Photos of Lambeau Field, Green Bay Packers 08.28.15

Brian in his brand new #15 Bart Starr jersey in the Hall of Fame.

The Packers have four SuperBowl trophies.

Nelson :)

Lambeau Field scoreboard and stadium

Why do all people who sit in seat #18 come late?

Proof that Brian was there!

Completely full for a pre-season game.
They lost to Philadelphia.

The WAVE!

We sat here. 

Visiting the Millers in Wisconsin

Gary and Beth's new church in Calumet, WI

Weather brewing on Lake Winnebago

Sorry Gary!

Wisconsin farmland is beautiful

Photos of Milwaukee 08.26.15

Looking for a break in the weather

Milwaukee seen from Lake Michigan

The Cong. Henry Reuss Federal Building.
It's bright and shiny blue!

Milwaukee Art Museum and lake

Milwaukee art and downtown buildings

Arriving in Sheboygan

Saturday, August 22, and early Sunday morning

After a fine trip, we arrived around 8:30 Saturday morning. Soon afterwards we explored the town. It’s a very nice town that has gone to a lot of trouble to keep itself alive. Eventually we ended up at the Saturday Farmers Market on 8th Street in the older downtown district. It was the biggest and best one we’ve encountered all summer. The vendors are mostly Hmong people, the Laotians who were our allies during the Vietnam war. Many came to America afterwards and settled around Sheboygan. They grow fabulous vegetables, and we probably bought too many, but now we’re looking forward to homemade salsa, stir fries, oven roasted beets and carrots, cherry tomatoes in almost everything, and cheesy cauliflower. Naps, novels, open-faced hamburgers and zuccini for supper, then we watched one of the used DVDs that we found in a shop. 

No internet once again, this time due to a broken part.

Sunday morning we watched an excellent thunderstorm. Big waves rolled under the boat here in the marina, even past the two breakwaters. We are very glad we're not out in the storm this morning, and we're thankful for the National Weather Service that can predict the strength of the wind.

At 9:00 many church bells began to ring. 

Traveling to Sheboygan

Saturday, August 22

Here we are, making our way south to Sheboygan, Wisconsin. We got an early start - on our way by 5:45. At this early hour, the winds are only about 5-6 mph from the SSW, but they are forecasted to increase every hour until late afternoon. The water is glassy on top, but rolling underneath, with 1, 2, 3 and even some four-foot rollers. We are rockin’ and rollin’. It’s another cold day. The sunrise is gorgeous and pink.

The fun part about this kind of traveling is that from the time we wake up, we can be on our way within 15 minutes. Brian checks the boat systems and I untie the lines and we are off. No breakfast, no showers, no packing.

The weather forecast is for high winds for about two or three days. Our plan is to get to Sheboygan today and stay there until the winds die down. 

We have only this one summer to go by, but I think we’re getting a pretty good idea about boating on Lake Michigan. People don’t cross back and forth between Wisconsin and Michigan. Crossing the lake is too difficult in a small boat. The wind picks up the waves on the western side and carries them all the way across, 60 – 70 miles, building and building as they go. Some of our Looper friends on the Michigan side have been stuck in the harbors for several days with 8 - 10 foot seas, even inside the marinas. Even if you stay on either the Michigan or Wisconsin shore, you have to check the wind and weather and continue to monitor them as you travel. We’ve decided that an early morning departure is the best thing. 

Sturgeon Bay to Manitowoc

Friday, August 21

Having learned our lesson, we departed before 6:00, heading for Manitowoc, and it was a fine cruise. We are beginning to understand the wind and weather forecasts for this area. A big ferry called “The Badger” comes and goes from this port, sending out big blasts of black smoke. We can’t say much for Manitowoc, but at least the marina had good internet - finally!

What were we thinking?

We thought we were going to have a beautiful ride to Sturgeon Bay.  God disagreed!

Sister Bay to Sturgeon Bay

Thursday, August 20

Our departure from Sister Bay around 9:30 was an eye-opener to how the waves can build and build on the lake as the day wears on. The harbors are totally deceiving, with their breakwaters and calm water. Once you get out into the big water (in this case, Green Bay) the real waves hit you. We encountered big rollers, many crashing over the pilot house. From this we learned several things: travel early in the day. Close ALL the hatches, even the one in the shower, because the water that came in almost filled the gray water tank. Water also came in through our anchor-chain well, sloshed around, got our headboard and mattress damp, and ran into the bilge. The bilge pumps pumped it all out, but water continued to seep into the bilges for a couple of days. 

We arrived in Sturgeon Bay in the early afternoon, tired and cold. It’s amazing how being bashed around all morning can really wear you out. We visited with some Loopers on their sailboat, but afterwards I was chilled to the bone. I climbed into bed under two blankets and our winter comforter, but it took a couple of hours to warm up.

For the first time in almost three months, we watched the NBC Nightly News at 5:30. Not surprisingly, they were the same stories we’ve heard for years - fire, hurricanes, cancer, murder trials. We haven’t missed much being out of touch with civilization. 

