Sunday, August 30, 2009

We were up and moving at 3:45 am and out the door and on the road by 4:10 am. Our plan was to get back to the marina before the noon checkout time and move the boat to a safe anchorage for the night. We did make it back by 11 am and found some very windy and rough conditions at the marina. We unloaded the car and as we did so, it seemed that the winds were increasing rather than decreasing. It was then that we decided to stay in the slip another night. Since we still had the car, we did our grocery shopping for the week. At 5:30 pm, we walked over to V Dock where Houlegan was slipped, to share happy hour with our Looper friends, Ray and Caryl. We enjoyed swapping stories and getting to know this couple a little bit more. Back on the boat at 7:30, we fried up some hamburgers on the stove since it was too windy to keep the grill going. It wasn’t long after that we were both in bed. Neither of us had any difficulty sleeping through the night.

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Today was the wedding of Bob Schaut and Susan Roewe. Bob and Gale have been friends for 30 years, meeting for the first time while employed as Iowa Park Rangers. The wedding was at 5 pm at Big Creek State Park (near Des Moines) where Bob has been a Park Ranger for several years. Before going to the wedding, we stopped at our daughter and son-in-laws home in Urbandale. Jess and Joe had offered us their spare bed for the night which we were happy to accept. It also gave us a chance to see the family and, especially, their two little boys. It was amazing how much Baby Jake had changed since we saw him three weeks ago.

The wedding was lovely – Bob and Susie were married on a pontoon boat on the lake. Gale drove the boat and two other pontoons rafted up with us before the ceremony. After they were officially husband and wife, we motored over to the dock near the shelter house where the reception was taking place. We met some old friends there – several park rangers and their wives/dates. We were back at Jess and Joe’s house at 8:30 pm and had a little time with JT before he needed to go to bed.

Friday, August 28, 2009

Today was filled with errands, chores and visiting our parents. Gale and his father built cradles which will be placed on Blue Heron’s deck to support the mast and boom when we unstep (take down) the mast in the next week or so. The cradles can be disassembled and stored on board until needed. He also fixed our primary anchor which had been bent up a little bit while in Milwaukee. At 8 pm, Josh and Angela Rembe stopped by for a few minutes to say “Hello.” They are expecting their first baby around November 8th and are eagerly awaiting his/her arrival. After the Rembes departed, we ate some pizza that we had warmed up in the oven and went to bed.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

We were up at 4:30 this morning to pack our bags and by 6 am we were in the car and heading west. We stopped in Iowa City about 11 am and picked up the Ford Escort that Kelle had been using through the summer months. He did not want to deal with the parking issue around campus during the regular school year, so we brought the vehicle back to Clear Lake. Gale had an appointment to have his teeth cleaned at 1:50 pm in Mason City, so he went directly to the dentist’s office. Maureen stopped at Petco in Mason City and picked up some dog food for Lucy before going home to the condo in Clear Lake. She had time to unload the car and settle in before her pedicure appointment at 5:30 pm. Maureen picked up Chinese food on her way home from having her nails done and we enjoyed dinner along with the movie Gale had brought home, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.”

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

At 9:45 am and for the next hour, we motored around the Hammond Marina trying to find a slip that would work for us. The slips were not overly wide and maneuvering in and out of the slip on a day as windy as this one was not easy. We were allowed to stay in a slip designated for a 60-foot boat which was great, except that the electrical box was for 50 amp service and we use 30 amp. Instead of buying an adapter and risking overpowering our electrical system, we simply relied on solar power that works so well for us anyway.

It rained off and on all day while we did laundry and other chores around the boat. We met Ray and Caryl Houle at the laundry facility and learned that they were Loopers from Gulfport, Mississippi, nearing the end of their “Loop.” The Houle’s boat, Houlegan, is a 40-foot trawler. They had some work done on their boat and by the time that was finished, they learned that they could not enter the river system and continue south because of the “Asian Carp issue.” The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is attempting to prevent the invasive Asian Carp species from entering Lake Michigan by using an electrical barrier. On August 21st the voltage was increased from 1 volt/inch to 2 volts/inch and the waterway was closed to vessels with non-metallic hulls (pleasure craft). The AGLCA (America’s Great Loop Cruising Association) is working with the Corps of Engineers and the Coast Guard to come up with a way to allow passage of the many boats wishing to move south down the Illinois River.

