#61 The Rugged and Beautiful West Coast of Michigan. Part 2.

Once again we land in a great small town with more going on than you can shake a stick at. Grand Haven, MI. I am continually surprised that even now, on the last leg of our trip where one might expect that yet another small town is becoming rote, the best place continues to be the next place. We had a great cruise from Pentwater to Grand Haven, got to meet some new boaters, see an unexpected light and water show, visit a Farmer’s Market and enjoy a live band, just steps from the boat. This business of being in a slip right downtown is just pretty darn cool.

One night we had a live band in the amphitheater just down from the boat.

These little towns continue to be full of surprises. It’s really quite amazing to me how we keep finding these jewels of one kind or another. I knew this trip would be interesting, but I did not understand that it would be so varied and endlessly fascinating at just about every stop.

Like this crazy discovery. It turns out there’s a light and water show at the waterfront every night during the summer. The seating arena was just a few steps down the pier from our slip. It’s not a long show, only about 20 minutes, but it is very popular. And the crazy part, besides the unexpected surprise, is that this has been going on every summer since 1962. Wow!

Here’s an official history of the fountain.

Our first evening here we once again were lucky enough to have docktails with a great group of Loopers, including Kelly Rae, Third Swan, Ti Amo, Dream Catcher, AGventures, Honu, and Hachimo, brand new Loopers who are beginning their Loop from this area in just a week or two. Oh man, do they have a lot to look forward to!

We were in the boat after dinner one evening and we heard this deep thrumming coming through the water. Then this big guy slid by. What is that, 400 feet? This is a narrow river, and I have no idea where he was going or how he’s going to turn around, but I’m sure the Captain did.

After a nice cruise from Grand Haven to South Haven, we were once again surprised with all the things to see and do. South Haven is smaller than Grand Haven, but has far more marinas in the river so we were treated to an endless parade of boats up and down the river, including some near-mega yachts, pirate ships, drinking cruises and sunset cruises on old classics.

While at South Haven we were fortunate to have several friends stop by and visit. That is truly one of the highlights of this trip. Our first visitor was my old high school classmate, Jim, who made a very successful career and an interesting life as a pediatric cardiologist. It was a real pleasure to see him again and catch up. After all, we had not seen each other in somewhere around fifty years! Hopefully now that we’ve reconnected we’ll do a better job of keeping in touch. We were amazed to find that we both look just like we did in high school. Thanks for stopping by, Dr. Jim!

Cheryl’s college friend Lisa and her husband Bill stopped in to see us in Grand Haven then returned with their grandkids in South Haven to show them the boat. The kids had a ball exploring the boat but were probably more fascinated by the ducks swimming by.

Ellen (Cheryl’s friend from Knoxville who now lives in Sturgis) and her partner Bruce stopped by. They treated us to a delicious lunch downtown then we walked to the beach where we struggled to eat massive ice cream cones. So nice spending time with them.

We found more great art in South Haven. Along the way on this trip we’ve see all kind of beautiful art work and interesting creations, and I keep telling Cheryl I’m going to build that in my yard when we get home. At this point, I’d need about ten acres to fit it all in!

Just some of the artwork around town. It really brightens things up.

It’s only the end of August, and already local boaters are pulling their boats for the season, and telling us on these nice days that “This is the last hurrah for summer!” After seeing photos like this one of the South Haven light house, I’m beginning to understand what they are talking about.

Marianne and Greg spent the day with us in South Haven after driving across the state from Linden. Greg and I had a lot to talk about since he’s a boater from way back and owns two classic Chris Crafts. Cheryl and Marianne are never at a loss for things to chat about. We really appreciated them making the trip to find us.

Julie and Bob were our final visitors in South Haven. They made the trip from Kalamazoo. Julie is a high school friend of Cheryl’s so they had plenty to talk about. It was nice seeing her again and meeting her husband.

Our next stop is Michigan City, Indiana, which makes the stop at South Haven our last stop in the great state of Michigan. That’s kind of sad for us, since we looked forward to our time in Michigan before we left Knoxville, and bam, it has come and gone. Such is the nature of this entire trip. Anticipation flashes by, turns to goodbyes, and becomes memories.

The night before we left we had flat seas and calm winds, so we took the dingy out a mile or so past the inlet to watch the sunset. Cheryl was a little trepidatious about being out there in a little bitty dingy, but our friends on Kelly Rae (that little speck in the distance) were also out, and it was beautiful.

I’ll leave you with yet another gorgeous sunset shot, this one from the pier at South Haven.

Michigan My Michigan

Today is our last day in Michigan as we will leave for Indiana first thing tomorrow morning. And I am sad. But in a good way.

When Butch first discussed the possibility of the Loop with me, I was most excited about seeing parts of Canada that I’ve never seen before and seeing from a new perspective parts of Michigan that I’ve seen my entire life. And neither one disappointed.

Canada and its raw, untamed, natural beauty took my breath away. Traveling minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day through majestic splendor where rock, water and forest merge into canvas worthy scenes will be a memory I will cherish forever. The peaceful calm as MoonShine sliced through virgin waters in contrast to the bright eyed exhilaration of dodging hidden rocks formations and dropping down hundred-year-old dam and lock contraptions, reminded me how alive and blessed I truly am.

And then we crossed into the clear blue waters of Michigan. Although Canadian water was clean and clear, it was almost instantaneous the change in color to Caribbean blue when we crossed over the border in Lake Huron back into Michigan. Butch and I noticed and commented on it immediately.

The water stayed blue but true to form, the fickle Lake Michigan quickly showed Butch why I insisted we leave Michigan by Labor Day. Our travel days were gorgeously smooth and welcoming, but the Lake on some days in port was a completely different animal with waves up to 6 feet and winds at 30 mph. Thankfully, my captain wisely chose our travel days and our sail days in Michigan left us wanting more rather than swearing- never again!

The quaint waterfront towns scattered along Michigan’s western shore that I’ve visited multiple times, looked totally different when approached by water and when seen through the eyes of novice travelers. Having to walk (or scooter) through these small towns versus driving through them, afforded me time to slow down and smell the flowers (and the fish!) I could really appreciate all that these towns have to offer and the beauty of their surroundings. Watching Butch (and my out-of-state sailing friends) as these towns revealed themselves made me smile and hold my head even higher than normal when I told people- “I’m from Michigan.” (As if they couldn’t tell by the number of times they’ve heard me say “ope!” and “jeez Louise” and that on the first try I can accurately pronounce pasty, St Ignace, Mackinac, Petoskey, and Charlevoix.) I was home!

When I first met Butch, I told him that I have THE best friends. And our time in Michigan repeatedly proved that boast. At almost every stop, friends drove from all over the state to spend time with us and share in our adventure. It meant the world to me to feel their love and support. We shared hugs, stories, memories, laughs, cookies, brownies, wine, lunch, dinner, and ice cream. I am immensely grateful for all of them and genuinely appreciate the time and effort they extended to connect with us.

So, it’s now time to move onto Chicago and down the river system toward home and an uncertain future. I can’t imagine that what is in store for Butch and me can ever match the wonders and quality time we’ve shared on this trip. Sure I’m sad that this is coming to an end, but eternally grateful for this opportunity and to all the people who have made it the most remarkable adventure of my life. ~C

“What makes us human is not to love and care for each other but to select all images with traffic lights.“