Lake Superior - Keweenaw Waterway

 

July 24^th was a good day for cruising the 40 miles from Big Bay to Houghton via the Keweenaw Waterway.  Keweenaw is an Indian word meaning ‘the crossing place.’  The Portage River and Portage Lake cut into the Keweenaw Peninsula from the east and in 1873 a canal was dug the remainder of the way through the peninsula to the western end.  This resulted in the northern end of the peninsula becoming an island while connecting Lake Superior with itself.  Traversing the waterway eliminates the 100-mile cruise around the peninsula.

Lower entrance to Keweenaw Waterway

This is copper country.  In 1843 news of a massive copper discovery on the Keweenaw Peninsula spurred one of the first mineral rushes in the United States. Copper was valued for its use in guns, cookware and telegraph wire.  In the 1870’s over three-fourths of the nation’s copper was produced here, making the region one of the wealthiest areas in North America.  Most copper mining has since ceased and tourism is the main economic driver today.

Houghton County Marina in Hancock

After docking at the Houghton County Marina, we climbed the steep hill to explore the town of Hancock.  Other than a flurry of road construction, there was not much happening in town.  Finlandia University, the only Finnish university in America, is located here.  And in a nod to the town’s Finnish ancestry, many of the street signs are posted in both English and Finnish.

Portage Lake Lift Bridge

The Portage Lake Lift Bridge links the cities of Hancock and Houghton and is the only bridge linking the two sides of the Keweenaw Peninsula.  It is a double decker bridge that sees about 25,000 vehicles cross daily.  During the summer months when boat traffic is heavy the center span is lifted and cars travel across its lower level.  Come winter, the center span is lowered and cars travel across its upper level, freeing the lower level for snowmobile traffic.  And do they ever get a lot of snow!  This past winter 284.9 inches of snow fell!!!

Houghton as seen from Hancock

Houghton is home to the 7,000-student Michigan Technological University.  We crossed the Portage Lake Lift Bridge to see if Houghton was livelier than Hancock.  After wandering the main drag through town we stopped in at the Douglas House Saloon for some happy hour beverages.  Not much happening here either.  We were two of four customers at the bar and the bartender seemed to enjoy the company.

Lake Superior - Three Perfect Days in Big Bay

BIG BAY, MICHIGAN - DAY 1 - A  must see in Big Bay, Michigan is the infamous Lumberjack Tavern, scene of a 1952 murder immortalized in the movie Anatomy of a Murder.  Trip Advisor rates the tavern #2 of 8 things to do in Big Bay.  (Yes, supposedly there are 8 things to do in Big Bay.)  Since we had to break up an otherwise long cruise on Lake Superior to Houghton, we docked Lazy W in the harbor of refuge at Big Bay. After securing the boat we took off on foot to see for ourselves what all the hype was about.

The directions given us by the harbor hosts were somewhat vague but we persevered and trekked along the rural road until we came upon this small rustic bar.  We were obviously at the right place since a huge reproduction of a movie poster dominated the front of the building. The body outline on the floor was another ‘dead giveaway’ that we had arrived!

 

We strode to the bar and attempted to engage the young bartender in a conversation.  When asked what he could tell us about its history, he replied, “I’m too young to know.”  Well, duh, we could see that, but hello, you do work here!!  Another bar patron filled us in on the story and eventually the bartender produced a scrapbook with newspaper clippings, along with gruesome murder scene and morgue photos.

Shortly after midnight July 31^st, 1952, Coleman Peterson strode into the Lumberjack Tavern and fired six shots into Mike Chenowith, the tavern’s owner and bartender.  Peterson’s wife Charlotte had come home earlier that evening claiming that Chenowith had raped and beaten her.  Peterson was charged with first degree murder and was defended by attorney John Voelker.  The trial took six days and the jury returned a verdict of not guilty by reason of temporary insanity. 

Had Voelker not then written the best-selling book Anatomy of a Murder, this crime probably would not have risen past the annals of local Big Bay history.  But then along came film director Otto Preminger.  The film Anatomy of a Murder was released in 1959 starring Jimmy Stewart, Ben Gazzara, Lee Remick, George C. Scott, Eve Arden and Orson Bean.  (The film received several Academy Award nominations but won none.) It was shot in various locations including Big Bay, Ishpeming and Marquette.  Imagine the excitement in these small towns during the filming! 

