Friday, July 19, 2024: Moments before the first ferry of the day arrived, we walked over to Watercolor Cafe for breakfast. I love how colorful and cheery this place is and it's right at the edge of the water! I would've loved to relax here for hours but there was a long line of people waiting to get in. By noon, we were at the Grand Hotel. The grounds are stunning, especially the fountain and pool! We walked up to the porch and for the first time, we decided to go inside!

Thursday, July 18, 2024: Good Morning Mackinac Island! It feels like we never left as we listen to the bugler play Reveille while they raise the flag; a ceremony that is conducted every morning. The number of horses clopping along the streets is increasing as the island wakes up. I'm mesmerized by the crystal clear water. In 2021, when we were here last, there were sea otters swimming in the harbor. They were so adorable!

We were excited to tour Fort Mackinac again. Larry loves the history and I love the views. Soon after entering through the gates, I noticed a couple walking by and it turned out to be my cousin! We've never met each other's spouse so after introductions and laughs, we went our separate ways. Huh. Two years ago, we had two surprise encounters here. One was with my brother-in-law and the second was with a family friend, and now here's my cousin! I love synchronicities!

Wednesday, July 17, 2024: Did I mention that I love this place?! In this particular slip, with nobody behind us, we can sit and watch the world go by. At 8:30 a.m., Larry is well into his morning obligations of tending to work things in his remote office while I just sit and watch the ferry go by, the fisherman heading out into the lake, and other boaters tending to their routines and fueling up at the gas dock. There's so much to see!

Our next destination is Mackinac Island. Similar to checking in at a hotel, we can't check in to our boat slip until after 11:00 a.m. It's going to take us about 30 minutes to get there and we can hear rumblings of thunder in the distance so we're going to wait for a window of clear weather before heading out. 

Tuesday, July 16, 2024: At 9:50 a.m., we're making our way out of the harbor, moving on to our next destination. Each time we leave this harbor, I'm overcome with emotion and a strong desire to stay longer. This is a very special place; truly one of the most beautiful and serene places I've seen. I can't help but keep looking back and taking pictures as we leave the calm, beautiful water and head out into less than ideal waters (for my preference) but it's all part of the adventure.

At 12:28 p.m., we are approaching the Cheboygan River. We saw only a few other boats along today's passage when suddenly, another powerboat was quickly approaching us from behind. We both wondered where it came from because nobody has been around us for miles. The waves are uncomfortably rocking our boat making it feel as if we're trying to thread the eye of the needle as we're navigating into the mouth of the river. My nerves have settled a bit as we slow to idle speed which is required in protected areas like this. The water is much calmer and we ease our way to the gas dock. The other boat passes by us, on-plane, continuing his way up the river, creating a significant wake. It turns out it was the couple who was docked behind us in Port Austin; the couple who caught my attention when her nightgown was blowing in the wind. :-)

Monday, July 15, 2024: We were startled awake to the sound of rain just before 7:00 a.m. The sky was clear and stunning when we went to bed the night before so we didn't put up any canvas in the cockpit and the rain storm caught us by surprise. We jumped out of bed and quickly started zipping everything up. It took both of us working together to get everything secure since the wind started blowing pretty intensely. I glanced across the dock and noticed the woman on the boat behind us. She was helping her husband zip up their canvas too but she was still...In. Her. Lacy. Flowy. Nightgown. ;-) I n t e r e s t i n g. 

So anyway, many other boaters were also hustling around to get their boats secured just like us. We intended on leaving by 8:00 a.m. but instead, we relaxed and savored a pot of coffee with Mike & Mary until around 10:00 when they left to go home. The rain was moving out so we left Port Austin at 11:05 and saw a few raindrops for about another hour but nothing serious. Soon after, we had clear blue skies and calm waters.

Sunday, July 14, 2024: We woke up to a beautiful view of the sunrise. At 7:03 a.m., it was obvious a few boats had already left. I thought we were the early birds but that was definitely not the case! As I looked around the dock, I was surprised at how much activity there was already. We sat, enjoying our coffee and watching several sailboats leave the harbor. I wish I could ask each one of them where they're going...I'm so curious!!!

By 10:30, the radar showed that the rain was moving away from the area we are traveling towards. For the next 2.5 hours, we followed along the line of weather and experienced a few sprinkles but nothing serious. They were slow moving clouds and just as predicted, clear blue skies were right behind them. There is a significant size reef that we navigate around before making a sharp left turn towards the Port Austin State Harbor. This turn has been stressful for me in our past visits here but today the lake is calm and it's a pleasant experience all the way up to the gas dock. 

Saturday, July 13, 2024: Just as we hoped for, the gas dock was empty this morning and we were their first customer. As the young dockhand was fueling up our tanks, he told us that he's worked there for a couple of summers and loves it. When he's not working the docks, he is working the fields. It was fascinating to hear how ambitious he is. I asked him if they have many transient slips compared to seasonal slips and he went on to explain how each of the docks are designated and then he casually mentioned that one seasonal boater reserves 6 boat slips. "What?!" I asked. I said, "I can't say I know anyone who owns more than one boat let alone an entire fleet!"

He shoved us off just in time for the 10:00 a.m. bridge opening. Moments later we were leaving the harbor and heading back on The St. Clair River. 40 minutes later, we were traveling beneath the Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron. This is usually a little unnerving for me because the water is often turbulent as Lake Huron rushes into the St. Clair River here, but not this time. We went from gentle ripples in the river to smooth as silk waters in the lake. I believe this is the first time I've experienced calm and peaceful waters right here. The tranquil waters continued and by noon, we were comfortably docked in Port Sanilac Marina. ​

Friday, July 12, 2024: It took 6 months of detailed planning and nearly a lifetime of dreams to get to this day. The boat is stocked and ready for our 30-day long adventure. At 5:24 p.m., we backed away from D dock in St. Clair Shores and headed out into Lake St. Clair.

The lake was calm, the sky above was crystal clear and brilliant blue with some white fluffy clouds, very low on the horizon and the 30 minute cruise across the lake was so serene.  As we entered the St. Clair River, we started seeing a significant amount of debris floating along. There were storms in the area a couple of days earlier and now we're literally dodging logs and boards that are drifting down the river. Thankfully, the currently calm conditions made it easy to identify them. We may have looked like drunken sailors as we swerved our way up the river. :-)