Washington Island to Sister Bay

Monday, August 17

Our ride to Sister Bay was fine, but we were very glad to arrive when we did. The rest of the day was rainy and windy. It was chilly on the boat, but as soon as we reached the town’s sidewalk and were out of the wind, it was warm and we had to take off our jackets! Everyone was wearing t-shirts and shorts, and we were in sweaters! How can you plan your day around that? 

The best part of the trip was visiting with John and Janet for a couple of days. John worked with us in Congressman Reuss’s office in the late 70’s and was the best man in our wedding. Now he is a political consultant in Chicago. For the first time in 11 weeks, we slept off the boat! We stayed at their lake house, ate well, toured the area, and had a wonderful time. On Thursday morning, before we departed, we ate at Al Johnson’s, a locally famous restaurant with goats grazing on the roof and great Swedish pancakes. 

Ferries at Washington Island

Monday, August 17

The ferries are waking up and ready to start their day. Their names are Arni J Richter, Robert T Noble, Eyrarbakki, Washington, and Island Cruiser. It takes about seven minutes to load 12 - 15 cars, trucks, and even an RV. A man takes the ticket from the driver and points him to a spot. The people get out and ride on top in the wind or inside the salon. The ferry I’ve been watching departed at EXACTLY 6:45 for the 30 minute crossing to the top of Wisconsin’s Door Peninsula. One had arrived earlier with a big propane truck and a gas truck aboard. Yesterday the last ferry brought over a truck filled with gravel, then the crew hosed off the ferry with fresh water from the lake and closed it down for the night.

Washington Island, Door County, Wisconsin

Monday, August 17

This morning the wind is blowing pretty hard and the boat is rocking here at the dock. Since yesterday the wind has clocked around exactly 180°. There’s a flag behind us on this dock. Yesterday the wind came from the south and the flag blew to the left; now it’s from the north and the flag is pointing to the right. When we crossed Lake Michigan on Saturday, there was no wind at all. We crossed from Leland to Washington Island on a glassy sea in a thick fog for about seven hours. We could see only about 1/4 mile in any direction, but with radar and the depth finder, we were fine. Also with experience on Long Island Sound, Brian knew how to navigate through the fog. We expected the fog to lift at any time, but it didn’t happen until we were about a half hour from Washington Island. 

We really like this place. It feels “authentic” and relaxed and kind of like we’ve moved back in time to the 1950s. We are at the top of Wisconsin where Green Bay and Lake Michigan meet. Three or four ferries arrive a dozen times a day (right next to us) with people and their bikes. They ride around and get burgers and milkshakes and visit the attractions: a Viking style church, a fiber arts school, a farm museum with a collection of buildings, tools and machinery that’s open all the time, a small beach with smooth white stones from a rock formation that reaches all the way to Niagara Falls, and lavender fields with stores that sell their fragrant products. We rode our tandem all over the island, meeting nice people and hearing stories about how they came to live here. Some stay only from May to October, while others live here year-round, trying to convince us that the island’s six months of Winter are milder than Chicago’s!

We changed time zones as we crossed Lake Michigan, so the sun comes up an hour earlier than it did a few miles back and it sets an hour earlier, too, which I like. Also the days grow shorter as we travel south from Canada and as Summer ends, so the time of sunrise and sunset changes significantly every day. 

But still there’s no internet! I thought that once we were back in American towns, that would no longer be a problem, but it is. I’ve continued to write the blogs, but things have conspired against getting them posted. 

The boat has stopped rocking and the wind seems to be easing up. I hope so. We want to travel to Sister Bay today, but we can’t go unless the wind calms down. Now it is from the east.

Reasons Why the Internet Doesn't Work ...

Saturday, August 15

I feel like we hit a wall with this blog-thing. Not because I’m not writing them, but because we can’t post them for days at a time and they just build up. Now that we’re back in America, we usually stay in marinas, but the internet is not always reliable. Or we spend our time exploring towns or visiting other boaters and simply run out of energy for posting. So top priority, when we get to Wisconsin, is to get this thing back in order.

Top reasons why the Internet doesn’t work:

Our is boat too far from the marina office so we are out of range

The marina office has a metal roof

A bigger boat is docked between the office and us

The town is too remote

The town is from a different decade

The marina has few services

A power failure in the marina because too many air conditioners were running due to a heat wave

The marina’s internet has a broken part

I didn’t get up early enough and now everyone is using it

I was exhausted and chilled due to big waves, wind, rain and cold temperatures
Brian unplugs the electricity and doesn't tell me

Or …

We are at anchor and simply out of touch

Crossing Lake Michigan

Saturday, August 15

Lake Michigan is a beautiful place. So far we have encountered three types of seas on the lake. From Mackinac Island to Harbor Springs, the waves were 5 - 7 feet, and it was a rough and uncomfortable trip. Two days later when we traveled to Charlevoix, the seas were only 1 - 2 feet and it was a fine trip. It was the same to Leland. Today we are making the crossing of Lake Michigan from Leland to Washington Island, Wisconsin. The water is like glass and there’s no wind at all. We’ve traveled through fog all morning, but the radar and depth finder keep us safe. There are 653 feet of water under us. It’s been a gentle trip and should take about seven hours.