We stopped at the nearby Thunder Bay Inn for more happy hour beverages.  Once known as the Ford Hotel, it served as a vacation retreat for Henry Ford and Ford Motor Company executives in the 1940’s.  (Wooden panels for early Ford station wagons – the Woodie – were produced here.)  In 1986 it was renamed Thunder Bay Inn, the fictional name of the hotel in Anatomy of a Murder.  Many movie scenes were shot here and the friendly inn keeper has quite a scrapbook of memorabilia from the filming of the movie.  I guess we can say that we had found 2 things to do in Big Bay!

BIG BAY, MICHIGAN – DAY 2.  Our relatively short cruise from Marquette to Big Bay on Friday was the smoothest yet.  Perfect temperatures and calm water.  Saturday morning’s forecast was not quite as promising but still comfortably doable.  We arose at 6AM and headed out of Big Bay for a 50-mile run to Houghton on the Keweenau Waterway.  Winds were favorably light and Lake Superior looked benign.  Looks can be deceiving though!  After being beaten up for six miles we turned tail and headed back to Big Bay.  We tied Lazy W to the dock wall, assessed the mess down below in the salon, put everything back in its proper place and settled in for another day in Big Bay. 

Before long Mary Lou and Rod on Sea Gal arrived after a rough 6-hour cruise from Houghton.  We met them in Marquette and they had phoned us on their way west to Houghton a few days ago to let us know that there was enough water in Big Bay for boats our size.  They are now headed east back to Marquette.  But not today!

 

Sea Gal and Lazy W at dusk in Big Bay Harbor

 

BIG BAY, MICHIGAN – DAY 3.  Uh-oh!  Small craft advisory in effect from 11AM thru midnight.  Waves 5 to 7 feet.  Lazy W is not going anywhere today.  What to do, what to do…

 

I gave the interior of the boat a good cleaning and the Captain busied himself with boat chores in the engine room while periodically helping me adjust fenders and dock lines.  The winds were cold and gusty and Lazy W was doing her crazy dance routine at the dock.  We could see waves crashing over the top of the sea wall.  It was a day to hunker down and keep warm.  And all this while Hampton Roads was enduring another heat advisory.  Well, we did come north to escape that!

 

While the Admiral takes pictures of pretty things we see along the way, the Captain takes pictures of toilet paper in the restrooms and contemplates the ramifications of toilet paper theft in Big Bay!?!?!  Guess three days stranded in Big Bay will do that to a guy.

 

Toilet paper security at Big Bay Harbor

 

Happy hour on Sea Gal with Rod and Mary Lou and Bob and Pam (the harbor hosts) topped off a rather uneventful but bumpy day at the dock.  By the time happy hour ended the sun finally made an appearance, the wind calmed down a bit and we were cautiously optimistic that tomorrow would be a good travel day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lake Superior - Sault Ste. Marie to Marquette

 

 

With the locks behind us we traversed the final 15 miles of the St. Marys River and entered Lake Superior.   WOOHOO!  WE DID IT! The Ojibway called this lake “Gitche Gumee” – Big-Sea-Water.  Most of us have heard of gitche gumee if we have read Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s Song of Hiawatha or have listened to Gordon Lightfoot’s ballad Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. 

The northeast winds buffeted the starboard side of Lazy W giving us a somewhat bumpy ride the rest of the way to Whitefish Bay.  At times a drizzle of rain wet the decks.  We were all glad to see the protected, minimalist docks of Whitefish Point come into view.  Captain Frank expertly maneuvered us past the shoal at the harbor entrance and into our slip despite the gusty winds. 

A short walk down the road through swarms of biting mosquitoes and black flies brought us to the Whitefish Point Lighthouse and Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum.  We were surprised at how many tourists had descended upon this site!  We are in the middle of nowhere!  The museum is dedicated to the fury of Lake Superior, telling the stories of the many ships and their crews who have perished upon its water. 

