Day 334, "on the loop", 9/8/2023
- boisselle13
- Sep 9, 2023
- 12 min read
Updated: Dec 20, 2024
*Links included, check them out if your schedule permits*
Saturday - Sunday (9/2 - 9/3)
Arrived in Ludington last Friday (9/1) and thought we would be there until Tuesday or longer due to weather. Well, luckily we had a fair weather window on Monday (9/4) that allowed time for us to make a run to Muskegon, MI.
With that, here's a bit of information about Ludington and things we checked out while there.
A family run operation that provides education and tours of the property. The staff were knowledgable and shared information regarding the Elk they breed at this Elk ranch.
Elk typically live to around 12 years old in the wild. Captive elk have been known to live 25 years. Elk are a very social deer species, and during summer, they can move in groups of 400. Adult males and females usually move in a herd, with female herds being larger than the bulls.
Bulls sometimes travel alone, and young bulls may associate with female groups or older bulls. Male and female herds only come together during mating season, usually in late August.
There are 6 Elk Subspecies: (The Manitoban elk is the species that Amber Elk Ranch breeds and herds).
Roosevelt's elk (C. c. Roosevelt)
Tule elk (C. c. nannodes)
Manitoban elk (C. c. manitobensis)
Rocky Mountain elk (C. c. nelsoni)
Eastern elk (C. c. canadensis; extinct)
Merriam's elk (C. c. merriami; extinct)
The Manitoban Elk primarily lives in Manitoba and areas of Saskatchewan. However, some species crossed over to the Great Lakes States. The Manitoban Elk is bigger than the American Elk.This subspecies population has recovered despite being driven to near extinction.
The Manitoban Elk weighs between 635-1054 pounds. Females tend to be lighter, only averaging around 606 pounds
Younger elk (sometimes referred to as "calves or cows") are smaller than adult elk. At birth, calves weigh around 33 to 35 pounds. The growth rate and diet will also contribute to their weight gain as they become older.
Elk calves are born in late May or June after a gestation period of about 250 days or approximately eight months.
Only bulls have antlers, and they lose them yearly in the spring. The antlers alone add around 40 pounds of weight to the overall size.
The House of Flavors is a local ice-cream shop, serving over 42 unique and different flavors of ice-cream. The restaurant is a 50's diner full of mementos including a vintage 50's jukebox and famous Life Magazine Cover.
In the 1950s and 60s, Life Magazine featured House of Flavors in an article, making history. The cover of the magazine included photos of local children blowing their paper straw coverings onto the ceiling where they stuck.
1904: The ice cream cone was first introduced at the St. Louis World’s Fair.
1948: Bob Neal, Sr. purchases Miller’s Dairy, a full line dairy. The name is changed to Park Dairy. Park Dairy makes 5 flavors of ice cream: Vanilla, Chocolate, Lemon, French Vanilla and Blue Moon.
1959: The Neal family decides to quit processing milk, butter, and cottage cheese to focus solely on ice cream.
Today: House of Flavors Manufacturing annual ice cream production exceeds twenty-five million gallons. In its third generation of Neal family ownership, House of Flavors Restaurants operates two locations in Ludington.
In 2016, House of Flavors was listed in the Guinness Book of Records for making the "Longest Ice Cream Dessert," here are the #'s:
960 Scoops of Ice Cream an hour
944 Pounds of Chocolate Syrup
600 Cans of Whipped Topping
102 Pounds of Maraschino Cherries
6372 Total Ingredient Weight
2,970 feet long and 8.9 inches high
Check out link above for more information about this lighthouse.
< Picture taken 8/31/2023 by Loral J. (Looper: Port-A-Gee)
I stole these two pictures from others, I added their names to give them credit :-)
Picture below taken during the blue moon on 8/30/2023 and had to save it! (Photo credit: Walter E. Elliott)
In addition to the fun things, we had a few chores:
Grocery Run: Ludington has a $2.00 (each way) shuttle to various places within Ludington (i.e., Walmart, Aldi's, CVS, etc). We were able to stock up on a few items, one being oil. Yes,! It was time for an oil change.
