Aug 25, 2009 (Katie)
Mackinac Island
We got up very early excited for a run to to Makinac Island. We left De Tour and made it a short 2 miles before we realized we were not going to get anywhere in the current wave conditions. Instead of waiting out the day in De Tour where there weren’t too many exciting things going on, we took advantage of having the trailer near.
We pulled the boat and traveled 20 miles down the road. We thought that if we got around the corner the land would block some of the high winds. Once again we ventured out into the open water. The waves were no smaller. We actually found ourselves in very shallow water because we missed a bouy. The green marker was dipping in and out of the huge waves and it was difficult to see. Once again the water was too big for travel, so we headed back to shore. We drove to St Ignace a few more miles toward Mackinac and planned a short run across to the Island.
We are running out of days, but traveling during a small craft advisory, rip current warnings, and waves forecasted at 5-8 feet, is not a smart decision. Instead, we took a ferry to Machinac Island.
Mackinac Island is a small resort town that has outlawed motor vehicles of all kinds. There are no cars, no golf carts, and no emergency vehicles. All taxis, fire trucks, and deliveries are conducted with the use of horse and carriage.
There are 600 or more horses on the island, and they live a pretty good life. On Machinac Island horses always have the right away, they wear rubber soled shoes ( We think this is an opportunity for the next Kentucky Derby to sign on with Nike) instead of uncomfortable metal horse shoes, and they run free all winter long.
Bicycles line the streets where you would normally find cars, and the smell of fudge permeates from nearly every storefront.
After a two hour horse and carriage tour of the Island, we were treated to lunch at Patrick Sinclair’s courtesy of Mary and the tourist office. Sinclair’s is an Irish pub on the main drag of town. Lunch was delicious and people all over the island are very friendly.
The weather continued get worse. As we took the ferry back to the mainland the waves crashed higher than the window of the boat. We were thankful we did not try to cross the Mackinaw straights today, but disappointed that we would not have the time or acceptable weather to make the crossing in our own Duroboat.
We trailered the boat along the lake Michigan curve of the UP toward the Wisconsin border trying to recover to a pace that would allow us to meet now scheduled events in Wisconsin.
Just over the Wisconsin border we got a motel room from Bob and Kim at the Tarragon Motel in Marinette, WI. The motel is owned by the friendly couple who have built their business up through good service, and word of mouth within the fishing community. After checking in we talked with them for sometime. When we settled into the room we decided to pass up the beach volleyball at the Stampede Bar and Grill next door in favor of sleep.
Aug 26, 2009 (Katie)
Green Bay, Appleton, Waupaca
Before leaving the Tarragon Motel we had a deliciously large breakfast at the Stampede. We launched into Green Bay at Marinette to complete our lake michigan run heading south to the town of Green Bay. We made it down the west side of Lake Michigan quickly. The water was completely opposite from yesterday. We still had medium sized waves, but they were slower rolling and headed our way. They still made for a roller-coaster ride, but they gave us a little push down the length of the lake.
We stopped in Green Bay for an appointment with John, a photographer hired by Beloit College. He coached us as we cruised back and forth in front of the dock and posed for a few photos.
We traveled through Green Bay and down the Fox River. Unsure how far we could get, we pushed on until we arrived at a lock. Unlike the 100-plus Canadian locks that we had become experts at traversing, this lock had no wall to tie up to and did not answer our attempts at communication via the VHF radio. After eventually making our way into the lock, we learned that the lock-masters don’t even have VHF radios!
As we waited for the water to rise, we asked the lockmaster about the water ahead. There was another lock only a few miles away that was only open on the weekends, and the lock after that was closed permanently (until they can find a way to prevent invasive species from travel up the Fox River.) We also realized we didn’t have exact cash to pay the $6 charge for the lock we were in.
The lockmaster offered to lower the water and let us turn around and exit from the way we entered. This would save us the $6 fee and prevent us from getting stranded at the next closed lock. We took up his offer and headed back to a boat launch we had seen on the way in. We pulled the boat, moved it around the closed locks. It was only a few miles on land to the Appleton Yacht Club. We secured the boat for the night and took a short drive over to Waupaca to hole up in our Aunt Lynn’s cottage on the Waupaca Chain o’ Lakes. From here out our lake travel sort of circles our eventual desitnation so making our way up the fox and Wolf Rivers is mostly day work and we will return each night to the cottage.
Aug 27, 2009 (Elizabeth)
Appleton, Freemont, Waupaca
Sammy drove us to the Appleton Yacht Club so we could start the trip to Freemont. Upon arrival, we talked with two members of the Yacht Club about our trip. They informed us that the one lock we had to go through didn’t open until 10am. So we ventured back to town to find some breakfast. We enjoyed some Mexican baked goods and Jell-O. We highly recommend the baked goods, but cannot say the same for the Milk Jell-O.
The first lock went quickly and the Appleton newspaper was there taking pictures as we passed through. They later published an article in the Appleton post Current. It is on line.
Lake Winnebago was quite rough and we kept a close eye on our depth finder. Because we traveled along the shore, the depths could quickly go from 8ft to 4ft very quickly. Luckily we never passed through any areas shallower than that.