The car rental company picked Gale up at the marina a little after 4 pm for a ride to their office where he completed the paperwork and brought the car back to the marina lot. At the end of the day we were ready for long hot showers and a glass of wine.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

At 9 am while we were relaxing with our coffee, Lucy began that low throaty growl she does when someone or something is approaching. We looked outside and noticed a Chicago Police boat coming near with three officers aboard. They called out to us to find out if we were OK. Evidently, a concerned citizen in one of the apartments overlooking the beach had called in a report that a sailboat had been anchored out in front of the beach all night and they were afraid something might be wrong. We assured the officers that all was well and that we would be pulling anchor later today and moving on. They replied that it was not a problem – that we could continue to anchor where we were as long as we desired.

The wind picked up between 9:30 and 10:00 am. We left the anchorage at 1 pm and explored the immediate area checking out possible anchorages for tonight and looking at the marina’s facilities for our weekend trip to Iowa. We ended up anchoring at Calumet Beach next to Hammond Marina and the Horseshoe Casino at 3:30 pm. Gale and Lucy took the dinghy to shore for a run on the beach before supper while Maureen stayed aboard to take care of a few things she had been trying to get done.

Monday, August 24, 2009

Our five day visit in Chicago was coming to a close. We will always remember Lake Shore Drive, Michigan Avenue, Millennium Park, Grant Park and Navy Pier. To us, the open spaces along Chicago’s lakeshore are the biggest draw and we would encourage anyone visiting the City to take the time to explore and walk the parks along Lake Michigan’s shoreline.

We left our slip at 12:30 pm and stopped at the pumpout station before leaving the marina. As we pulled away, we saw that Barefoot Shoes and our friends Steve and Rae were already tied up in the spot we had just vacated. All we had time for was a quick hello and goodbye and a promise to meet up again along the Great Circle Route.

We headed south towards Hammond, Indiana, tacking back and forth, fishing when the speed was slow enough and enjoying the sunny and warm afternoon on the water. At 6 pm we dropped the hook north of Calumet Harbor near Rainbow Park and Beach and settled in for the evening.

Sunday, August 23, 2009

It was a lovely morning with clearing skies, mild temperatures and little breeze. Kevin and Justin were interested in doing some more fishing today and hoped to catch “the big one.” Last night as we were waiting for the fireworks to begin, we did have a big fish on one of the poles that Grandpa Gale had baited up off the back of the boat. Julie was the only one paying attention at the time and heard the line going out the back. The guys all jumped up and ran out to reel it in. The fish was so big it was stripping line off the reel and about to pull Kevin overboard when his dad, Dan, grabbed the pole and fought the fish for a couple of minutes. Suddenly the line went slack! Even with 30-pound test line, the fish must have cut it with his teeth taking the hook with it. Just enough excitement to keep us awake for the fireworks we had all been waiting for! This morning Kevin and Justin caught a few more fish off the dock using the same technique as yesterday and caught a rock bass, small mouth bass and blue gills.

About mid morning we decided to take another walk and explore more of the city. This time we headed north along the “Riverwalk” and up to Michigan Avenue and the “Miracle Mile.” We stopped at Trader Joe’s and made a few small purchases before making our way back via the Riverwalk and Navy Pier. We enjoyed hot dogs on the boat and then took a nice, calm ride around the harbor towards Soldiers Field and back. It was close to 5 pm when we got back to the dock and time for the Thul family to pack their bags and head for home. We were sad to see them leave, but we were grateful for the time we did have with them over the past three days. We hope to be able to meet up with them again after Labor Day when we are near Starved Rock State Park on the Illinois River.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

The air was cool and dry and the sky was mostly cloudy as we began our day at the dock. After breakfast and showers, we packed some snacks in the backpacks and headed out to explore Millennium Park where we enjoyed the large outdoor amphitheatre, the faces on Crown Fountain, the gardens and other interesting structures and outdoor artwork. Then it was back to the boat for some lunch before we took Blue Heron out for a sail.

Kevin and Justin were both tired from all the excitement and the walking we’ve been doing, so they decided to take a nap in their cabin for the first part of the boat ride. As we headed out into the harbor, we met the sailing vessel, Black Widow, who’s Captain hollered out to us, “You’re not going to like it out there! It’s really rough!” But being the ”seasoned” sailors that we were, we ignored the warning and continued on anyway. It wasn’t long before we were in 8 foot waves with 30 mph winds out of the northeast. Since the bumpy ride wasn’t all that much fun, we dropped the sails when we could and headed back to calmer waters. We were glad the boys slept through the whole ride.

