Lake Michigan - Garden Island

Garden Island lies just to the north of Beaver Island.  This view is from Beaver.  For many years, the population of Garden Island was mainly Native Americans.  Many, who had lived for generations on Beaver Island, decided the culture of the new colonist was not to their liking and voluntarily moved to Garden.  Only in the past few decades have the Native Americans left the island for areas where employment is available.  The island is uninhabited and now mostly owned by the state of Michigan.

While there is a large body of water between Beaver and Garden, only a small portion of it is deep enough for boat travel.  That natural channel is marked by only one buoy, a green one - hard to find when it is not green.  Seems that the buoy is a favorite resting place for seabirds.

Last Dance tucked into Garden Island Harbor, behind Little Island.  Reasonable protection from winds can be found in this spot for anchoring and gaining access to the island.  The shoreline is heavily forested and the waters shallow, making for a challenge to find places to land a dinghy.  A number of improved trails are maintained by volunteers, but they are not marked and not all trials are cleared.  Maps and local knowledge are helpful.




Fortunately, an encounter with another boat in a Georgian Bay anchorage provided detailed information on hiking Lake Michigan Islands.  The crew aboard Catamount had an extra copy of a hiking guide, which they generously gifted.  The trail map proved most helpful in finding landing spots along the shore and the hiking trails.

Spirit houses are a unique feature on Garden Island.  The Native Americans built houses on top of graves so the deceased's spirit would have a place for shelter.  The houses are decorated with symbols.

An old settler's house remains on the island, the last surviving building.  It is used by the state to house staff during research on the island.  It is left open to provide shelter for hikers who may be caught in bad weather.

The site with the old house also had another feature that could provide some comfort to tired hikers - a hammock.

Lake Michigan - Beaver Island

Beaver Island is a large island in the north end of Lake Michigan.  It is only reachable by boat or airplane . . . and in the winter, only by airplane.  There is a ferry, that transports vehicles and passengers, that runs from Charlevoix to the Island, when the lake is not frozen.  All non-bridged islands are unique communities, ones even more isolated, even more so.

There is one natural harbor on Beaver Island, marked by the Whiskey Point Lighthouse.  The point got its name since it was the sight of a store that sold watered-down whiskey to the Indian population on the island.  The red roof building once housed the Coast Guard and now serves as a marine site for a university.  The ferry can be seen heading back to the mainland.

There are a couple marinas for private boats and the harbor has room for anchoring.  However, neither the ferry nor private boat are much use in the winter when the lake freezes - private aircraft becomes the only means to travel to or receives goods from the mainland.

Last Dance found a spot in the harbor across from the lighthouse to spend a few days, allowing the crew multiple expeditions into the island.  Sights, sounds, history, geography, good food and interesting people can be found.

Beaver Island is the only place in North America that was once a kingdom.  After King Strang was assassinated, the culprits were taken away to Mackinac Island where the townspeople celebrated and carried the assassins on their shoulders through town.  This chapter is only one of many on Beaver Island.

 Travel on the island is supported by roads and many bike trails.  Near the town on the northern end of the island, the roads are paved.  In other areas of the island, not so, as evidenced by the minivan.  It is a normal appearance for island cars.  And, why wash it when it will only look like that the next day.  One long section of the bike trail is asphalt paved while the parallel road is dirt.  Always interesting as to where the political power lies.

The islanders are proud of their history and display it many places.   This outdoor display had machinery that had been used on the island.

With a preponderance of dirt roads, this old road grader was only retired a few years ago.  Must have been the oldest piece of road maintenance machinery operated in the U.S.

Having a generator on a distant island is normal.  It is common to have the first source of electricity made by a diesel-powered generator.

A surprise was found on the other side of the engine - a carburetor and spark plugs.  Diesel injectors on the left side of the engine, and spark ignition on the other.  Odd.  The compression ratios needed for proper ignition vary greatly between spark and compression ignition that one engine should not be able to function on both fuels.  But, here it is.  A great solution on an isolated island where diesel fuel or gasoline might be in short supply.

On an island, boats are a large part of the history.  Beaver Island has a volunteer-operated museum cataloging and displaying the commercial boat industry.  Fishing was the biggest source of income on the island for many years and history of the people and boats involved in fishing make up most of the displays.

