Day #4 - Yes, Chicago

What a beautiful ride from St. Joe to Chicago, 54 miles and 9 hrs. later we anchored at the playpen. It was wonderful to see sunshine again. We  quickly put on our swimsuits. I wanted to get some color and Scot wanted to go for a swim! We were able to pick up Britta and bring her aboard.  After she left, we were admiring the beauty of the Chicago skyline. Wow! It's like looking at stars in the night sky. We are getting ready to go down the Chicago River and I am so excited for my first lock.

Bonnie, thanks for warm socks. Big thank-you to Blue Angel who was beside all the way from St. Joe to Chicago. It sure was nice to have a boat buddy beside you who has so much experience under their belt and willing to share it.

Day #3 - St. Joe, MI.....hopefully last port in MI

Left @ 7:00am. Winds were North and kind of chilly. Nothing like wearing our winter gear already!
There were some rollers (big waves) left over from the last couple days.  Nice sunrise but then clouds rolled in. Got into St. Joe @ 1:00pm and tied to the wall at the downtown park. Scot and I rode bikes for some needed exercise. The town sure has changed after a couple years and our favorite "spots" are gone. Rain kicked in about 4:00pm. Guess it's the after effects from the hurricanes.
Heading to Chicago tomorrow, anchoring  near Navy Pier and hoping Britta came come aboard for a visit. Thanks to the Blue Angel who is still cruising with us. It's nice to have some company!

Day #2 - Saugatuck .....again

Had to stay another day in Saugatuck. Mother Nature was taking her course today with some winds and waves. Tomorrow, heading off to South Haven or weather permitting going all the way to St. Joe. then heading across to Chicago on Sat. am. to visit Britta.

Day #1 - Bon Voyage

Well, we made it to Saugatuck today. It was a very nice trip under glass up above,  keeping  the chill out, had some sun on our side and waves were about one to two feet.   The temperature of the water on Lake Michigan was 41 degrees. We could see out breath!  Burr, thank goodness we're heading south.
After anchoring, we could feel the winds picking up out of the north. Went to town to explore and came  back to "home".  We noticed that our "new" anchor was not holding us with the wind, so we decided to re-anchor, which proved to be a wise decision!
Thanks to all of our friends with the big send-off today from Pigeon Lake. We have the best neighbors.  Also a big thank you to the Chester's for sharing some "cheer".
Not sure what tomorrow will bring.......At least Saugatuck is a great harbor, my favorite :)
Thanks for all the support and well wishes from everyone.

Photo from Dave & Mary Visser

Bags are packed ready to go.....tomorrow.

Plans have changed once again.......We will be taking off tomorrow Wednesday morning @ 9:00am and will be anchoring in Saugatuck, my favorite harbor. Hopefully it will warm up a bit more later on this week. Thanks for all the phone calls, visits and warm wishes from all of our friends and family. Especially thanks to all my dear friends that took my plants. Lucky, our bird, is enjoying life so far in Chicago with Britta.

Kudos To Our Friends

Many thanks to all of our friends that showed up at Scot's retirement parties last week. We really appreciated all the kind words, gifts and words of encouragement. What a nice surprise to have Britta buy the first 10 pitchers of our favorite beverage! 
Our date of departure has now been moved back one day....Wed. Sept.7th.

Retirement Update :)

Scot's last day of working at Consumers Energy will be this Wednesday, Aug. 17th. There will be a cake celebration on Tuesday, Aug 16th from 2:30-4:00pm. Then on Wednesday, Aug17th we will have a retirement social  at the Alaskan Pipeline (the old Barn) starting @ 4:00pm. Hope to see some of our friends at either one of these parties.
Every minute is spent working on the boat, shopping for supplies and making lists of things to do.
Our tentative date of departure will be Tuesday, Sept. 6th. Starting our trip  with "Blue Angel", weather permitting of course.