We were back in our slip just before 5 pm and Kevin and Justin were ready to fish. Grandpa Gale got them all fixed up with a fishing pole, a bobber and the bait they had dug up in the park earlier in the day and they went in search of the fish along the dock. Between the two boys, they caught three blue gills and one rock bass in a matter of a few minutes by spotting the fish, putting the hook right on top of them, and waiting for the bite!

Before dinner, Grandpa Gale, Dan, Kevin and Justin played a great game of Blokus. The little boys beat the big boys this time, but there was a promise of a rematch to come sometime in the near future! Grandpa cleaned the fish and we grilled them up alongside the chicken breast already on the menu.

As if the day weren’t full enough, it was capped off with a great fireworks display at 10:15 pm from Navy Pier. We had front row seats for the show and we were all very glad that we didn’t have to take too many steps afterwards to find our beds!!

Friday, August 21, 2009

This morning we were preparing for the arrival of our son, Dan, and his wife, Julie, along with their two boys, Kevin and Justin, ages 8 and 6. The Thul family lives in the Chicago suburb of Aurora, which is approximately 45 minutes west of downtown. We left our mooring ball around 9:30 am and made our first stop at the pumpout station in Monroe Harbor. After completing that task, we headed for Burnham Harbor, just north of Monroe Harbor near Soldiers Field, for water, diesel fuel, and dinghy gasoline. By this time, it was late enough to check into our slip at DuSable Harbor, finish our boat chores and grab quick showers before the kids arrived.

At 2:30 pm Dan called and said they were in the vicinity so we walked up to the street to provide them with the parking pass needed for the DuSable Harbor lot. They brought their gear aboard, settled in and relaxed for a bit before we took them for a ride around the harbor. After our grilled hamburger dinner, we walked up to Grant Park to enjoy the Buckingham Fountain and find some dessert. We were in bed at a reasonable hour to rest up for another big day tomorrow.

Thursday, August 20, 2009

We woke to intermittent rain showers which kept up all morning. At 10 am we called the yacht tender for a lift in to the dock and headed into town with our handy cart on a mission to do some exploring downtown and bring the weekend groceries back to the boat. We checked out Millenium Park, Grant Park, Michigan Avenue, had lunch at a corner café and walked a mile or so to the grocery store. Our timing was excellent when a downpour occurred while we were shopping and the skies cleared before we left the market. We were back on Blue Heron before 4 pm and Maureen spent the next two hours repackaging the meat and salads and putting groceries away while Gale took care of some boat maintenance.

After grilling the remaining fish from the North Channel, we once again called for a lift in to the dock taking Lucy with us this time. We walked around Grant Park and enjoyed the water fountain with its beautiful night lighting. We were back on the boat by 9:30 pm for a very comfortable night’s sleep.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

It was another warm sunny day so we chose to linger and enjoy the morning. We pulled Blue Heron along the Wilmette inlet wall and let Lucy play with some dogs on the adjacent dog beach. This beach had been designated as a place where pet owners could bring their dogs to swim, play in the sand and just have a good old fashioned free-for-all. The inlet to Wilmette harbor is very interesting. Sometime in the 1950’s they had taken several river barges, placed them end for end, filled them with large riprap and sunk them to form a breakwater. We actually tied the boat to the cleats of an old sunken barge. Here we met several people who all had their usual questions regarding our adventure aboard Blue Heron. It’s always fun sharing information with others who someday would like to sail to the places we have been.

By 11 am, it was time to leave Wilmette and sail the final 12 miles to Chicago harbor. The wind was out of the south so we decided to motor and view the scenery along the shoreline. Once in Chicago Harbor we rented a mooring ball in Monroe Harbor for the night. Monroe Harbor is on Lake Shore Drive next to Grant Park and near Navy Pier and offers 1200 mooring balls which are occupied by sailboats and motor boats of all kinds. The view from our mooring buoy was magnificent but the mooring field was much too congested for our liking. We contacted another marina, DuSable Harbor, next to Navy Pier and booked a slip at Chicago’s newest marina for the weekend. By renting a slip instead of a mooring ball, we will not need to take our dinghy or a water taxi to get shoreside.

