Back in the Great Lakes

rlehardt
Jun 28, 2023
4 min read

We made it to Lake Erie going through the Niagra River just next to Buffalo (up to a 7.5 mph current as the waters of Lake Erie are rushing toward the falls). Once Moonshadow II hit the Great Lakes, it was hard to slow her down (or maybe it was her captain – he said she needed to run)!!! Our first stop was Dunkirk, NY - about a 47 mile cruise in 2 to 3 foot seas. We were glad to get there….but…there wasn’t much to see! The next day we left early and travelled 142 miles to Cleveland – of course we were cruising about 23 mph so got there about 1:30 pm – it was a calm day on Lake Erie so it was a pleasant ride! We stayed at a harbor right downtown in front of the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame! It was a cool spot. We arrived there on Father’s Day and spent the afternoon and evening with very good friends Tom and Lisa at their home. They cooked us an awesome Father’s Day dinner, topped off with some delicious margheritas! We spent 3 nights in Cleveland….met up with some fellow loopers (Tim & Debbie from Table Six) and went to the Guardians baseball game with Tom and Lisa….it was really a lot of fun! John and I were really impressed with Cleveland….a very clean city with a lot of restaurants and other great activities (it’s no “mistake on that lake” as far as we’re concerned). Next we headed to Put-N-Bay for the night, scootered the island and spent some time relaxing in The Crews Nest pool & hot tub. We continued to keep an eye on the weather for a good window to head up Lake Huron….and we found a good couple of days to do it so we cruised. After Put-N-Bay we travelled our longest day of the loop crossing the rest of Lake Erie, through the Detroit River, Lake St. Clair, the St. Mary’s River and Port Huron up to Harbor Beach toward the tip of the thumb on Lake Huron, for a total of 181 miles - it was a good travel day! Next we travelled to Presque Isle Marina where we met up with some fellow loopers (Tom & Jane on Picnic boat) who crossed their wake the next day in Cheboygen. It was great to see them again as we had met them for the first time on our 3rd day of the loop in Port Washington, WI over 290 days ago! We then headed to Mackinac Island for 2 nights…..this is one of our favorite spots so it was great to have time to stop there while doing the loop. We walked the 8.2 miles around the island….always a great accomplishment! And sister Ardis visited for a night….so it was great to spend time with her and see family again! We next boated to Harbor Springs for 2 nights. We enjoyed a relaxing stay there while John got some work done and we did some boat chores while enjoying that beautiful town. The next day we went to anchor in Lake Charlevoix…..we figured this was a great thing to do just before crossing our wake! Thursday June 29th around noon is when we will cross our wake…..we are both anxious to get home but I honestly think we will really miss the boating life. Good thing Moonshadow II will still be in the water through September!

Moonshadow II parked in Cleveland!

We had to say goodbye to our buddy boat No Rush! We will see them again in Elk Rapids

Our spot in Dunkirk, NY......I can't believe all of the canadian geese we have seen on this trip.....just crazy (fleeing the forest fires?)!

Beautiful calm waters on Lake Erie! We hit it just right.

Cleveland skyline

Selfie with Tom and Lisa.....they have been great friends since college!

Father's Day Dinner......it was absolutely YUMMY!!!!!! Thank you Tom & Lisa!

Morning walk with Tom, Lisa and Sadie

Tommy and John enjoying a beer!

Watching this ship go by in the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland....yes it was big!

Our looper friends Tim & Debbie from Table Six - we met them on day 3 of our loop trip in Port Washington, WI. Great to see them!

Guardians baseball game

Group shot!

Cleveland Lighthouse marking the Cuyahoga channel

Cleveland skyline at night - Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame in red

Another picture of Guardians baseball game

Made it to Put-N-Bay

The Biergarten - good German beer and pretzels

Perry's Victory and International Peace memorial commemorates the Battle of Lake Erie that took place near Ohio's South Bass Island, in which Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry led a fleet to victory in one of the most decisive naval battles to occur in the War of 1812.

Our spot in Put-In-Bay

Ambassador Bridge - Detroit in the background

City of Detroit, Michigan - many many years ago John and I both worked in the GM Renaissance Center (on the right)

Large freighter on Lake St. Clair

Drove by Paul and Helen's house on Harsen's Island - unfortunately they were out of town but Helen's sister Barb was there to water the plants.....talk about timing!

Fellow Loopers took this picture as we cruised by Algonac - again, talk about timing!

Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron - waters of Lake Huron ahead!

And....we found a very calm day on Lake Huron!!

Harbor Beach, Michigan

The next day was also a very calm day on Lake Huron - we really have lucked out!

Had dinner with Tom and Jane from Picnic Boat in Presque Isle - they crossed their wake the next day in Cheboygen, MI

Presque Isle Lighthouse

Entering Mackinac Island Harbor - note the cruise ship on the port side

Our slip on Mackinac Island - just love watching all the people, listening to the cannon and trumpet from the fort, and the clippity clop from the horses!