More of Michigan and into Indiana

Thursday, 22 August – Saugatuck

There were thunderstorms overnight, and more predicted through the day, so we stayed in port. We saw Peterson’s Mill and several artists painting it. 

Bob and Joan took the hand-cranked cable ferry across the river and hiked up 310 steps to Mount Bald Head.

We all discovered at least two new ice cream shops in between the raindrops. We took the Interurban bus to Douglas ($0.50 for seniors) for dinner at a restaurant called Everyday People.

Friday, 23 August – Saugatuck to South Haven – 20 mi., 3400 cum mi.

Blue sky, 63 degrees. South Haven is at the mouth of the Black River. The Municipal Marina is actually three marinas – two on the north side and one on the south side. We chose south, since that’s where the town is. And that’s where the docktail party was. We met new loopers Ken and Kathy on Meandering who started the loop in July from Georgian Bay. We saw Bob and Monique on Q’s Cabin who we met in Norfolk. And we saw Tony and Sharon on Summer Recess.

We biked to the Depot for liquid refreshments and snacks, including fresh artisan bread and explored the shops in town. We enjoyed Al’s birthday dinner at Taste, a tapas restaurant.

Saturday, 24 August – South Haven to Benton Harbor – 22 mi., 3420 cum mi.

Blue sky, 70 degrees. First thing in the morning, we biked to the South Haven farmer’s market where we picked up a nice selection of fresh fruit, vegetables, bread, bacon, eggs, perch, and apple pie – yum.

It was another short hop to Benton Harbor. We docked at the West Basin Marina near the mouth of the St. Joseph River. Went to Wolf’s Marine – the largest marine supply store in the area. They even came to the marina to give us a ride. We bought a used outboard motor for the dinghy and tested it in the basin. We no longer have a rowboat.

Sunday, 25 August – Benton Harbor to New Buffalo – 22 mi., 3464 cum mi.

Blue sky, 67 degrees. We saw more sand dunes on the coast. And each harbor has its unique lighthouse. 

 New Buffalo is a small resort community at the mouth of the Gallen River. This was a pleasant surprise, since we heard some disparaging comments from boaters – shallow water, not worth it, etc. We really liked it – a nice resort town and a good place for provisions. We biked to Barney’s grocery, the drug store, and a marine supply. We went to Casey’s Bar and Grill for a few brews and to watch the Rays lose to the Yankees.

We enjoyed another birthday dinner (Bob’s) at the Terrace Room near the marina. BTW - the seafood cioppino was excellent.

We stayed an extra night through Monday. After a leisurely breakfast with bacon and eggs from the South Haven farmer’s market, Bob and Joan left for Ann Arbor on the Amtrak train. We will miss them. Not only very helpful crew, but so much fun to be with.
We took a dinghy ride up the Gallen River to see the preserved marsh lands and try out our “new” motor.

Tuesday, 27 August – New Buffalo, MI to Michigan City, IN – 15 mi., 3479 cum mi.

Partly cloudy, 82 degrees.  Rather than trek across the lake to Chicago, we chose to hug the shoreline around south Lake Michigan to avoid the winds and waves and to explore a few more harbors. Michigan City is the first harbor in the state of Indiana southbound, at the mouth of Trail Creek. This is the site of the annual boat show which occurred last weekend.

The Washington Park Marina is in a public park with a beach, zoo, observation tower, picnic area, and an old lighthouse museum. There is shopping, an outlet mall, and a brewery within walking distance. We biked to the CVS to get prescriptions filled and to the West Marine to explore dinghy seating options.

We saw lots of sculptures, perhaps commissioned by the local arts center. We stopped at Matey’s Bar and Grill for a brew and dinner. The prime rib sandwich was awesome. And Kelly’s apple pie shots were wonderful.

It was quite a warm day – in the 90s – so the boat’s air conditioning was very much appreciated as we watched the sunset.