinac, things begin to calm down. I'm happy now and we cruise another hour before happily pulling into a cool and cloudy Mackinac harbor. After docking, we walk up the hill to have lunch with stunning views at Fort Mackinac, (originally a British fort founded during the American Revolution - Americans took control in 1796), then walk through town. We have a nice and uneventful afternoon, and later walk to dinner at the Carriage House where we have more gorgeous views.

We took a lovely three mile walk along …. Bear River Valley Trail, then circled back to town for lunch at Chandlers. While we enjoyed lunch, we talked about plans for our cruise to Mackinac Island tomorrow. As all harbors have different slip check in times, we decided to call to see what time ours would be available and plan our departure accordingly. As John was checking, he realized that we were actually supposed leave Petoskey to be on Mackinac Island today! It was 1:00 by that time, but we decided it would be no problem to run a couple errands and quickly batten down the hatches, get diesel and do the general prep to leave harbor and be out by the latest 3:00 p.m. The cruise should take three hours, giving us plenty of time to be safely ensconced for the night in Mackinac before the sunset at 9:00. We checked the wind speed, 13 knots, and wave height, 1-2 feet, so off we scurried to get under way.

We left the harbor on time but within 20 minutes of cruising the open water, waves began to splash high enough off the port side bow to give us a pretty good dousing through the sun roof. We closed the sunroof and carried on. 20 minutes more, and the waves seemed bigger and the boat pitched enough that I had to hold on to stay in my seat. I asked Captain to deploy life vests, which he kindly did. Up ahead the skies were looking a bit ‘squally’ and the sea was getting rougher. Captain John re-checked two marine weather reports and both said 1-2 foot seas and 13 knot winds. He said, ‘this just doesn’t seem right. How can this be 2 foot seas? ‘ Last fall we had crossed the lake in 5 foot seas with Captain Tim, and although it was not relaxing, it didn’t feel as scary as this. I started asking John if we could find a harbor as I was getting a little worried. I just have no idea of what kind of pitching, rolling and crashing a boat can handle before it’s floating upright ability is compromised. I was working to stay brave, thinking that panicking doesn’t help anything, and if we should make it safely to Mackinac, which we probably would, I would just be more thoughtful about researching the weather in the future and just say no to any rough water.

A few minutes later he checked the weather again, and this time, finally, it began to report quickly rising wave heights, 33 knot winds, squalls and lightning strikes… advising mariners TAKE SAFE HARBOR. Hmmmm. I watched the Captain consider this news, and while I wasn’t sure, I believe he was thinking, well, we’re all the way out here in the middle, we might as well make it to Mackinac… As you all know, he’s pretty tenacious and likes to stick to his plan. Suddenly amidst foaming spray, crashing waves and pitching, the large glass door of the cockpit jumped off the track, shoe baskets, tissue boxes, sunglass cases flew, …. And after several minutes of chaos, when we felt that we had stopped all the loose objects from flying and had the door held up to be sure it wasn’t going to crash to the ground, the Captain conceded. We turned around (just in time too, as the clouds were gathering darkly on the horizon now behind us), and we headed to Harbor Springs where the protected harbor had little wind and no seas. Aaaaaah. I think the sliding door may have saved my life by giving John no choice but to turn back. And as long as we’re all fine, it just adds to life’s adventure.

..As Long As You Leave By Noon.

I had planned to go for the run that I had enjoyed the last time we were in Charlevoix, but it was a slow start the next morning. John was busy getting the boat in order of course, but I was very tired and before we knew it, the harbor crew told us it was time to pack up and be on our way as another boat was coming in. So we hurried out of the harbor and had an indescribably, exquisitely beautiful afternoon cruising to Petosky, MI. After docking, we went to lunch at ‘The Roast and Toast” which was interestingly chaotic and very busy. The layout was tight as it was well attended. The décor was fun and a bit silly with several built in blue and turquoise or yellow and orange striped seating cubicles edged in half broken teacup and saucer ‘wallpaper’ protruding from the walls, and crumbs on most of the flat surfaces.

Overall the food was decent, with healthy sandwich choices and homemade sourdough bread. There were also gooey brownies with an oozy melted m&m glaze, the “nice idea but super salty and a bit greasy” locally made Great Lakes Potato Chips and overly sweet, not quite carbonated enough locally made diet coke. I had the impression that a very creative and resourceful group of 8th graders owned and operated this establishment!

We cruised around the cute town, then John headed back to do some ferocious boat cleaning until the evening. We drank wine/cocktails while enjoying a gorgeous evening into sunset after discovering the aft deck settee could be made into ‘chaise’.

We had a fun dinner at ‘The Noggin’, a pub in the lower-level of Stafford's Perry Hotel. In 1899, just four years after Petoskey was incorporated as a city, Dr. Norman J. Perry built the hotel after giving up his dental practice (a patient had died following a multiple tooth extraction). The Perry Hotel became a lively center of attraction featuring a small orchestra during dinner and dances at least once a week. True to it’s history, there was a great singer/guitarist playing Neil Young, Van Morrison, Cat Stevens, etc. and doing it very well.

Up early at 4:15. Jessica Lombardi is our chauffeur to SFO (and our house/cat sitter extraordinaire!) Of course there is no traffic, so that’s excellent. We arrive in Pellston, MI at 5:00, hoping to grab a cab to Charlevoix, MI where the yearly art fair is underway and closing down at 6:00! Unfortunately, one of our bags missed a connecting flight from Detroit, so we were held up and didn’t make it to Charlevoix until 6:30. John, being an art lover and a gentleman, encouraged me out of the cab before we got to the harbor so I could scurry through the ‘streets’ of the quickly disappearing art fair while he took care of harbor logistics and lugged our supply filled duffles to the Latitude Adjustment. While the art booths were at least 75% torn down, I came across one booth with beautiful work and found a tiny, affordable, adorable pastel for a small space in the new house.

Charlevoix is as beautiful as we remembered. It’s 75º and sunny, no humidity, no bugs,… just lots of pretty!

John returned from the marina office with an announcement that we had a quick stop on the way to dinner. He had made ‘friends’ with a couple on the next dock who owned the 2013 45’ Cantius Cruisers Yacht (Latitude Adjustment is the 48’ model made in 2012). There were some new features – foremost a galley in the main salon with a bar open to the cockpit rather than galley downstairs - that had him wondering if he’d made the right choice. He was looking forward to finally getting to see it.

We headed to dock C and approached ‘The Jolly Roger’. Our reception was a bit frosty so we had to put on the charm. Roger and Jane are South Dakotans and I think they had some unflattering notions about Californians. When I asked what business they were in, he said, oh, your from California, you wouldn’t understand – so I’m thinking he’s a quark theory physicist conducting deep inelastic scattering experiments, but Jane says, we own a ranch supply company. Hah! How many horses have been born in my barn? My parents have three state of the art tractors, two barns, and have been raising fine thoroughbreds and hay for how many years? Were we not all just roping a steer dummy two weeks ago at Tulloch? Puhlease! Anyhow, I thought that was funny.

Luckily, although the features on The (not quite) Jolly Roger were useful, the Latitude Adjustment still ranked number one for our needs, so at least John walked away jolly to our dinner at Stafford’s Weathervane and then it was off to bed.