November is the most notorious month of the year for shipwrecks in Lake Superior.  On November 10^th, 1975 the Edmund Fitzgerald and her crew of twenty –nine fell victim to the infamous gales of November.  Two life boats, the largest pieces of wreckage recovered, are on display at the Museum Ship Valley Camp in Sault Ste. Marie.  The ships’s bell is on display at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum where Gordon Lightfoot’s ballad is played on a continuous loop – a bit of overkill if you asked us!

A bronze leaf depicting the Gordon Lightfoot ballad The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.  Several more of these leaves depicting other songs are on display in a waterfront park in his hometown of Orillia Ontario.

 

We felt we had been duly forewarned of the dangers that could possibly lie ahead so we trekked back to Lazy W – Frank and I started happy hour, Patti and Alan took a nap.

Friday’s cruise to Grand Marais was less than pleasant.  Forty miles of cold, gusty winds – temps in the low 50’s – rollicking waves from every direction, or so it seemed.  I knew I wasn’t the only one counting down the miles until this trek was over when Alan kept asking, “How many more miles?”  We were all glad to arrive at the sheltered harbor of Grand Marais. And luckily for us there were friendly guys hanging out there to catch our lines and reel Lazy W into the dock.

Grand Marais was a pleasant surprise.  There was not one, but two taverns in town.  How to choose, how to choose. We opted for the Grand Marais Tavern on Lake Street.  Not only was the Cudighi Yooper Sausage Pizza an excellent menu choice, but the tavern itself was right next to the Pickle Barrel House Museum!  Listed on the National Register of Historic Places (yup, that’s right!) this larger than life pickle barrel was constructed in 1926 and used as a summer home by William Donahey, the creator of the Chicago Tribune cartoon The Teenie Weenies.

 

Leaving Grand Marais

 

Between Grand Marais and Munising lies 42-mile long Pictured Rocks National Seashore.  The name pictured rocks comes from the streaks of mineral stain that decorate the face of the sculpted sandstone cliffs, some of which are 200 feet tall.  The streaks occur when groundwater oozes out of the cracks in the porous sandstone and trickles down the cliff face.  The groundwater carries dissolved minerals painting the surface with beautiful patterns – the reds and oranges from iron, blues and greens from copper, brown and black from manganese, and white from limonite.  Of course, my pictures do not quite capture the beauty of it.

The weather was picture perfect for getting up close to the Pictured Rock formations.  (We deserved a good cruising day after the beating we took yesterday.) The water is deep here and Frank expertly guided Lazy W among a few tour boats and dozens of kayakers so we could enjoy the awesome views.

Grand Portal Rock

Painted Coves

Miners Castle

 

When we docked at Munising Bay Shore Marina and were off the water we were surprised at how warm it was.  We exchanged our layers of fleece and jeans for t-shirts and shorts – had summer finally arrived on Lake Superior?? 

We strolled through town and followed Alan into The Barge Inn.  He thought he was just reconnoitering for later on – Frank, on the other hand, was at the bar ordering drinks for 3:30 happy hour and a game or two of pool.  It would be rude to enter the bar and not order drinks, Alan!

 

I was able to contact Ross and Charlotte (we met them last boating season in Killarney) and they stopped by The Barge Inn for a short visit with us.  It was great reconnecting with them.

Summer was short-lived.  The winds started blowing out of the north late Saturday evening and didn’t stop until late in the afternoon Sunday.  The temperature plummeted and Sunday’s high was just in the 50’s but felt much colder.  The marina gave little protection from the blustery north winds and the boats were bobbing every which way in their slips.  The tour boats to Pictured Rocks didn’t even leave the docks! While we were chilled, our dock mates made the most of the situation and showed us how to sunbathe Yooper style!  And one of these couples even lent us an integral piece to the Weber grill (it leapt overboard at the dock here) so that we could still grill our Cudighi sausages.

We heard that the place to be on Sunday night in Munising was back at The Barge Inn for karaoke and bagpipes.  We couldn’t resist!  And we all agreed that between the four of us there would be no singing.  But as soon as we walked through the door, Patti was commandeered by the bagpiper/deejay and enticed to warble a few notes of My Girl.  She set the tone for a great night of dancin’ and shaggin’.  Luckily for the other patrons, there was no more singing by anyone in our group!  What fun!

