Detroit, MI Part 2

On Thursday, Sept. 6, we moved Zendo only three miles down the Detroit River to Milliken State Harbor Marina.  We couldn’t find anyone at the yacht club to get a pump out so we decided to get one at Milliken.  Unfortunately when we arrived we discovered that their pump out station was  being replaced and therefore they had none.  The new one was to be installed the day after we planned to depart.  So we turned around and went all the way back to the yacht club to get a pump out. Finally, by noon we were back at  Millikan, all tied up and ready to explore Detroit some more. 

We visited the Ford Piquette Ave. plant which was the site of the manufacturing of the Ford Models A,B, C, etc. and which is especially famous for the Model T.  It was an interesting tour with lots of beautifully restored cars.

We had lunch at a cool and delicious restaurant called the Dime Store and later in the afternoon we participated in a very interesting walking tour.  It was called Detroit’s Rise, Fall and Renewal.  We saw how much Detroit has gone through as it has worked to overcome all the problems it has experienced over the last decade or more.  We were very impressed by the city and the progress it is making to restore the splendor that it once had.  

The next day was Friday and our friend Mary Thieme who we know from the Arsht Center, came to pick us up.  She was born and raised in Ann Arbor and has a home there (as well as one in Miami).  She had invited us to stay overnight so she could show us Ann Arbor and the surrounding area.  The first thing we did was go to Dearborn to see the Ford Rouge Factory where the Ford F-150 is produced.  The tour was fascinating especially because we could observe the assembly line where all the parts of the truck are assembled.  We also visited the Ford Museum which has a collection that included much more than automotive items.  The chair that Abraham Lincoln was sitting in when he was assassinated at Ford’s Theatre was there, blood stains and all.  The museum also had  the bus that Rosa Parks rode in on that famous day. The Ford Museum had outbid the Smithsonian to acquire it!

When we got to Ann Arbor,  Mary drove us through the beautiful (and sprawling) campus of the University of Michigan.  It was very impressive.

At the end of the day we met Lynn’s niece Ellie who is a junior there, for a beer in Ann Arbor’s very cool downtown area.  

That evening, Mary made a delicious dinner and we spent a very comfortable night in her lovely home.  

It was time for Lynn to get another haircut, which she was a little nervous about given what had happened last time.  But Mary recommended her hairdresser who just happened to be available the next morning. So on Saturday morning we did that first thing and Lynn was happy with both the cut and the incredibly reasonable price - just $25 including tip!  We then headed back to Detroit after a further drive through the Michigan campus which was gearing up for a big football game.

In Detroit we visited Eastern Market, a wonderfully large farmer’s market that is an institution there.  We wandered through the many stalls and did all we could to limit the number of our purchases to accommodate our limited storage.  As always with these markets, we loved our experience and left with bagfuls of fresh veggies, fruits and cheeses.  

We had lunch at the famous Russell St. Deli and then Mary drove us back to Zendo.  We had a wonderful time and are grateful to her for being such a great hostess!

That evening, our friend Cathy arrived from Kansas City.  She was coming to hang out with Lynn while Jonny was away.  We had dinner onboard Zendo and the next day Jonny got up early to catch his flight to Norfolk where he was attending the MTOA board meeting (and getting elected to become an officer of the board).  The board meeting preceded the Rendezvous in the Chesapeake which was just cancelled due to Hurricane Florence that was predicted to hit the southeastern coast.  

Lynn and Cathy proceeded to have a gay time doing more of Detroit.  Even though the weather was overcast, somewhat rainy and exceptionally chilly, that didn’t keep us from thoroughly enjoying ourselves.  On Friday, Cathy’s colleague Liz, from Campfire who represents the Detroit area, picked us up and showed us around her hometown of Detroit.  She drove us through all the neighborhoods, the parts that the tourists see as well as neighborhoods that are off the beaten path.  Among the places she showed us was the Heidelberg Project. This is an area of several square blocks that had become quite derelict.  A local man who grew up there was astonished to see how badly it had deteriorated when he returned from serving in the Army.  He began painting some of the houses in bright colors and accumulating whimsical collections.  The art work has expanded significantly and is now essentially an indoor/outdoor museum and art center It has received awards and recognition and become quite an attraction.  It’s another example of Detroit’s efforts to reinvent itself.

