Midland, Ontario

We woke up in our beautiful anchorage off of Hope Island in the Georgian Bay on Wed., August 8. After each of us did our daily exercise routine, we took off for a short three hour cruise backtracking a bit to Midland.  There, we arrived at Bay Port Marina where we would stay for six nights.    We were renting a car to drive to Toronto to visit Jonny’s cousin Cathy and her family and from there Lynn was flying to Chicago to surprise her sister Lisa for her 60th birthday.  One of the things Midland is known for is their collection of murals depicting historic events located throughout the town including on the waterfront.

Upon arriving, we took advantage of a nightly briefing on cruising the Georgian Bay conducted by one of the marina owners.  The almost two hour briefing was most informative and he was even available to mark routes and anchorages on our charts!  The marina was well equipped with every convenience including capable staff and they gave amazing deals to Loopers which resulted in costing us only $30 a night!  

Afterwards, we got a ride into town and walked around a bit.  Midland is a very nice mid-sized town with all the amenities that cruisers need.  It was quite an attractive town.

We had dinner at an excellent restaurant called the Explorer’s Cafe’.  The owners were a couple who had met on explorations in Antarctica and were married among a colony of penguins! The menu was quite unique and delicious as were the decorations that reflected their far flung travels.  

On Thursday we rented a car to drive two hours to Toronto where we stayed overnight at Jonny’s cousin, Cathy’s.  A highlight was a visit to the Art Gallery of Ontario where Cathy’s daughter Natalie now works.  There was a great exhibit of art from the Canada’s First Nations peoples that was really quite amazing, as was the museum building itself.

Cathy made a delicious steak dinner for us all. The steaks were so good that Jonny went to Cathy’s butcher the next day to stock up on meats for our freezer.  It was a great visit with Martin, Cathy, Natalie and Rebecca.

On Friday morning, Jonny dropped Lynn off at the Billy Bishop airport in Toronto that is located on an island in the middle of the city.  Lynn actually took a short ferry ride to get to it which provided a nice view of the city!

Upon arriving in Chicago, Lynn was picked up by Ellie, Lisa’s youngest daughter.  Lisa was totally surprised at Lynn’s arrival which was perfect!  That night Lisa, Lynn, Maddie, Ellie and Danny all went out for dinner in Evanston where they live.  The following day we spent getting ready for the birthday party.  The guys were stringing lights and we all worked together making the yard beautiful.  Lisa’s party turned out to be a blast with lots of food and drink, darts, and karaoke! It was hilarious and everyone, especially the birthday girl, had a fabulous time!

Other highlights included drinks at the lovely rooftop restaurant where Ellie is working one of her two summer jobs.  It was another beautiful night. We really lucked out in the weather department!

While Lynn was away, Jonny did innumerable boat chores including changing the oil and filters in the generator and the main engine.  He cleaned the carburetor on the outboard, explored Midland by bike and even did some laundry!  He also got to watch a special show put on for some newly arrived cruise ship passengers.

After a wonderful three day visit with the Makoul’s, Danny, and Lisa’s friends, Lynn returned to Midland on Monday by train, plane, car and van!  Jonny welcomed her back home on Zendo with a delicious dinner including the special patented Mirai corn on the cob that Lisa bought at a farmer’s market in Skokie.  We were now ready to continue our journey through the Georgian Bay amdNorth Channel.