Oil Change: Joel prefers to purchase oil at Walmart at $18 dollars per gallon. Marinas sell the same oil for double the price. Joel refuses to pay the higher price, I don't blame him!
Barber Shop: It's been a while since Joel got a hair cut, we found a great place called "Family Barber Shop". There was one person in the shop cutting hair. She was super fast and offered up helpful information about Ludington.
We watched some college football. We couldn't watch Arkansas; however, Jonathan was at the game.
Jonathan drove about 2 hours to see the game in Little Rock, living the college life for sure!
Monday, 9/4 - The weather apps reported it was a good day to make the run to Muskegon. Forecast called for waves of 1 - 2 feet, which can make for a rolly ride! Joel decided that we would run at 15 mph (get boat on plane) for the 50 mile ride.
We said good-bye to Port-A-Gee (they will cross their wake in Wisconsin). They are waiting for a weather window to cross Michigan Lake to travel to Racine, WI (their home port).
We left Long Gone 2 also, they have family they will visit with while in Michigan. (this plan will be based on weather windows). Regardless of how long it takes them, we will see them in Hammond, IN (prior to traveling through the first Chicago lock).
After leaving our boating buddies and 2 hours into the 4 hr ride, we entered some fog. Other than the fog, the ride was uneventful. Side note: we traveled at 15 mph, which made for a faster arrival.
Can definitely tell it's Labor Day weekend. Muskegon was crowded as we entered the harbor. People took advantage of the holiday weekend before closing out the summer. The beaches were packed and The Deck (a local restaurant & bar) was the place to be! The Deck had a live band, people dancing and having a grand ole time. We ordered food and watched the dancers (great place to people watch).
See 3 pictures to the right - the bay was packed, the largest crowd we have seen in a while.
Situated around a harbor of Lake Michigan, Muskegon is known for fishing, sailing regattas, and pleasure boating, and as a commercial- and cruise-ship port. It is a popular vacation destination because of the expansive freshwater beaches, historic architecture, and public art collection. It is the most populous city along Lake Michigan's Eastern shore.
The DECK, a happening place: food was great and the prices weren't bad.
The USS Silversides Submarine Museum is located near the Lake Michigan lakeshore in Muskegon, MI. Shares WWII history, with a wide variety of permanent and temporary exhibits on display. While there, you can tour a U.S. Coast Guard cutter as well as their namesake, the USS Silversides Gato-class submarine.
While in Muskegon we met some local boaters curious about the loop. Captain Chris from Boat name: Tenacity invited us to tour his boat, a 65 ft yacht. Chris is asking $365K, the boat was purchased from a business man who had it custom built in the 80's. The boat has over 1M dollars in upgrades and the interior furnishings were beyond beautiful. The boat is in "tip / top shape". Chris and his wife would like to find a good loop boat, we recommended the Fleming :-).
Tuesday, 9/5 - Friday, 9/8: Tuesday (9/5), made a run from Muskegon, MI to Grand Haven, MI, and there until Friday (9/8). Provided we get a good weather window on Saturday (9/9), we will move the boat to South Haven and make a few stops before arriving in Hammond, IN where we will stay until the Chicago locks open (which is 10/1).
Currently, waves predicted to be 3 - 5+ ft, Wed - Friday. We are thankful the days leading up to Tuesday were 1 - 2 ft. Side note: Some of our looper friends prefer to stay put when waves are more than 2 ft. We don't like to travel either; however, running at 15 mph makes the ride a little smoother; but it does suck the fuel out. Besides, we have not ran this fast since Keywest and Joel wanted to run the boat a little faster to work the turbo engines a bit.
Based on research, conversations among fellow loopers we knew the Michigan Lake would be challenging and we would have delays (at marina's) along the way.