Afterwards, Liz dropped us off at the Detroit Institute of Art, a wonderful art museum.  One of the highlights of this excellent collection is a room of Diego Rivera murals representing the workers in the automobile industry. It was complex and fascinating and well worth the visit.  The museum had a great collection of art including classical painters, impressionists, modern art, and more than we had time to see. 

That evening we had a terrific dinner at Lady of the House.  Dining out is one of the things we always enjoy doing together. 

The final full day of Cathy’s visit was even more cool and rainy.  We had a lazy morning and finally headed out so Cathy could see some of the sites like the Renaissance Center and the Guardian building. That evening Cathy treated Lynn to an early and delightful birthday dinner at Parc located in the center of the city at Campus Martius Park. 

Monday, our last full day in Detroit, was a day of transitions.  Cathy and Lynn took one last walk along an attractive bike and walkway near the marina where occasional murals and artwork lined the way.  

Cathy flew out in the early afternoon after a lovely three day visit.   Jonny arrived later in the afternoon along with our friend Stephen who was flying in from Sacramento to travel with us to Cleveland.  We all had a nice dinner onboard Zendo where we had a great view of downtime Detroit and the rotating lights on the RenCen (what the locals call the Renaissance Center)..  The next day we would be resuming our cruise to Put In Bay on Lake Erie.

Detroit, MI Part 1

Lynn had been getting concerned about planning for our living arrangements once we completed our journey and moved back to a Miami.  So, first thing on Tuesday, Sept. 4 we had a conference call with our realtor to discuss the best way of finding a short term rental in Miami.  Our thought was to get a furnished rental while we took our time finding a more permanent place to live.  We resolved that issue by postponing our search until later in October which would be closer to the time we would need a place.  With that resolved, we proceeded on our voyage to Detroit.  We had a five hour journey on a sunny day with calm waters.  We spent the time planning what we would do with the several days we would be docked in Detroit.  Jonny had to fly to an MTOA board meeting for a few days and our friend Cathy was flying in from Kansas City to keep Lynn company while Jonny was away.  We passed some huge freighters on our way and also began seeing some attractive churches and homes as we cruised the St. Clair River approaching Detroit.

We arrived at the Detroit Yacht Club at 3:45 and tied up at this venerable old yacht club that was founded in 1868!  Its clubhouse is a restored 1920’s era Mediterranean-style villa and it is reported to be the the largest yacht club in the U.S.   The building was beautiful but quite old-fashioned and in some places in need of significant updating.  The docks were great though, and it was fun having the experience of staying there. It also was a rather long Uber ride into the city.

The yacht club is located on the beautiful Belle Isle and it is the only commercial property on the island.  We took our bikes for a seven mile ride around what is now a big state park with lovely beaches, fountains, and historic buildings. We were pleased to see a lot of local people using the park and enjoying the beautiful end of summer weather.

That evening we ate on board and enjoyed having good TV reception for the first time in a while by watching  a Ken Burns special on Mark Twain.

The next day we set out to explore Detroit since neither one of us had been there before.   We visited the Renaissance Center, an incredible complex where General Motors is headquartered along with other companies.

We followed a do-it-yourself walking tour and saw some of Detroit’s  architectural masterpieces such as the Guardian and Penobscot buildings.

That afternoon we did a tour at the Motown Hit City Museum which was a lot of fun.  It was amazing to learn how many of the greatest groups including Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross and the Supremes, the Four Tops, the Tempatations, the Jackson Five and the great Stevie Wonder had their start in such a modest studio!

On the way back we stopped at the Detroit Museum of History which had a particularly interesting exhibit on the Underground Railroad and the main library where we saw some amazing sculptures and murals.

That evening we went to a local jazz club called Cliff Bell’s where we sat at the bar and had dinner and watched an excellent jazz combo play non-stop for two hours with local musicians walking in to jam with the band.  It was a real treat for us since we have missed all the great jazz we used to hear in Miami.  