The Nordic Tug has no problem with any of these waves; she’s a very sturdy boat with a heavy lead keel. Pearl enjoys dancing through the waves and the autopilot keeps her on a steady course.

Most Loopers stay on the Michigan side of Lake Michigan, but we are going to Wisconsin to meet up with some friends. Brian is looking forward to a Green Bay Packers pre-season football game and we get to visit Milwaukee, the city where he was born. Brian’s favorite bratwurst, Usinger’s, is made there, too. When we worked on Capitol Hill, we both worked for Congressman Henry Reuss from Milwaukee.

All in all, the bugs haven’t been too bad, except for the mayfly hatch, the mosquito night, and some big horseflies. As we approach Wisconsin, however, a horde of little flies have joined us, and they bite. We may have to become extremely diligent if they are a problem here. Every night Brian goes outside and does battle with the spiders. Otherwise they make webs and leave droppings and tiny dead bugs all over the boat in the morning.

Michigan Towns – Harbor Springs, Charlevoix and Leland

August 11 – 14

In Michigan we visited three harbor towns – Harbor Springs, Charlevoix and Leland – and we liked them all. Harbor Springs was thriving and upscale, but we spent most of our time in the marina or on our bike. Most Loopers go to nearby Petoskey, but we met a nice fellow from Walstrom Marina while we were in Sault Sainte Marie, and decided to stay there instead.

Next we visited Charlevoix. It is a very nice, busy town, with regular neighborhoods just off the main street. There are several ‘mushroom’ houses with curved rooflines and boulders covering the exterior walls. We bought vegetables, nuts and a blueberry pie at the Thursday farmers market. We had dinner with some boaters we had met in Hotham, and had perch for the first time. Now we’ve had all three of the popular regional fish: whitefish, pickerel (also called walleye), and perch. They are all delicious - white fish is just that, a very white, mild fish. In Canada, the pickerel is used for fish and chips. The perch fillets were about five inches long and had a very nice medium flavor. 

In Charlevoix we had an appointment to get our oil changed and the fluids topped off. We made it there just in time to go through the 10:00 a.m. bridge opening. The fellow did a very good job and everything seems to be running smoothly. Brian was glad to get that done - it was one of only a few things on this trip that we really had to do. We’ll do it again after another 200-250 engine hours, two or three months from now. 

Our next stop, Leland, was very different. Leland saved their Fishtown, an area of old fishing shacks, restored the buildings, and converted them into shops. I bought a cotton hat and a handmade tile of the Great Lakes. Brian bought some locally made rye vodka. Later we visited with other Loopers on their boat. They left from Fort Myers, Florida, in April so they have already done the east coast that we will do next summer. It was interesting to hear their stories.

The day was very hot and we had hooked up our electric cables so we could use the air conditioning, but with all the boats running their air conditioners, the power went out and the marina was in darkness. Luckily the night had cooled down so we didn’t even need the air. I went up top around 3:30 to look at the stars, but some of the boats had their generators running, so it was noisy and I went back inside. 

Charlevoix, Michigan

Traveling to Harbor Springs

Tuesday, August 11 and Wednesday, August 12

Early Tuesday morning, we left Mackinac Island even though we probably shouldn’t have. The wind and waves were perfectly fine in the harbor, but once we passed the Round Island Lighthouse and entered Lake Michigan, the waves grew to 5 – 7 feet and we had a rolling, slapping, rough trip. The boat didn’t mind at all, but Brian and I were glad when the trip was done. Originally we were heading west to Beaver Island, but the waves were coming directly from that direction, so we turned a little south and the waves were more in our favor. The last hour of the trip, when we headed east into Harbor Springs, was actually fine because we could ride the tops of the waves.

Today Lake Michigan is a completely different body of water. It is glassy, the skies are clear, and the wind is gentle. We are wearing sweaters again in August! We have to spend the morning doing the kind of work that everyone does: laundry, sweeping, making phone calls, paperwork. But later today we plan to ride our bike around the area on a paved bicycle path. The tandem bike has been an excellent decision for us. It’s light enough that we can easily lift it off and onto the boat, although it’s a bit awkward. We ride fast, we can make it up steep hills, and we stay together. In fact, Brian has no choice but to listen to my chatter more while we’re riding than at any other time. Ha ha. 

Last night we saw shooting stars in the Perseid meteor shower, one for me, a couple for Brian. 

Boats Aglow

Tuesday August 11

Boats Aglow at Sunset
Harbor Springs, Little Traverse Bay, Michigan

Straits of Mackinac

Tuesday, August 11

Early morning view of Grand Hotel

Round Island Lighthouse as we leave Mackinac Island

Mackinac Bridge

Can you see the rainbow? It's from the waves splashing over our pilothouse.

Horses on Mackinac Island

Monday, August 10

The view from our "taxi".

Patiently waiting.

Scenic Views from Mackinac Island

Monday, August 10

 Overlooking Lake Huron

View of the Straits of Mackinac and our marina

Arch Rock with view of Lake Huron

Flowers and Butterflies

Monday, August 10

Pink flowers

Orange and yellow flowers

Little butterflies

Big butterflies

 Giant Owl butterflies and Red Postmen

Swallowtail