July 31
We’re both a little sad because this segment of our trip is
about to end. It’s our last night at anchor and it feels like our last night on
the North Channel. Tomorrow we head farther west toward Lake Superior, and
we’ll be in marinas most nights from now on.
We have loved the anchoring, the isolation, and the beauty of
Georgian Bay and the North Channel. As hard as it is to believe, it really did
get more gorgeous as we continued west. The colors got deeper and more intense,
especially the sapphire blue waters and the dark green pine trees.
July and August are the busy times up here in the Canadian
waters, and most of the anchorages have had several boats in them. Last night
there were eight of us in beautiful Hotham. Here at our anchorage in the
Turnbull Islands, there are no other boats in sight. As isolated as we feel,
however, we know that there are two sailboats anchored on the other side of the
island. Once in a while we see a plane fly overhead and we’ve heard a train go
by. While we were traveling this morning we saw a ferry, and yesterday we saw a
gravel quarry. But it is wonderful to experience, in some way, the feeling of
total isolation in these northern islands and bays.
We took a short dinghy ride around the tiny islands. They
would be the tops of mountains if the water weren’t here. It was a short ride
because the wind made it pretty rough. The ride emphasized how isolated and
remote this place is, but it’s exactly what we’ve been looking for. It also
emphasized how dependent we are on our boat as our home and shelter. Right now
"The Most Important Thing on the Boat” is, without a doubt, the anchor. It
can be a challenge to set it just right, but once we do, it keeps us secure
throughout the night.
We saw the full moon last night and again this morning before
sunrise. It was so beautiful. Brian claims that he saw a glow in the north from
the northern lights but the bright moon drowned it out … hmmm… The moon rose in
the south and set this morning in the west. It is very confusing.
The water here is 27 inches above normal this summer, which is
wonderful for us on our boat. The Illinois River and the Mississippi River were
closed for pleasure boaters for a couple of weeks due to high water, but they
have reopened. There will be debris in the rivers, but we won’t be there until
September, so they could be clear by then.
I have big horse-fly bites on my legs and mosquito bites on my
arms, but luckily not too many. We close up early to keep the bugs out after
dusk.
No matter how hard we tried to complete everything before we
left, reality keeps forcing itself into our lives. When we get back to America,
we have to work on questions from insurance companies, questions from EZ Pass,
even questions about watering our grass. I thought we had resolved all these
issues before we left, but I guess people just have to look for work to do.
Tonight we’re having locally made sausages and acorn squash.
We’re still hoping to see the Northern Lights, plus any kind of wild animal.
Pretty soon we’re putting the dinghy back up on top of the boat and won’t get
it down again for many days. And even though we’re sad about leaving, we’re
also excited about the next segments coming up: a brief trip into Lake Superior
and visits to both Sault Sainte Maries, then a month exploring Lake Michigan
and visiting friends. I’m also looking forward to having internet, cellphone
service, messaging and cash again.
This place is always here. When we are gone, it will still be
here. When we are home again, it will be here.
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