Monday, August 31:
Wes got up around 0610 and I was up shortly after him. It was foggy and the wind apps weren't matching, but we decided to head out to Petosky. Scott and Joan helped us with our lines, then we were off around 0710. It was a little lumpy at first, but not too bad. It was definitely foggy and rainy though. We had our lights on and fog horn on for most of the morning. I tried to get pictures of the Mackinac Bridge in the fog. Once we went under the Mackinac, the water leveled out and it was smooth waters. The fog and rain quit around 1000, and when we turned south around the shoal, the waters were still pretty good. What waves there were we were taking primarily on the bow. We arrived in Petoskey around 1500 and got secured. When I was done working, Ted and Kim (Pony) came and picked us up to drive us all to Mike and Lori's place in Boyne City. We enjoyed some pulled pork, beverages, games and great conversation.
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Tuesday, September 1:
We both got up and did our respective bible studies. The we walked over the visited with Ted and Kim (Pony) for a bit. We dropped our lines around 1045 and headed to Beaver Island. It was a little foggy yet, but the water was smooth. As we were crossing Lake Michigan, the fog came up around 1300. As quickly as the fog rolled in, it disappeared around 1415. We arrived at Beaver Island around 1530 and got secured. After I was done with work, we took the scooters down and went exploring the island. We went to the lighthouse, saw Font Lake, and walked on the sandy beach. We saw some deer as we were going along. Then we stopped at Beachcombers for a beverage. From there we went to Beaver Island Lodge and have a beverage there and took in the lake views. Then back to the boat for dinner on our aft deck. Al and Terri from Morning Sun stopped by for a quick drink and visit. Then we went inside and watched some baseball before heading to bed.
Wednesday, September 2:
We got up and got the boat ready for travel. We dropped our lines around 0700 to make our way to Fayette, MI. It was a little lumpy in spots and we had some rain, but overall, not a bad day to travel. It was a long day (we got spoiled with our short trips in Canada, so an 11 hour travel day felt very long. We arrived at Fayette around 1800 and got secured. Tim and Sarah on Black Diamond and Steve and Allison on Betty Mae were there on the dock to greet us. We setup chairs on the dock to visit. Shortly after us, Zach and Karen on Vortex arrived and they joined us on the dock. We sat out and enjoyed the evening while having a few beverages. We stayed out until after dark. I tried to take pictures of the sky but they didn't turn out. The stars were amazing. You could easily see the Milky Way. We called it a night around 2200 and went inside, watched a little baseball then went to bed.
Thursday, September 3:
We were a little slow getting up, but we got moving and I started working. Wes did some computer work then visited with Betty Mae (Steve and Allison) before they departed. Then he realized that Mick on Phantom had arrived and they visited for a bit. During my lunch break, we went up to the visitor's center and looked around. Then we looked around the old town and buildings. Back to the boat for me to finish working, then we all went to Port Bar for dinner and drinks. It was Black Diamond (Tim and Sarah) Vortex (Zach and Karen), Phantom (Mick) and us. Then back to the boats where we set out our chairs on the dock and enjoyed some beverages and conversation. It was getting quite cool and buggy as the sun went down, so we packed things up as it was getting dark and all went inside. We watched some TV then headed to bed.
Friday, September 4:
We woke up and it was raining. We had a short run, so we waited until about 1030 to drop the line and take off. The rain had stopped and the sun came out, so we thought it would be a good day. Mick went up on the bluff and got a great picture of the three of us leaving (Black Diamond, Vortex and us). It was a bit lumpy as there were 3 footers that we were taking on. We arrived in Escanaba around 1430 and got tied up. We met a local gold looper Rich on C-Bird II. We all gathered on Black Diamond and enjoyed snacks, beverages and lots of stories. Zach on Vortex made some jambalaya, so as it got dark, the group moved over to Vortex to hang out. We called it a night around 2400 and went to bed.
Saturday, September 5:
We got up and Wes did some computer work. Then he visited some before returning the key then back to the boat to get ready for travel. We dropped our lines around 1015 and made our way to Sisters Bay where we were anchoring for the night. It was us, Black Diamond, Vortex and Gvit a Go. We arrived around 1430 and got all rafted together. Black Diamond, Gvit a Go and we put out anchors. After we got all settled, we dropped our dinghy and so did Black Diamond. Tim and Sarah took Zach and Karen in their dinghy and Scott and Joan came with us. We went into town to check out the festivities. We checked out the craft vendors then ended up at Stabbur Beer Garden. We enjoyed the view, some beverages and conversation. We ended up just grabbing dinner there. Tim and Sarah went with their friends up the hill for dinner. As the sunset, the temperature dropped and we headed back to our boats. Then Scott, Joan, Wes and I enjoyed the fireworks on our aft deck while Tim, Sarah, Zach and Karen watched next to us in their dinghy (they were just getting back as they started). We had a perfect view and it was a great fireworks display. Zach and Karen called it a night early, but we enjoyed a couple more beverages with the rest on our aft deck. We called it a night around 2200 and went to bed.
Sunday, September 6:
We got up and decided to make some breakfast before taking off. So Wes cooked some sausage, hashbrowns and eggs on the griddle and Joan cooked some bacon and pancakes. The other 4 didn't want breakfast so the four of us enjoyed breakfast on our aft deck. We relaxed a bit, I did the dishes and Wes secured the dinghy. We un-rafted and pulled our anchors around 1100. Gvit a Go and us were heading to Egg Harbor to anchor out. Black Diamond went to Sturgeon Bay and Vortex headed to Fish Creek to anchor. We arrived at Egg Harbor around 1330. We anchored then Gvit a Go anchored next to us and we rafted up. Then we dropped our dinghy and the four of us went into town to explore. There were some cute shops and a couple places that had some wine tastings. We both bought some wine. We walked by the sausage festival and stopped at the Mexican restaurant for a beverage. Then we got back in the dinghy and went back to the boat where we enjoyed more beverages on the bow of Gvit a Go and watched a beautiful sunset. We went inside and had some soup Joan made, then we called it a night.