Our plan for the next day was to move Zendo to the W.G. Milliken State Harbor Marina closer to downtown Detroit where we would dock for the next few days. 

St. Clair, MI

With it being Labor Day on Monday, September 3, we decided to take our time and walk into the little town of Sanilac to have breakfast at what looked to be the only place to eat.  It was a cute little diner named Mary’s where we had a decent breakfast.  It was nowhere near as busy as yesterday’s breakfast spot.  We strolled the main street of town afterwards and went into the local hardware store. The owner was very engaging and proud of the fact that his was the oldest hardware store in the state of Michigan.  It even had several beams and posts that were made of tree trunks!  He proceeded to show us around his large and exceedingly neat and clean store and regaled us with stories about the town’s history.

A lovely lighthouse that appeared to be  no longer operational was located along the shoreline.

We took off on Zendo at 9:40 heading for St. Claire thinking that we would stay in the marina there.  Storms were expected later in the day and there aren’t many places to anchor in the area.  We cruised in warm and sunny weather and calm seas listening to various podcasts.  As the afternoon wore on we cruised off of the lake and onto the St. Clair River which is actually a strait connecting Lake Huron to Lake Erie.  We are clearly entering civilization as we passed more industrial areas and also some impressive shoreline homes.

After going through a low drawbridge, we arrived at 3:00 ahead of the storm which never materialized.  We tied up at the St. Claire Boat Harbor that is located on a small river that feeds into the St. Clair River. This was another marina with a lot of empty slips.

There were some cool Cris Craft boats in the marina and apparently they are built right up the river from here.

We got a ride into town from the marina staff to go to a local brew pub that turned out to be closed.  So we walked along the very nice boardwalk that lined the waterfront and is purported to be the longest fresh water boardwalk in the world. There were several groups of people picnicking on the grassy banks and and enjoying the cool breezes.

After our walk we returned to Zendo and had dinner ( spaghetti with clam sauce and sardines and a salad). While Lynn caught up by phone with her sister Lisa and Stephanie, Jonny got some good advice from our dock mates about Detroit, our next stop.  We will be staying in Detroit for the next week.  Jonny will be flying to Maryland for an MTOA board meeting and our friend Cathy is flying in from Kansas City to spend the weekend with Lynn. 

Port Sanilac, MI

We decided to take our time leaving Port Austin on Sunday, September 2 and have breakfast at the local restaurant that everyone goes to.  It was very local and very packed but they found us a table and we had a hearty breakfast.  We walked through the town a little but didn’t stop at this cool looking bakery. 

We left Port Austin by 11:30 and had calm seas following the coastline of Michigan along the thumb to Port Samilac which took all afternoon. Thankfully, the winds and seas were calm.  We spent quite a bit of time looking at the condo listings that Tom, our realtor, had sent us to see if we could find a 6 month furnished rental when we return to Miami.  We thought we should live in a condo for awhile to see if we even like it before we decide what to buy.

When we arrived in Port Sanilac (another port of refuge) we tied up at the dock.  

This marina had a lot of sailboats in it and was obviously quite popular with boaters.

We had a quiet evening onboard Zendo and made dinner (salmon, the remaining ears of corn from the farmer’s market, and salad). We watched the last episode of Dancing on the Edge and went to bed early.

Port Austin, MI

We left Oscada very early at 6:45 on Saturday, September 1 because we didn’t want to spend another day there.  We thought we would have a chance of getting ahead of what was predicted to be very windy conditions later in the day.  Our plan was to get to Port Austin and our back-up plan was Tawas. 

It was breezy but we were able to be relatively comfortable because the waves were on our bow quarter. Three quarters of the way through the morning  we got into the shadow of Michigan’s thumb and the waters calmed down a bit.  We arrived in Port Austin at about 11:15 and tied up at the very nice marina there.  The marina is one of the many state run operations lining the Michigan coast and from what we can see they are all in great shape with wide docks, accessible services and excellent breakwaters.  This one was surrounded by parkland, beaches and attractively maintained grounds. 

