Frankly Frankfort, MI, It's Been a Lovely Respite!

Frankfort, MI                                   Jacobsen Marina                                         August 25-28, 2016

A number of us boaters took off within minutes of each other this Thursday AM. It was overcast and bit cooler, but we all wanted to take advantage of the lesser winds and chop…That being said, it was still a rocky crossing to Frankfort. Mom and I were finally forced to go down to the salon because I was having too much trouble standing despite mom putting down her yoga mat. 

According to Wikipedia, here is the legend behind Sleeping Bear Dunes. The park is named after a Chippewa legend of the sleeping bear. According to the legend, an enormous forest fire on the western shore of Lake Michigan drove a mother bear and her two cubs into the lake for shelter, determined to reach the opposite shore. After many miles of swimming, the two cubs lagged behind. When the mother bear reached the shore, she waited on the top of a high bluff. The exhausted cubs drowned in the lake, but the mother bear stayed and waited in hopes that her cubs would finally appear. Impressed by the mother bear's determination and faith, the Great Spirit created two islands (North and South Manitou islands) to commemorate the cubs, and the winds buried the sleeping bear under the sands of the dunes where she waits to this day. The "bear" was a small tree-covered knoll at the top edge of the bluff that, from the water, had the appearance of a sleeping bear. Wind and erosion have caused the "bear" to be greatly reduced in size over the years.

Mike took these photos last year coming by Sleeping Bear Dunes after the Chicago to Mac Race 

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is a United States National Lakeshore located along the northwest coast of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan in Leelanau and Benzie counties near Empire, Michigan. The park covers a 35-mile-long (56 km) stretch of Lake Michigan's eastern coastline, as well as North and South Manitou islands. This Northern Michigan park was established primarily because of its outstanding natural features, including forests, beaches, dune formations, and ancient glacial phenomena. The lakeshore also contains many cultural features including the 1871 South Manitou Island Lighthouse, three former stations of the Coast Guard (formerly the Life-Saving Service) and an extensive rural historic farm district. In 2011, the area won the title of "The Most Beautiful Place in America" from Good Morning America.[2] In 2014, a section of the park was named the Sleeping Bear Dunes Wilderness by the United States Congress.

A Close Up View of Point Betsie Lighthouse Complex last year

Sleeping Bear Dunes when we went pass this year...not nearly as pretty

Frankfort, MI Beach 

A Closer View of the Beach Area

The entrance between the two lights to get into Frankfort, MI

A different looking style light construction

Mike's photo last year under more radiant sunlight

Another style light with more dunes in the distance...sadly, the water doesn't reflect the real color!!!

The Elberta Coast Guard Station

One of the larger Coast Guard Stations we have seen..

Our view of Jacobsen's Marina and the one next to ours

Looking into Frankfort, MI and our Marina

Lily's Dog Run with this interesting Addition...

Not sure what we are looking at across the way but it appears to be an old Schoolhouse???

Thankfully, we were in early so we could enjoy the town a bit and M & D got to enjoy the pool and hot tub…They came back pretty relaxed…needless to say, dinner was onboard which is just fine with me!

Looking at Moondance from our restaurant porch

Walked down to the beach at the end of Main Street, didn't appear to be too dog friendly so we didn't bring Lily back

M & D thought another day here enjoying the hot tub and pool was in order, and I’m happy to just be… That is until mom decided I needed to see this town too! She put my cute scarf on and trotted me uptown with her. The good news is the town is very dog friendly and many of the stores we entered treated me to biscuits! I LOVE this TOWN! It is so charming and once again the people so friendly! It was nice to get back to the boat, so I could finish eating my breakfast and take a nap while M & D hit the pool for the afternoon...

Lily and I enjoyed this look down Main St in the morning

Frankfort City Hall appears to be relatively new along with the Park next door

There are memorial benches all over the town...

We are always thrilled to see the older, preserved buildings

This bank is now a Tile Shop

I'm always on the look out for Mosler Safes and NCR cash registers...part of both of our heritages in Hamilton & Dayton, OH

Lily and I thought of Penny B when we saw the brilliant blue, funky planters and plants...

How can you not love an old movie theater?!

A Picture Postcard of Americana

In between the buildings were these miniature vignettes of the water

Stormcloud Brewing Company, we were Alf, as you can see...

M & D returned to feed me and get cleaned up before they headed uptown to Stormcloud Brewing Company. They said it was a very fun place with yummy beer and food… Example of their menu & what Mom had: Market Salad: Serving the freshest seasonal greens and vegetables from local farmer markets and our own Stormgarden. Served with shaved cheeses and light lemon vinaigrette. (the lemon vinaigrette was outstanding!) Suggested Beer Pairing: Birdwalker Blonde. Loved that they had beer pairings… Mom did have the Birdwalker Blonde and said, it was delicious!

Thinking that they would be getting up early to head out before the rain and storms got too bad, we all went to bed early after watching more of Downtown Abbey…So Good!!!

