Grand Haven

Calm seas at last

08.10.2010 Lake Michigan laid down and we cruised 13 miles to Grand Haven. We walked a couple of miles on the boardwalk stopping to eat at Butch’s Beach Burritos before strolling to the light house pier at the city beach.

Unfortunately the marina only had space for one night which forced us to do all our sightseeing during the hot and humid hours of the day.

Boat house with 4 sets of rails

Grand Haven public beach called The Oval.

The world famous Musical Fountain was interesting. At dark, the display of water and colored lights synchronized to music lit up the harbor. The grand stand viewers clapped, then quietly returns to their shelters. We retreated to the stateroom from Freedom’s upper decks.

Safe in Muskegon 08.07.2010-8.09.2010

Our port side neighbor gave Tut a few hours of amusement.

08.07.2010

Another special day for the Captain! He received the first AIS transmission minutes before we had to turn around and return to port. Lake Michigan was not behaving. The waves were 3 to four feet. They crashed over the bow and slapped us on the beam. We returned, as did other boats, to the marina.

Hartshorn Marina does not have a laundry room. We biked, carrying a load of clothes, to a Laundromat 2 miles away. While I attended to the wash, Andrew went to Wal-Mart in search of cat food. They were out of IAMS so he went to Meijers. He scored 24 cans and about 30 lbs of other items. We pedaled, at a much slower pace, back to the marina.

08.08.2010 Lake Michigan is still a mess. We did some planning and boat chores. Then we went to dinner at the Athletic Club. Their specialty is Mac and Cheese. I had Florentine Mac and Cheese. Andrew had Creole Mac.

The couple from the boat starboard of our slip knocked on our door at 1900. They wanted to visit with Tut. Their boat cat had died recently and they needed a feline fix. Tut was very accommodating. He let them pet and talk to him.

The chop on Muskegon Lake

Red sky at night, sailors' delight....

08.09.2010 it rained all morning. When the sun broke through Andrew took the dinghy across Muskegon Lake to check out Lake Michigan. The waves were still very active. So much for ‘red sky at night’.

Ludington, White Lake and Muskegon, MI

The Badger Ferry runs from Ludington MI to Manitowoc WI.

U.S. Coast Guard Ship, Hollyhock, and the Badger

Andrew toured the USCGC ship with Tom and Diane (Noah Genda) and Mark and Susan (You can't take it with you). I chose to go back to the boat and enjoy the air conditioning. After the tour they all agreed that I made the right choice.

Freedom and You can't take it with you at Ludington Marina

The main streets in Ludington were lined with flowers.

Ludington Beach

08.04.2010The chop was light but came from all directions. I was glad to reach the calmness of White Lake. Only two of the 50 slips at the municipal marina were filled. The other marinas on the lake had little vacancy. As we approached I understood why. The place is infested with weeds, lily pads and the insects that feed on them.

We heard the town, Whitehall, was a good stop so we docked in a bed of hungry mosquitoes. The temperature was 84 and the humidity was 80%. I was determined to maintain a positive attitude.

We ate at Chen’s Chinese and Thai restaurant. The food was good. The downtown was small and had a lot of vehicle traffic. Whitehall must be a town that you pass through to go somewhere else.

After lunch we rode the Hart- Montague Bicycle Trail which begins in Whitehall and ends in Hart 24.5 miles away. We rode two miles of it before the heat sent me back to the air-conditioned boat.

Andrew and Tom resting in at a pool store in Whitehall

Hart- Montague Bicycle Trail

Deer on the trail

View from top of hill on trail

The White Lake marina grassy and deserted

08.05.2010 sunrise on White lake

Goodbye White Hall Marina

Light house on the channel

08.05.2010

The Muskegon trolley stop was just outside the gate of Hartshorn Municipal Marina. Tom and Diana came with us for a ride around Muskegon. The trolley is fueled by LP gas and it’s equipped with air brakes. The ride was rough but interesting.

Muskegon Beach-Towne Trolley ride sights:

Indian burial ground

Hackley Hume Homes

Railroad Historical Society building

Andrew's new friend

Me making a call at a Naval tourist stop

08.06.2010 was a special day for the Captain. We had an Automatic Identification System (AIS) 250 receiver installed. Now we get non verbal navigation information on Class A ((Commercial) (mandatory if over 300 tons)) or Class B (recreational) vessels carrying transreceivers. AIS uses digital signals via VHF frequencies in the maritime band. I read the manual.

We biked to the Culinary Institute of Michigan (CIM). We had lunch with the crews aboard Noah Genda and You can’t take it with you. After dinner the receptionist gave us a tour of the school. We were not allowed in the labs (kitchens) or in the library which contained only cookbooks. The books where all labeled CIM so I was unable to determine the authors.

Andrew and I visited the Muskegon Museum of Art. We were told it was one of the best art museums in the Mid West. They had a minuscule collection in comparison to Chicago’s Museum of Art s. I did not recognize any of the artists, names. Our informant, the trolley driver, may never have between outside the Muskegon city Limits.