Below is one of several weather apps we look at to determine what days we will travel. We are most concerned with waves: direction, height and period.
With high winds, the water is very active!
Early Wednesday morning, we were up at 5am tying lines to stop the boat from bouncing off the pilings.
None: The wood post are called pilings.
When the boat bounces around thru the night, makes for a queezy stomach.
Took a few extra pictures, it's very rare we get up and out around this time of the morning, it appeared to be calm at this time but we were bouncing off the dock.
Wednesday was a rainy day so we stayed on the boat most of the morning. With this type weather (high winds), the other loopers (Crustacean, Darlin' Lea & Cool Breeze) here in Grand Haven were stuck also. We met Darlin' Lea back in Brewerton (New York), it was great to catch up with them again!
After a rocky night, boat rocking and rolling, Joel decided to tie a line (rope) to the port (left) side to secure the boat from rocking as bad. The lines were so wet (from the rain), it made it hard for us to toss the line to the piling (on our port (left) side! But, we did it with Bill's (Crustacen) help!!!! Thank goodness.
The town of Grand Haven reminds us of Kirkwood, MO; but, with a waterfront view :-) The summer season appears to end on Labor Day weekend, meaning the area is NOT crowded at all. We had planned to get the bikes out but instea we stayed busy doing other things.
Darlin' Lea and Summer Place enjoyed a fish fry at the American Legion for $14 and enjoyed ice-cream afterwards at the Dairy Creme (known for their Turtle sundaes), I was going to pass on the ice-cream; however, the attendant was a great sales person.
Looper, boat name: Slack Tide (Roger), left his boat at the Grand Harbor dock wall for 10 days (due to a family emergency). He returned on 9/7 to find a severed line. The friction from the winds and dock wall caused damage. In picture 3, you can see damage to his stern cleat (it was detached). Upon Roger's return, Joel helped disconnect the boat from the wall and settled in a slip near the marina office.
Pronto Pup: $1.75 corn dogs! Pronto Pup is an amusement park and carnival food similar to a corn dog made with flour mix, which is used by restaurants and street vendors across the United States. The Pronto Pup was invented in Rockaway Beach, Oregon by husband-and-wife team George and Versa Boyington in the 1930's. After developing this
deep-fried solution that was portable for vendors and pleasing to taste. He named it the “Pronto Pup” for the speed of the cooking process.
According to the locals, the stand in Grand Haven opened in 1945 and it is not uncommon for tourist (and locals) to wait over an hour for a delicious pup! We were lucky and didn't have a wait.
In Michigan, city marina boat / slip reservations are made through a state run website. Of course, there are pros & cons to this method:
Pros:
- Can see the layout of the marina
- Usually get a good slip (with your preference of a
stern or bow entry)
- Can book the day of (in most cases, may not be a
great spot)
- Better rates than the family ran and/or yacht clubs
(and typically in walking distance to towns)
- Laundry service is usually "free" or less than $2
Cons:
- There is a fee if you cancel or change your
reservation (on line)
- No dock hands to assist with docking (parking)
- If you need an extra day, there is a strong
chance you need to move from one slip to
another (as your slip may have been selected by someone else).
In the pictures below, the marina was empty Friday morning. Based on the marina reservation website our slip 7 was reserved by someone else; therefore, we had to move to slip 1 (near the Waterfront stadium). Side note: When our initial reservation was made, we booked thru Thursday and someone else booked slip 7 before we were able to extend our stay (in slip 7) so when we checked in (in person), the dock hand booked us for slip 1.
The Grand Haven area is famous for its soft-sand beaches , picturesque lighthouse, and musical fountain which plays nightly from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
Pic 1 - Lynne Sherwood Waterfront Stadium - there is a lot of seating in this area, people gather here to watch the evening musical light show.
The Grand Haven Musical Fountain is a synchronized water and light show accompanied by music of all varieties. A different (20 min) show plays at dusk from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
It was beautiful. I didn't get pictures, these pictures were pulled from the internet.