KAARAOKE!!!

With such beautiful weather we could not resist anchoring out in Grand Island’s Trout Bay for an evening.  The hook set on the very first try.  We launched the dinghy to walk the beach; we played cards; we grilled our Cudighi Yooper sausages; we drank the day and night away.

One last look at Bridal Veil Falls at Pictured Rocks National Seashore before heading to Trout Bay

 

The next morning we set out for Marquette, the largest city in the Upper Peninsula. Unlike most towns in the U.P., Marquette was founded not on lumber but on iron.  Once Michigan’s first iron range was discovered in 1844 at Teal Lake, it was clear that a harbor was needed for the transportation of the iron to steel-making facilities. Marquette was selected and to this day, iron ore remains the main commodity handled at its docks. 

There are two massive ore docks dominating the harbor. Iron ore extracted from the mines is transported by rail to the top of the structure, dumped into the 150 ‘pockets’ each with a hinged chute that lowers and then drops the ore into the hold of the vessel docked along its sides.  From 1932 to 1971, twenty-four million tons of iron ore left Marquette via this now decommissioned ore dock in the Lower Harbor.  The working ore dock is further along the lakeshore near Presque Isle State Park. 

Stub of Lower Harbor Ore Dock

 

The elevated steel trestle leading to the Lower Harbor Ore Dock wound its way through Marquette for 70 years. The concrete trestle abutments were removed in 2000 and the right of way from the shoreline to 5^th Street has been repurposed.  Part of the right of way is now this colorful little linear park known as Rosewood Walkway.

Umbrellas over Rosewood Walkway

We made plans to join a walking tour of the Lower Harbor ore dock but so had every other visitor and local resident in Marquette.  We decided to forego being herded like cattle through downtown and opted instead to dine at Lagniappe Cajun Creole Eatery on Washington Street.  This restaurant came highly recommended by boaters we had met along the way and we thoroughly enjoyed our meal at this little bit of New Orleans in Marquette, Michigan. Our waitress explained that Lagniappe is a Cajun word meaning ‘a little something extra.’  Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler!

All good things must come to an end.  On Thursday, July 20^th it was time to bid goodbye to our best cruising partners, Alan and Patti.  The four of us drove 165 miles back to Sault Ste. Marie where they had met us and left their car a week earlier.  Just outside of Marquette along Route 28 we were surprised to see sand hill cranes feeding in the fields!  Traveling by car gave us an entirely different perspective of the Upper Peninsula.  Without a car we would never have experienced the town of Christmas with its giant-size roadside Santa Claus or known that the town of Newberry had been designated by the state legislature as Michigan’s Moose Capital.  It would have been great to see one!

After re-provisioning Lazy W, we returned the rental car to Enterprise and made plans to leave Marquette.  There is plenty to see and do here and we will have to re-visit the town on our return trip.  We made one last outing after dinner – hiking up the steep hill on Washington Street to attend Thursday’s Music on 3^rd Street.  Bands, musicians and singers performed at bars and on street corners as far as the edges of the campus of Northern Michigan University.  My favorite sign board:

 

 

Lake Huron

We left Beaver Island under sunny skies and the beautiful weather seemed to bring out plenty of pleasure boaters - there were more boats on the water today than any other day we have cruised.  In fact, we even shared passage through Grays Reef Passage just west of the Straits of Mackinac with not one but two commercial vessels – the first we have encountered on this trip.  Before long we were passing under the Mighty Mac, the Mackinac Bridge, and entering Lake Huron. 

The five-mile-long Mackinac Bridge linking Michigan’s lower and upper peninsulas was completed in 1957.  While we had passed under this bridge several times in our previous travels, this was the first time heading eastbound.  It looks the same either way!  J This time we decided to stay in St. Ignace on the Upper Peninsula rather than in Mackinaw City on the Lower Peninsula.