The Great Lakes fishing boat under the outdoor shed had the original engine rebuilt to like-new condition. Kahlenberg once built large marine diesel engines.  This relatively small - pistons are twice the size of a coffee can - three cylinder, two-cycle engine was rebuilt by an individual who collected parts from all around the island.

Then, there is the whimsical Beaver Island Toy Museum.  Entertaining for sure.  An islander has taken their antique toy collection and created a point of interest and a business in an old home.  Busy place.

The antique toy collection is displayed from the ceiling - a distant view, but protected from little hands that may not appreciate the value and fragility.

The biggest benefit of having the toys displayed on the ceiling to the proprietor is that this arrangement allows all the floor space to be used for displays of new toys for sale - displays packed so tightly that it is difficult to walk among them.  And, yes, the prices might look to be antique also, but they are actual prices.  A reminder of the old 5¢ & 10¢ or five & dime stores.

Libraries are always a stop in newly visited towns for the Last Dance crew.  The Friends of the Library book sales are the best resource for restocking the reading materials on the boat.  Beaver Island has a new library, donated by a local resident, the owner of Lands End.

Interesting design characteristics were employed in the interior to create engaging and brightly lighted spaces.  The glassed-in room in the back is filled with overstuffed chairs for comfortable and quiet seating with internet access.

More than books are on display in the Beaver Island Library.  One of the residents has built accurate models of World War I airplanes.  To provide a view of the intricate wood construction, the fabric covering of the fuselage and wings was eliminated.

This is the British built Sopwith Camel, the most successful fighter airplane in terms of enemy planes shot down.  Twin machine guns were mounted on the cowl in front of the pilot, timed, of course, to fire when the propeller blade was not in front of the guns.  Today, the Sopwith Camel is best known as the place flown in the imagination of the cartoon character, Snoopy.

The Albatross was a German airplane first built in 1916.  While most planes of this period used air-cooled radial engines, the Albatross used a 6 cylinder, water-cooled Mercedes.  Top speed was 175 miles an hour, a great accomplishment a little over a decade since the Wright brothers had proved that manned flight was possible.

The French contributed the Nieuport 28 to the WWI effort.  The United States purchased this plane for use by both the US Army and Navy.  One of the original planes is on display in the Naval Air Museum in Pensacola, Florida.

Not history created on Beaver Island, but a unique history lesson on Beaver Island.

There is enough interesting on Beaver Island to keep one entertained for an entire summer, and there are those who choose to do so by having a summer house on the island.  This one has some interesting architecture, partially to address a code issue.  Waterfront property in the harbor, particularly where a boat can be moored alongside, is rare.  Local code does not allow the footprint of an existing building to be increased.  So, an attractive home was created by renovating an old home adding architectural details and making usable space larger with an outdoor kitchen.

Lake Huron

Georgian Bay and North Channel are two bays on the northern edge of Lake Huron.  Both are large bodies of water, but there are reasons for calling the Great Lakes "great."  They are so large that they are often called inland seas.  Freight is still a major industry in the Great Lakes.  The decision was made to cross back into the United States to Rogers City, Michigan, one of the few places to clear US Customs in Michigan. On that crossing, the crew encountered commercial traffic.  From a distance, the ship above looked like a freighter, but closer examination noted and odd stern.  It was actually the tug Samuel de Champlain pushing a barge - an 843 foot long barge.

Lighthouses remain an important navigation aid on the Great Lakes.  Many are on reefs offshore, which must have been a tough place to live in stormy weather and winters.  Today they are automated and unmanned.  This is 40 Mile Point Light, a point on a reef 40 miles east of the Lake Michigan/Lake Huron divide.

The Michigan cities along Lake Huron not being destinations of interest, more lighthouses are shared.  The Poe Reef Light.  There are shallows and reefs along Michigan's shore of both Lakes Huron and Michigan, necessitating the navigational aids.

The divide between Lakes Huron and Lake Michigan is spanned with a huge bridge - 5 miles long and 554 feet at the top of the towers.  With a 155 ft clearance, this is a bridge that Last Dance does not need to worry about lowering the antennas.  Local business people had lobbied for the bridge since the late 1880's, but it didn't become a reality until 1957.  The fast, catamaran ferry is carrying tourists from Mackinac City to Mackinac Island.

Grays Reef creates a large shallow area in Lake Michigan with only a small channel of safe passage.  The northern-most light is abandoned, but is helpful in finding the northern end of the channel.