Notable people from Grand Haven (Have you heard of them?)
Howard Bailey, Major League Baseball pitcher
Neal Ball, first player in Major League Baseball to execute an unassisted triple play (accomplished in 1909)
BØRNS, indie-pop singer-songwriter, EP "Candy"
Dan Bylsma, former NHL player, Stanley Cup winner (coaching), former head coach of Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres, former assistant coach of Detroit Red Wings.
Pictures taken while in Grand Haven:
Birthday Shoutouts (some I remember but most I cheat and pull from Facebook), I try to grab those that have mentioned following our journey. My apologies if I leave someone out!
Patty Desrosiers - September 2
Donna Waters (SIL) - September 4
Karen Sikes - September 4
Paul Foote - September 6
Eric Horsely (nephew) - September 6
Derek Edry (nephew) - September 8
Random Information & Miscellaneous Stuff:
Upcoming travel plans: During the 2nd week of September, we plan to take the boat to South Haven; then, Michigan City and lastly Hammond, IN where the boat will stay until October 4th. We hope to pick the boat up again to travel through the Chicago locks between Oct 4th - 6th and finish the loop at Kentucky Lake.
While the boat "waits" in Hammond, IN (near Chicago), Joel and I will make a trip to St. Louis by car. We will rent a car, check on Grampy (Ray), get in a few of our annual dentist / doctor appointments in before returning to finish the loop (cross our wake).
Fenders: We purchased a fender (aka bumpers) from West Marine in Deltaville, VA a few months back that deflated shortly after using it. The Taylor Made (brand) has a 100% satisfaction rating and lifetime warranty. Unfortunately, we have not been near a West Marine until now, Grand Haven. Joel and I walked a mile each way to return the fender / bumper. Whew who! Finally replaced it, new one pictured here.
We planning the trip, we knew the Chicago Locks would be closed for repairs and upgrades. Knowing this allowed us to plan our trip accordingly. We stayed a full month in the following locations: Dunedin (November)*, Key West (January) and Ft. Pierce (March)* and 2 months in Canada (at various stops).
*Went home for 1 week in November (Thanksgiving) and March (Taxes, Spring Break)*
The AGLCA (American Great Looper Cruiser Association) is a forum we loopers follow and interact with to ensure we navigate this waterway system with the most knowledge to make our trip the safest we possible can. A person can join for $100 per year. You would be surprised at how much information is stared here to assist in planning your loop trip.
The Great Loop: It's a 6,000 mile circumnavigation of the easter portion of North America that AGLCA members cruise aboard their own boats. The route, primarily comprised of protected waterways, takes you through 15+ states and provinces, and includes the Atlantic Inter-coastal Waterway, Chesapeake Bay, the New York State Canals, the Great Lakes, the Canadian Heritage Canals, the inland rivers of America's heartland and the Gulf of Mexico.
We had planned to stop in New Buffalo; however, not able to find a slip for a night. We met another boater (Mip from Entourage) in Leland, MI that provided assistance to help find a slip at one of the private marina's. After checking weather and other factors, we decided to skip over this town. I do hope to get back to Michigan another time (probably not by boat).
At breakfast, in Grand Haven, the faces of Joel - funny! The restaurant was called Anna's. If you look on the far wall behind Joel, it was full of old and new model toasters. I think the restaurant theme was based on a TV show called "FLO". Side note: About a feisty waitress (FLO) who opened a diner in her hometown of Cowtown, Texas.
Michigan Shore Line: In addition to the shore line with houses and beaches, there are these mountain shore views, mostly marked as state parks. It is beautiful to see from the waterway. At one point we were able to see ATV's and jeeps riding the dunes.
Maps of Trip:
Monday, Sept 4
Ludington Municipal Marina (Ludington, MI) to Harbor Town Marina (Muskegon, MI)
Tuesday, Sept 5
Harbor Town Marina (Muskegon, MI) to Grand Haven City Marina (Grand Haven, MI)
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