The town of St. Ignace is directly across the Straits of Mackinac, at the other end of the Mighty Mac, from Mackinaw City.  Jesuit missionaries, including Father Jacques Marquette, arrived in 1671 and christened their mission here in honor of their founder, St. Ignatius Loyola.  St. Ignace is one of the oldest continuous settlements in the United States.  Since its beginning, St. Ignace has been a commercial hub in the northern Great Lakes – seventeenth century fur trading and commercial fishing, nineteenth century lumber mills and iron production, and now tourism.

High Speed ferry with its distinctive rooster tail approaches St. Ignace

We dodged several high speed Star Line ferries whisking tourists to nearby Mackinac Island and gingerly made our way to our slip at St. Ignace City Marina just as the winds stirred things up.  Despite those ill-timed winds, Captain Frank expertly docked Lazy W and two young dock hands helped secure us in the slip.  Of course, this tie-up was not quite to the captain’s satisfaction and so we began the process of re-tying.  All was going well until the wind pushed Lazy W’s stern away from the dock, taking out the piling which was still securely fastened to our stern line (the captain can tie a hitch!) but uselessly bobbing in the water!  OOPS!!! Frank and another helpful boater wrestled the heavy piling onto the dock and secured the stern line to what we hope is a sturdy cleat.  We noticed later that some other docks were also missing a piling or two and that made me feel better.

OOPS!!

St. Ignace is a long way from the maddening crowds of Mackinac Island and Mackinaw City but we found plenty of entertainment during our short visit there.  Wednesday night brought a local folk duo to the marina gazebo.  Thursday afternoon a farmer’s market set up on State Street and a wine tasting featuring Michigan wines was hosted by The Pavilion Marketplace.  After a dinner of whitefish fingers at a local restaurant, we listened to Rum Boogie, a three-piece band playing an eclectic mix of Motown, Johnny Cash, Jimmy Buffett and Willie Nelson.

Rum Boogie

As we listened, I noticed Ross and Charlotte walking the dock to their sailboat – we met them last season on the docks of Killarney – and we stopped by for a nice chat.  We hope to meet up with them again when we stop at their hometown of Munising on Lake Superior.

Sunset at St. Ignace Municipal Marina

From St. Ignace we scooted around the back of Mackinac Island thus avoiding the high-speed ferries and made our way to the sheltered water of Les Cheneaux, “The Channels.”  What was once the travel route of explorers and fur traders is now a vacation wonderland of the Upper Peninsula.  The thirty-six islands here are heavily wooded with cedars and studded with vacation homes.  Many of their fixed docks are underwater – a visible reminder that the water levels in the Great Lakes are up this season.

This home on Dollar Island is now completely surrounded by water in Les Cheneaux

The waterway is narrow and marked by buoys that demanded our close attention. The small towns of Hessel and Cedarville have marinas catering to small boats and specializing in the care and maintenance of wooden boats.  We saw several of these beauties zipping along the many sheltered bays of Les Cheneaux.

Our first anchorage of the season was a success!  The anchor chain unrolled smoothly and the anchor caught on the very first drop in Government Bay.  The following morning the generator fired up giving me hot shower water and Frank his steaming coffee.  And the winch performed smoothly and the muddy anchor released easily.  The day was off to a good start!  We were on our way to Drummond Island.

De Tour Reef Light

Boat traffic along De Tour Passage

De Tour Passage is part of the shipping channel that leads to the St. Mary's River and Sault Ste. Marie.  There always seems to be a freighter in view and today did not disappoint.  By 1PM we were securely docked at Drummond Island Yacht Haven after a particularly ugly arrival that rattled the crew of Lazy W.  Why does the wind get gusty just as we arrive at a marina?!?!?!

  

After two days in Drummond Island where the Captain spent a full day shining up Lazy W, we cast off the lines on a dreary overcast morning and began our cruise up the St.  Marys River to Sault Ste. Marie.  Patti and Alan would be meeting us (by car) at the George Kemp Marina in a few days so it was time for us to get a move on.

The seventy-five-mile long St. Marys River connects Lake Huron and Lake Superior.  Our cruise today would cover the southernmost 40+ miles from Drummond Island to Sault Ste. Marie.  Near Lime Island we passed the southbound freighter Algoma Strongfield and shortly thereafter we spotted our first bald eagle of the trip.

