Put-in-Bay, OH

We made our first big foray into Lake Erie departing Detroit on Wednesday, September 12 at 8:30.  It was a fine sunny day but cool enough for jackets. It was also the first day of travel with Stephen Chew who had flown in from Sacramento for a few days. 

The current was fast and we were flying at 9 mph for a couple of hours until we entered the lake.  As time wore on, it became a little rougher and some cloud cover developed.  It got increasingly uncomfortable on board so much so that Jonny went down below to make our lunch.   Apparently Georgio wasn’t too happy with the rocky seas because he left a little gift for us on our cabin rug.  Poor thing!

We arrived at Put-In-Bay by 2:40 and selected a mooring ball in the almost empty mooring field.  The tender came to pick us up and we walked into town for a beer. 

Put-In-Bay is pretty touristy but because it was after Labor Day and wasn’t busy at all.  The town is actually quite pretty and we could see why it had been recommended to us by many cruisers.  It had lots of gaily painted restaurants and stores and a very nice park along the waterfront.

After taking a stroll through town, we headed back to Zendo where we had chile for dinner sitting on the aft deck.   It was a lovely evening  and we had fun with Stephen telling stores and reminiscing about our long friendship together.  The next day we would be heading to Cleveland for two nights. 

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.