Woke up before it was light to rain…YUCK! Mom put on my raincoat and we went out so I could relieve myself. By the time we returned, dad had looked at NOAA’s Marine Weather report, Windtracker and other marine weather sites and determined that it was going to be very dicey trying to make it to Ludington, MI…Dad having been on Lake Michigan when there has been a storm, he has a healthy respect for the lake. Mom and I trust dad’s opinion, so we are happy to settle in here another day… Mom says she is happy to cook today and snuggle in…

I can always catch up on my naps while they read, watch DVDs or mom does artwork or catches up on her Shutterfly books of this trip…Even these parts of the trip are to be savored…

Lovely, Little Leland & Feisty Fishtown, MI

Leland, MI                                  Leland Township Harbor                                        August 22-25, 2016

   

Oh My Gosh! Heading to Leland, MI on a crystal clear day, listening to the Beatles Station on Pandora...An added bonus we haven't had in ages (thanks to bad cell reception!) They have played so many of mom’s favorites, she couldn't be anymore mellow if she tried! We arrived in early afternoon and immediately met some new looper friends, Judy Loving & her hubby, Bob Winkelman on Arkansas Traveler, a 36’ Monk and mom met Maria & Mike Fenn, on Aqua-Fennatic, a 44’ Tollycraft whom dad had met before. 

It definitely sums up weather up here...

Our view of the marina and Fishtown

More of Fishtown to our Right

Once we were docked we went for a quick walk to see a bit of the town before enjoying dock tails onboard Moondance with our latest friends…Maria and Mike are from Keswick, Ontario. 

They haven’t been on the loop long, while Judy and Bob from Arkansas have been spreading the trip way, way out…having started in 2013. …Enjoying a bit at a time each year…incredible! 

They have so much experience that they write for the Waterways Guide…celebrities among this crowd! 

M & D enjoyed dinner with Mike and Maria at the Cove, (a restaurant that Dad visits each time returning home from the Mac Race.) At the Cove, mom ran into one of her former Taft Museum Docents from her Artists Working in Classroom Program, Susan Forward and her mom…What a surprise and delight! Headed back to our rocking and rolling boat for a good night’s sleep…

After feeding and walking me, M & D took off for breakfast at the Early Bird, mom said her Greek eggs where incredible but she didn’t bring me any home to taste. How could she not?! Since they were shopping, they were gone a bit, so I got a nap in…What a surprise?! 

The Early Bird, a mom and pop kind of place

Dad came back to take a nap and mom decided to walk me over to the beach…It was a bit hard getting there since the sand trail was so soft and squishy…but I got so excited when I got there and smelled the air, saw the waves and all that beautiful, warm sand! 

I kept looking for mom to throw my ball, but I guess she forgot it? 

So, I just laid down and wiggled around in the sand! It felt so wonderful, so of course I had to do it more than once to the delight of the other beach goers…including Judy who caught up with us there. We tried to walk a bit, but there wasn’t much beach to walk on & we were getting wave slapped by that time of the afternoon, so we headed back with Judy.

We arrived back in time to clean up for dock tails on our boat again…I love everyone coming onboard since I get extra attention and snacks: carrots, broccoli and tomatoes…Delicious!!! Tonight, mom and dad headed to dinner with Bob and Judy because Maria wasn’t feeling so well…They went to the Bluebird Restaurant. Our OH friends who own a cabin up here, the Valmassoi's recommended it for it’s pizza & it didn’t disappoint! Bob is my new Best, Best Friend since he sent home a care package of fish taco! 

Bob, Judy, Maria and I

Mike and Mike

Maria learning Editing Tips on Her Phone

I really enjoyed it for my breakfast and dinner tonight…Thanks again, Bob! We awoke to the predicted rain and storms, so it was a bit before we could venture out today…I was styling though thanks to mom’s purchase of a lightweight raincoat for me… M & D went to Sisson’s for a Morning Glory muffin and they split a blueberry scone…simply divine!  M & D ended up purchasing a few other goodies before leaving there,…including a Buckeye cookie, if anyone knows this recipe, please share with mom.  They returned to do some advance planning and to get me before venturing out again. 

Too many tempting goodies...like chocolate cherry sauce..

Our view from the bridge


Looking down to Fishtown and the Dam from the Bridge


The Arts Center beside the bridge

                                                     Looking into town from the bridge

One wonderful shop after another

Bike Rack

                                                   From the top of the hill looking down to Fishtown

             If you look closely, you can see Moondance's bimini top showing under the red triangle flag

Thought we had some time before the next shower, so we all ventured out with rain gear ready to visit Fishtown. (Fishtown was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1973 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. Northern Michigan's commercial fishing heritage remains alive today in Leland's Fishtown! Walk along the docks, amongst the weathered fishing shanties, smokehouses, racks of drying fishing nets, and fish tugs on the Leland River, and you can imagine what it would have been like in the early 1900s to live and work in this small fishing village, nestled along the shore of Lake Michigan. Fishtown still operates as one of the only working commercial fishing villages in the state of Michigan.) We made it into a few stores and got our lunch from the Cheese Shanty when the heavens let loose once again. Mom didn’t have time to get my new raincoat on before I was soaked. YUCK! Made a run to the Boater’s Lounge and ate our lunch there…where I got plenty of attention once again!

                                 The Transit ran ferries to the Manitou islands close by

                              Loved that the fish shanteys retained their rustic exterior

I didn't get a photo of them before the rain started but there were posters everywhere giving the history about the fishermen who worked here for years

Wish Kevin on Lone Star came here...she would have bought out this shop...so many cute items!

The Nets Drying

They had upscaled this one a bit

I adored the primitive wooden fish weather vane and the beautiful tiles in this shop...

Some little girls and I were enjoying this grasshopper...so I showed them how to take a photo of it

Returned to the boat to dry off and relax for the rest of the afternoon before M & D left to have dock tails on Agua-Fennatic…with Maria and Mike. A lovely last night stay in Leland.