Everyone we met encouraged us to go the the farmer’s market that takes place every Saturday and was just a couple of blocks from the marina.  Of course we had to go and it was one of the best we’ve seen this summer.  It was very busy and we bought so much food that both of us had our hands full walking back. 

Upon returning to Zendo, we had delicious native tomato sandwiches for lunch and then set to work on boat cleaning chores including laundry, bike repairs and prepping for our upcoming guests.  Jonny was about to wash the outside of the boat when a big thunderstorm came up. It was pretty fierce and we were glad we were not out on the lake during it!

We had a nice, dinner of fresh perch and corn on the cob that we had purchased at the farmer’s market.  The marina had been quite active all day due to the Labor Day weekend.  There were many boaters and lots of families enjoying the waterfront park with its marina, playing fields and two beaches. 

That evening a band was playing in the park.  The musicians were older guys (like us) apparently all retired from the Detroit area.  They played classic rock and country with a couple of local guest singers from the audience.  They were very entertaining and even introduced us to the crowd after the lead singer worked the crowd during their break and heard our story.  We are realizing that the midwesterners we are meeting are just as warm and friendly as the Canadians were!

Oscoda, MI

We had a long pretty smooth day of cruising on Friday, August 31 starting early at 8 a.m.  We wanted to make a good long run while the weather was good because the next day looked a little iffy. Also, there was no place of interest that we wanted to stop and visit along this part of the coast.  The weather was sunny and clear but cool enough that we ran with the stratoglass closed early on.  The lake was fairly calm for most of the day except for a couple hours of hours when we encountered some rougher waters. The waves got to one foot but the short duration made  it choppy.  Fortunately, the waters calmed down again and Georgio spent most of the day sleeping in his little cardboard box on the flybridge.

We spent most of the day listening to John McCain and Aretha Franklin’s memorial services - both quite moving.  Unfortunately, we couldn’t tune in on Aretha’s live stream which would have been highly recommended entertaining.  We’re sorry that the  poor reception in this part of the world has caused us to miss many of the visual aspects of major news events over the last several weeks.

There were really very few places for us to cruise to.  At first we were going to go to Harrisville but then decided to to push on to Oscoda.  The only marina there - Haglund’s - didn’t even show up on Active Captain.  Jonny had to call the Chamber of Commerce to find one. We would have been happy to anchor out but there was no safe place to do so.  So we pulled into Haglund’s at 5:15 and entered the harbor with its good breakwater.  We passed some modest modular homes along the coast as we entered the marina. 

The marina owner also ran a hunting and gun shop.  He had recently bought the operation and the “marina” part was quite neglected.   There was no water, no restrooms, no WIFI but at least there was a power outlet, though it was just a household outlet!  We tied up at the dock across from the gun shop with a big gazebo right next to us and a busy highway across the street.  

The nearby town held no interest to us but we were grateful to be in a calm and safe harbor.  We were glad to only have to stay one night!.

Presque Harbor, MI

We had a long and uneventful day of travel along the eastern coast of Michigan on Thursday, August 30.  The weather was quite cool and we cruised with the Stratoglass closed for much of the day and wore layers of sweatshirts and jackets.  The lake was fairly calm early in the day but picked up as the afternoon wore on with 1 - 2 foot swells.

We stopped at Presque Island Marina for fuel and were surprised by how few boats were docked at the large and well-maintained marina.   

The friendly dock hand explained that the marinas along the coast are state run and are only allowed to lease 30% of the slips for seasonal rentals so they can act as ports of refuge for any vessels requiring safe harbor in a storm. These marinas are 30 miles apart all along the Michigan coast so a boater would be no further than 15 miles from one of these ports if they ever needed one.  The marinas are all fortified with impressive breakwaters.  This is all very comforting because the waters of the Great Lakes are big and can change quickly.

We fueled up at Presque Island Marina and stretched our legs by walking to the small general store that was going out of business.  We scooped up a few staples including a restocking of our beer reserves!

From there, we cruised to the nearby bay and found a comfortable anchorage for the night.  Surprisingly, it took us three tries to set the anchor but there was no wind and we had a relaxing evening on board.  Just after sunset we had the unique experience of seeing four planets - Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and Mars.  It was pretty spectacular!