We cruised from Winnebago back into the Fox which becames Lake Butte de Morts. At the west end of Butte de Mort up river on the Fox is to the south. We head west and north up the Wolf River which starts with Lakes Winneconne and Poygan. On the way to Fremont we pass through the waterfront town of Winneconne that features several waterfront restaurants. The Wolf is a recreational hot spot that features lots of boat traffic from large cruisers to Pontoons and fishing boats, to jet skis and kayaks. It offers something for those who want excitement but also world class bass and walleye fishing as well as eco-interesting paddling up isolated backwaters.
We arrived in Fremont. The area looked like a fun place. The river was lined with many cottages and several bars and resorts. Unfortunately it was a cooler weekday which left the place looking empty.
We docked the boat at Wolf River Outfitters, where we met Louis Wood. We are scheduled to go on a fishing tour with him tomorrow. Katie and I have never fished beyond dangling a line in the water at age seven. This should be interesting.
Sammy and Aunt Lynn met us in Freemont. From there we went to local waterfront restaurant for lunch and drinks. The rest of the afternoon we relaxed in Waupaca at Aunt Lynn’s cottage and again caught up on much needed sleep.
Aug 28, 2009 (Elizabeth)
Fremont, Wisconsin
We arrived at Wolf River Outfitters around 10:30am for our first real fishing trip. Louis Woods the owner leads fishing excursions on the Wolf River. Louis is also an inventor who has made a forearm brace to assist handicapped people to fish. Katie and I have been disappointing fishermen around the country when we answer their fishing questions with “ahh, actually we don’t fish”. Katie and I have dangled a few lines in the water when we little, but when we didn’t catch anything in the first 15min we both lost interest and have never given it another chance. We were hopeful a professional like Louis would be able to help us out.
We took the Duroboat out on the Wolf, now equipped with poles, live bait, and Louis showing us the way. When Louis instructed we cut the engine, dropped our lines into the water and slowly floated down river. The fish were slow to bite and beginner’s luck was no where to be seen. Louis got a few bites, which Katie and I would reel in. Eventually Katie caught one of her own. It was a small Catfish. Worried that the catfish would poke her, Katie gave Louis the honor of removing it from the hook and throwing it back. While we were unable to find and monster fish we did have fun.
We met family and friends at Channel Cats the largest of several restaurants and bars along the downtown Fremont waterfront for lunch. After a time we returned the boat to Wolfriver outfitters, secured it for the night and drove by car 15 miles to Waupaca for the evening.
On saturday there were no trip events. We just moved the boat over to Waupaca.
Aug 30, 2009 (Elizabeth)
Waupaca, Wisconsin
Waupaca’s Chain ‘o Lakes is comprised of 21 small lakes which every summer draws vacationers to the area. Katie and I are the 4th generation of our family to spend our summer vacations on the lakes. It was the perfect place to celebrate the end of our trip.
Sunday morning we launched our 16′ Duroboat into Long Lake along with a 12′ Duroboat that Sammy had brought from Seattle on top of the Suburban. Katie and I were in the Loop boat while Joel and Sammy trailed in the 12 footer. After making it to Taylor Lake we followed the Chief Waupaca paddleboat around the Chain. We pulled up to Clearwater Harbor where Amy from the Waupaca Chamber of Commerce and Maureeen Meighan the harbor Manager had organized an end up the trip and welcome to Waupaca celebration. They had prepared a wonderful welcoming banner. A professional photographer and another newspaper interview were all arranged. We ate lunch and spent the rest of the afternoon listening to the band at the Harbor and talking with folks who were interested in the boat and our trip. We met Pat Meighan the owner of the Harbor. Pat lives a large part of the year in Florida. He has actually completed some large portions of the trip in his Stamas Yacht. Remember we met John Stamas, the builder of that boat in Tarpon Springs.
The weather was unseasonably cool but it was sunny. We were happy to have spent some time at our favorite vacation spot. We lounged for a few days around Waupaca before heading home.
The trip home (Elizabeth)
WI, MN, SD, WY, MT, ID, WA
With the boat in tow, we started our journey home on Tuesday Sep 2. Summer break is over which means it is time for Katie to go back to work and for me to find a job.
We took our time getting home. We had five days to get to the Dave Matthew’s concert at the Gorge in George, WA. Along the way we stopped in Beaver Dam, WI to see Aunt Moe and the Neitzel family; and Beloit, WI to see Jen for the fourth time this summer and the now, married lady, Breeze for the second time.
We made timely progress to South Dakota where we stopped at all of the “must sees” along I-90. Our stops included The Corn Palace, Wall Drug, and Mt. Rushmore.
We arrived at the Gorge Friday evening and set up camp for the Sunday show. At the concert campsite it was difficult to maneuver the car and boat through the crowded and unorganized Dave fans. As we entered we could read lips that read, Why would you bring a boat here. Once we found a clear spot that would fit us and our joining friends, we set up camp.
A storm rolled in which was disappointing. At least we weren’t on the boat. The wind and rain lasted 30 min then it was clear again for the concert. The Gorge venue looks over the Columbia River with beautiful cliffs behind the performer. This was my first time seeing Dave at the Gorge and Katie’s fourth time. It was great!
The next morning, Labor Day, we finished our last 3 hours to Issaquah. Home Sweet Home. Ready to take it easy until our next adventure.
As we get time we will be adding comments, acknowledgments, notes and pictures from the trip to Duroboat’s website, check in once in awhile.
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