The Grays Reef Light is at the southern end of the channel.  The waters of Lake Michigan are deep from this point south.

North Channel - Meldrum Bay

At the west end of Manitoulin Island, and at the end of the road across the island, lies the small town of Meldrum Bay.  The natural bay is large and open to the north, so to create a protected harbor a large breakwater was constructed.  The red building along the shore was the net shed, where nets were kept and mended when fishing was the largest industry.  It has now been repurposed as the Museum of Meldrum Bay, filled with historic items from all the families in town.  Meldrum Bay is now home to only 37 people year round.  The museum docent was a high school boy, a multi-generation resident.  He is the only high school student in town and has a two-hour one-way bus ride to school.  A very isolated spot is Meldrum Bay.

The breakwater extended a small, natural peninsula that protruded into the bay, one much too small to provide protection from winds and waves.  The peninsula and breakwater have been made into a park for all, with a few RV spaces.

The newly constructed marina lies just inland from the breakwater.  The old, fixed commercial wharf remains with the new floating docks for recreational boats beyond.

A couple commercial fishing boats remain in Meldrum Bay, a far cry from the large industry that once existed here.  Andave H. is a great lakes fishing boat design with one variation from the norm.  The high enclosed bows are designed to penetrate large waves, allowing the boat to pass through rather than over the wave.  Andave H. has a lifting strake along the hull, which should allow the boat to ride over middle-sized waves.

Dolphin, a downeast Maine style trawler with whom we had anchored in Long Point Cove, had arrived a day earlier and Last Dance was docked just opposite. There are only so many "roads" upon the waterways and paths of cruisers continually cross, providing reacquaintances with old friends.

A view from the floating docks includes all of the commerce in Meldrum Bay.  The brown building is the marina and campground office, laundromat, and fueling station, operated by the town.  The first building up the road is the Meldrum Bay Inn, the second is the Country Store.

Being at the end of the road on a sparsely populated island makes for a very quiet place.  Walks with Bonnie could explore the town from the middle of the almost trafficless roads.  A peaceful place is Meldrum Bay.

The country store was the social and commercial center of Meldrum Bay, until two years prior.  It provided the only opportunity for grocery shopping, contained the most important LCBO, post office, and gift items for the tourists.  The young proprietor became pregnant and felt that the store was much too time-consuming.  It is difficult to understand how a store serving 37 residents could have a viable business plan.  However, it has recently been sold with plans to reopen as a store again.

The Meldrum Bay Inn is the most active business in town.  It has always been an inn, with a restaurant downstairs and rooms on the upper floors.  It is owned and operated by a couple who fled the corporate world in California for a more peaceful life.

The Inn still has its old charm.  A dinner here was planned to spend the remaining Canadian money.  It was an outstanding way to invest the money.  The fish is from the local fishermen, most fresh and prepared in interesting ways.  Dinner on the porch also provided a continual show of hummingbirds as they feasted on the flowers in the hanging pots.

After dinner, a concert was held on the porch, another reacquainting with cruising friends.  Jim Krause, on the mandolin, and wife, Anne Hurley, on the cello, were cruising North Channel on their sailboat.  We had met them at Little Current on a morning when the current was not little, but raging and dangerous, preventing our departure.  To pass the time awaiting for the current to subside, the crew took a walk down the docks, always an interesting view of boats and meeting of people.  We met Jim and Anne for only a brief discussion before deciding to cast off the lines, continuing west.  Jim helped with the lines.  Little did we know at the time of their talents.  Jim and Anne met in the School of Music at the University of Indiana in Bloomington.  They found they had more in common than music.  Jim is still at the University of Indiana, as a professor in the College of Media, and Anne operates a business in town.  They were accompanied by another professor, at a university in Illinois, who is a summer resident of Meldrum Bay.  Jim and Anne eschew the tradition of exchanging boat cards - they give new friends a copy of one of their CDs.   (Jim Krause Music link)  Enjoyment of their music has continued with the album "Madeline Bay," its cover decorated with beautiful photos from the waters of the Pacific Northwest.  It contains a quote from Edward Abbey,

"May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view.  May your mountains rise into and above the clouds."

Meldrum Bay provided more enjoyment than could be imagined when it was planned as the last stop in Canada before returning to the United States - interesting town, interesting history, interesting people, and wonderful experiences over a great dinner.  A marvelous place is Meldrum Bay.