Category: Lake Huron

August 29, 2017

We have been loving the clear waters of Lake Huron and have been told that it is so clear because of the Zebra Mussels that are an invasive species to the Great Lakes. We had our first viewing of the mussels at Presque Isle. While the clear water is incredible, the species is a concern for the area.  The Zebra Mussels clog the underwater tunnels and pipes of city water works and power plants.  They can be so bad that fire fighting tanker planes used in the Great Lakes area have to be completely drained and cleaned before being used in the Pacific Northwest.  The threat of the tunnels of the Hydroelectric power dams on the Columbia River being clogged is too great.

Interesting day, the seas were around 3-feet when left the harbor but were forecast to become 1-2 feet which they did by the time we passed Rogers City. The weather was not bad, but there was enough fog that it made for an eerie day where we could not see land most of the day, it was only as we approached the island that it started to clear.

Tonight we are at Mackinac Island State Marina and are looking forward to exploring Mackinac Island tomorrow. So far we know that ferries come into the harbor every 15 minutes or so and set the boats in the marina to rocking…we have had to tie off on the piling next to us to hold Andiamo off of the dock.

 

August 28, 2017  Monday

The fact that we are both wearing long pants and have a jacket handy and the fact that the last four marinas we have stayed in were only about 20-25% full, I think, indicates that fall has arrived in Northern Michigan.
Local fishermen went out early this morning but returned reporting waves of three to four feet with white caps beginning to form on top. Their report, verified by the marine weather forecast, led us to sit tight and enjoy the island.

Presque which is French for a peninsula literally means “almost an island.” Only a narrow strip of land at the southern end of Presque Isle connects it to the mainland, we are close to the northern end at Presque Isle State Marina. We spent the day hiking and visiting two of Michigan’s 149 lighthouses. Michigan, with its 3,288 miles of shoreline, has more lighthouses than any other state and touring them seems to be a favorite past time in this area.

The Old Presque Isle Lighthouse, 38-feet tall, was built in 1840 to guide tall ships into Presque Isle Harbor. Although there are many man-made safe harbors on Lake Huron today, at that time, the only natural harbor between Detroit and Mackinac was Presque Isle Harbor. With the growth of the lumber industry on the peninsula it became necessary to have a lighthouse that not only provided guidance to Presque Isle Harbor but also to the lumber yards north of the harbor, hence in 1870, a 113-foot “New Presque Isle Lighthouse” was built a mile north of the “Old Presque Isle Lighthouse.”
We climbed the one-hundred-thirty wrought iron steps to the catwalk of the new lighthouse for a wonderful view of Lake Huron and Grand Lake. After descending, we visited the museum and hiked to the old light house for a quick tour. The hand-hewn stone steps ending with a ladder to the catwalk proved more challenging than the one-hundred-thirty steps at the new lighthouse. We ended our hike with a walk on the harbor seawall delighted to have spent the day here.

We climbed the one-hundred-thirty wrought iron steps to the catwalk of the new lighthouse for a wonderful view of Lake Huron and Grand Lake. After descending, we visited the museum and hiked to the old light house for a quick tour. The hand-hewn stone steps ending with a ladder to the catwalk proved more challenging than the one-hundred-thirty steps at the new lighthouse. We ended our hike with a walk on the harbor seawall delighted to have spent the day here.

August 27, 2017  Sunday

We always check several marine weather forecast before departing and reports were contradictory this morning. Some favorable to our location and one with small-craft warnings. Knowing that we had safe-harbors along the way, we took a chance and left at sunrise hoping to make it the Rogers City. As we approached Presque Island, 14 miles from Rogers City, the winds and waves were on the increase and we decided to spend the night at Presque Isle State Marina.

The west side of Michigan, from Port Huron to Mackinaw City, is often referred to as the “Sunrise Side” were some sunrises are an explosion of pastels, or yellows and gold, others bright red, while some are a combination of all. A combination of all was our experience as we left Harrisville Harbor this morning. Hope you enjoy the pictures.

August 26, 2017  Saturday

As predicted, today was a perfect day to cross Saginaw Bay, forty-two miles across makes this the second longest crossing of our trip, the first was our Gulf Crossing at 182 miles. The lake also got deeper, the deepest point of the crossing was 229 feet, which is the deepest water we have seen on our Great Loop Journey, we have been in less than 50 feet of water since we left the Hudson River.

August 25, 2017  Friday

Up before sunrise, Rick checked a couple of weather reports and we made the decision to head north to Harbor Beach. Heading south, The Pride of Michigan pulled out just ahead of us with plans to do one last shipwreck dive before returning to home port. The seas were at one to two feet when we left the marina, however, by 9:00 we had large rolling seas that, although not dangerous, was a bit uncomfortable and we were happy to pull into the Harbor Beach Municipal Marina just after noon.

A paved walking trail runs for about a mile from the Harbor Beach Marina to the downtown parks with plaques all along the way sharing the history of the area. Several of the plaques addressed many of the shipwrecks on Lake Huron, which of course, was extremely attention-grabbing to us. “The Great Storm of 1913,” referred to as a “White Hurricane,” a storm on fresh water with winds of hurricane intensity, is known as the deadliest and most destructive storm to ever occur on the Great Lakes. The 1913 storm left in its wake 19 vessels lost, 19 vessels grounded, and an estimated 248 sailors killed, of course, no one will ever know the true number of those lost at sea during that storm.

Typically storms of this magnitude on the Great Lakes last four or five hours, the Great Storm of 1913 lasted for over three days, one can only imagine the havoc the storm caused. Lakeside communities in both Michigan and Ontario were paralyzed with several feet of snow, the high winds caused huge drifts, docks, homes, and boats along the shore were damaged or destroyed. As I write this, I cannot help wonder about the destruction that is being caused by Hurricane Harvey in Texas and Louisiana.

The Friday Farmers Market is held in the park next to the Frank Murphy Memorial Museum. Frank Murphy, a member of the Supreme Court, was a strong defender of civil rights and wrote the dissenting vote in Korematsu vs. the United States. Murphy criticized the majority vote, in which the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II, as “legalization of racism.”