September 6-8, 2017 Wednesday-Friday
Sept 6-Wed: Today was another weather day so we decided to walk the 3.5 miles to McGulpin Point Lighthouse which is located on a bluff overlooking the Straits of Mackinac. It was well worth the walk, the grounds were beautiful, the lighthouse was free, and there was a short self-guided tour to the lake, which ended at “the big rock.” Historically “the big rock” was used to monitor the lake levels at the Straits of Mackinaw but today because of high water levels (+28 inches) it is mostly underwater and not as impressive as we expected.
We found it interesting that the 33’ McGulpin Point Lighthouse, built in 1869 and decommissioned in 1906, had only one lighthouse keeper, James Davenport and he always went above and beyond his duties. Since the lakes freeze over in the winter lighthouse keepers were not needed at the lighthouses but a least once a week James would go to the lighthouse and report on its condition to the District Inspector. These letters, now part of the National Archives in Washington, show that he most likely played a critical role in the opening of navigation every spring by reporting on ice conditions in the Straits.
On our way to the lighthouse, we saw a restored Mackinaw Boat that was just beautiful. Mackinaw Boats were used by the fur traders, fishermen, settlers, and lake travelers of the early sixteen hundreds through the early nineteen hundreds. The size and shape of the boats made them perfect for rough seas, easy handling, and landing on any beach.
This weekend will be the 11th Annual Mackinac Bridge Antique Tractor Crossing and we just happened to walk by the staging area on our way back to the marina. We couldn’t enter the staging area but did watch as truck, after truck, after truck pulled-in to drop off tractors. Last year the event drew an amazing 1,326 tractors.
Sept 7-Thurs: Today we said goodbye to Mackinaw City and hello to Naubinway, MI which is in the upper peninsula of MI. Residents here are frequently called Yoopers (derived from “U.P.-ers.”) Naubinway, founded in 1873 by William Boucha, is located on one of the few natural harbors on the northern shore of Lake Michigan and was once a lumber mecca. When the timber ran out fishing became Naubinway’s main industry. This is the most northern point that we will reach on our journey and is the only western harbor within 40 miles of Mackinaw City.
Tonight, Andiamo is the only boat moored at the Naubinway’s City Marina with the exception of a small sailboat that is well secured but has no one aboard. The marina has water, electricity, and a restroom/shower but no other amenities and is the only marina since we purchased our Wirie wifi booster in December, where we could not access the Internet. The good news is that the sky is full of stars and the weather looks good for traveling tomorrow.
Sept 8-Fri: It was a lovely day on the water, we arrived at Manistique in the early afternoon. We originally tied up in slip 5, on the north side of the marina but could not get acceptable Internet service so we moved Andiamo to the West Side of the marina within site of the Internet antenna, which did the trick.
After a walk around town, we made use of their beautiful boardwalk, which goes 1.3 miles along the city limits on the banks of the Manistique River and Lake Michigan, to go to the grocery store. It was our first supermarket in over a week and we were delighted to be able to purchase fresh veggies.
