Miss Hattie's Loop: Comin' Home to Lake Michigan

Last we left you we were contemplating going to Hessel, MI - in the Les Cheneaux Islands - weather permitting. We had visited there 2 yrs ago when we brought Miss Hattie over from the Detroit area and we wanted to stop there and sample the fare at the new culinary school. There was no problem, we entered the Les Cheneaux through the 'middle entrance' and went past one of our favorites sites, the eccentric house on Dollar Island (they bought it for $1), see pic. We did indeed eat at the culinary school - review: 'they're still in school'.

Then we set out to St Ignace, another of our favorites on the last trip. Well, the weather was just barely permitting for that short hop (18 miles) - we had head winds and waves of 3' with occ 4'ers, but since it was directly on the bow it wasn't a problem. We did shore chores, shopped, did wine tasting and listened to live music while there for 2 days. A good stop!

We have always said: the most dangerous thing to have on a boat... a schedule. Well, we had made plans to be in Grand Haven for the holiday weekend, getting together with Brian and Jan. So, we decided to make the move down to Charlevoix from St Ignace - it turned out to be a long but uneventful day - just nice cruising. It was good to be back on Michigan Lake! We anchored in the Charlevoix harbor for one night.

From Charlevoix we went to South Manitou Island. A very nice cove that protects you from winds in all directions but SE - it was great. The water was crystal clear, the shore was round stone and sand, the island has no inhabitants except campers who came over on the ferry. We wish we could have stayed longer but the winds and waves dictated differently.

We next spent 2 nights on Portage Lake, another pleasant anchorage but in a much more populated area. We spent time cleaning Miss Hattie and touring the lake in the dinghy.

Now we're in Ludington, a truly interesting and pretty harbor. The SS Badger, the last of the coal powered steamships to ply the waters of Lake Michigan - it makes a daily trip to Manitowac, WI and back, carrying cars and people. The ship is 410 ft long and is at least 4 stories tall; it's docking maneuvers are quite impressive, using an anchor to pivot around into place. While here we met up with some loopers we first met back in November on the Tenn-Tom waterway and we spent two hours coaching prospective loopers on the ins and outs of making the trip. Ludington is definitely a great harbor and town to visit - don't pass it up on your next trip north.

We'll be going to White Lake next - a couple of nights on the anchor - and then on to Grand Haven. After the holiday weekend we expect to travel just a few days - getting back home in Michigan City around Sept 7-9. YAY!