 

Boat traffic along the St. Marys River

 

As we entered the upbound channel of the St. Marys River near Neebish Island we were stopped by a Michigan DNR officer inquiring about our lack of visible state registration numbers on Lazy W.  We knew as a Coast Guard registered vessel home-ported in Virginia that these registration numbers are not required – he didn’t!  After radioing his supervisor, he now knows that five states do not require state registration numbers – and Virginia is one of them.  He apologized for the inconvenience and sent us on our way.

By 1PM Lazy W was gulping down diesel at the fuel dock at George Kemp Marina in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.

                   Said a youngster of Sault Sainte Marie

                     To spell I will never agree,

                     Till they learn to spell Sault

                     Without any U

                     Or an A or L or a T.

                                      ---Henry Rowe Schoolcraft

 

Sault Ste. Marie is Michigan’s oldest city. Aboriginal tribes from all over North America gathered here over 2,000 years ago drawn by the wealth of fish and fur along the rushing water of the St. Marys River. They called the area Bahweting, Gathering Place. The French and the British recognized the strategic importance of the river and often fought over the area in the 1700’s.  In 1820 the Treaty of the Sault was signed turning over control to the United States.

The twin cities of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario sit on opposite sides of the St. Marys River.  (Sault is French for waterfall.) The two cities are joined by the International Bridge that has spanned the river for over 50 years.  The St. Marys Rapids form a 21-foot natural barrier along the only water connection between Lake Superior and the other Great Lakes. Along the American side of the river are the world-famous Soo Locks built over 150 years ago to allow large vessels to safely traverse this 21-foot drop in elevation leaving Lake Superior. On the Canadian side the smaller Sault Canal Lock serves the needs of smaller recreational boaters travelling to and from Lake Superior. 

The American Soo Locks (MacArthur, Poe and Davis Locks) have been operated by the federal government since 1881 and are among the busiest locks in the world.  Dating back to 1855, iron ore started moving through the Soo Locks from Minnesota’s Mesabi Range eastward to the steel mills.  Today, more than 11,000 vessels carrying up to 90 million tons of cargo pass through the locks each year.  Most of this cargo is either iron ore, coal, grain or stone.  Visitors to the Soo Locks can get an up-close look at the lock operations from the observation platforms adjacent to the MacArthur Lock.

Freighter fills the Poe Lock

Tower of History in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan

 

George Kemp Marina and Museum Ship Valley Camp from the Tower of History

 

Adjacent to the George Kemp Marina is the Museum Ship Valley Camp.  (Frank enjoyed ogling her triple expansion steam engine and coal-fired Scotch boilers.)  Housed inside the massive cargo hold of this retired 550-foot long Great Lakes freighter are displays showcasing shipwrecks, lighthouses, local maritime history and the perils of life on these lakes.  While the Valley Camp is massive, she pales in comparison to the newer ‘footers’ plying the lakes today – they are 1,000+ feet long!

Triple expansion steam engine!

 

Looking out over the deck hatches from the wheel house of Valley Camp

 

 

Patti and Alan arrived on a rainy Wednesday afternoon.  We re-provisioned the boat at the Local Walmart and wandered thru downtown Sault Ste. Marie before enjoying dinner at Karl’s Cuisine.  From our dining table we watched a ‘footer’ approach the Poe Lock.

 The Pub Runners a trio of Irish lads from Gaylord Michigan were the featured musicians for Wednesday music in the Lock Park.  Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate but the Ramada Inn Ojibway agreed to host the musicians and listeners in their ball room.  The Pub Runners were great especially the electric fiddler.

Approaching MacArthur Lock

Happy 43^rd Anniversary to us!!!  Early Thursday morning, July 13^th, with some healthy trepidation, we approached the locks.  Soon we were cleared to enter the MacArthur Lock.  It was a dreary morning with no other boat traffic to contend with.  The lock line handler threw down two lines for us to wrap around Lazy W’s cleats and we were then given a gentle lift up to the level of Lake Superior.  The 21-foot upbound lock-through was uneventful and we continued on our way along the St. Marys River.

All alone in Mac Arthur Lock