Tonight we were in some of the worst thunderstorms that we have encountered so far; however, we were quite safe and we enjoyed the rain and the beautiful sights of the clouds and lightning passing over and around the Chicago skyline.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

We left the Discovery Center dock at 6 am hoping for the westerly wind to sail us as far as the day would allow. Early in the morning the winds were light and we were traveling at 2 mph – a perfect speed to troll for salmon. The lines were in the water about a half hour when the winds picked up to a steady 15-20 mph. Too fast to fish, we decided to make good time and headed full sail south on a beautiful clear day. Racine was soon in our sights but because it was early in the day and the winds were continuing to build, we passed Racine and headed towards Kenosha. By the time we reached Kenosha, we were still blessed with favorable winds and decided to push further on towards Chicago. It was a wonderful day to sail and enjoy the steady westerly wind which allowed us to set the auto pilot, read, rest and even do a bit of cleaning during the afternoon. At about 6 pm, the wind died when we were near the harbor at Wilmette, Illinois. Wilmette is the home of the Baha’i Temple whose dome can be seen several miles from shore. We anchored in about six feet of water in the shadow of the temple where the water was so clear we could watch our anchor set in the sand. We were tempted to go for a swim but the westerly wind had blown all the warm surface water offshore making the water temperature quite frigid.

Monday, August 17, 2009

Gale was up at 7 am to dinghy to shore and give Mary a ride to the airport. She had a 9 am flight to Lincoln, Nebraska, where she will spend the week for her job. When he returned to the boat, we had some breakfast, gathered up our laundry and computer, and headed back to the McChesney apartment to do our laundry, check email, do some other work on the computer and run to the grocery store. It was so nice to have access to their apartment and vehicles to take care of some of our chores! Thank you, Joel and Mary!!

By 6 pm our chores were done and we were back on the boat where we pulled anchor and headed over to the Discovery Center dock to use their WiFi signal, update the blog and prepare to leave Milwaukee tomorrow morning and head south again.

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Gale was up by 5 am getting ready for a morning of fishing. He picked Joel up on shore at 5:30 am and set out to find the “big ones” while Kelle and Maureen slept in. Just before we needed to return to our anchorage so that Kelle could disembark and begin his drive to Iowa City, a good-sized fish hit on the smaller of the three fishing poles and snapped the line taking the lure with it. Gale was hoping to make another pass over the same spot, but Kelle was anxious to get on his way.

Gale took Kelle to shore at 9 am where Mary was waiting with her vehicle to give him a ride to his car. Gale came back to the boat for Joel and Maureen and brought everyone to shore. We walked across the street to the McChesney’s home for a wonderful brunch of BLT sandwiches, fresh pastries from Groppi’s, deviled eggs and fruit. After such a full morning, the guys were ready for naps so Maureen and Gale went back to the boat to rest and shower.

At 2:15 pm, Joel and Mary rejoined us on Blue Heron for an afternoon of sailing. We set a wind and speed record today when we experienced 25 knot winds, 6 to 8 foot seas and reached a speed of 8.8 knots all with the mainsail reefed down and the headsail at 50%. With full sails we might have been able to travel at 10 knots or better! By 5 pm, we were behind the breakwater and motored into the harbor near Festival Park where we enjoyed the Irish music with our “happy hour.” Joel and Mary were both leaving town for work in the morning, so we motored back to our anchorage at the beach as the sun set, dropped the anchor and parted ways.

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Today’s activities included fishing in the early morning (no luck), Farmer’s Market in the mid morning where we met up with Joel and Mary (bought tomatoes and a jalapeno cheese spread), BLT sandwiches on the boat for brunch (they tasted so good with the fresh tomatoes), getting Kelle’s car ready for his trip back to Iowa tomorrow and a stop at Groppi’s Food Market during the early afternoon, another try at fishing in the middle of the afternoon (still, no luck),and then picking up Joel and Mary at 4:30 for a boat ride over to the Festival Park area where we dropped the hook and grilled a wonderful meal of sirloin and salmon filets while we listened to the Irish music coming from the park. What a fine day!

Friday, August 14, 2009

Gale woke up at 6:30 am and said, “We’re going fishing!” The morning was sunny and warm with a slight southwesterly breeze. We did hook a 5-pound king salmon which Maureen reeled in. Kelle had mentioned that he would like to go to a matinee to see the movie, District 9, that was opening today, so we were back at our anchorage and in the dinghy headed for shore by 1:15 pm. We jumped in Kelle’s car to find the theater where we had our “lunch” of popcorn, M&M’s and pop! After the movie, Gale dropped Kelle and Maureen off at the Festival Park grounds before 5 pm because we knew there was no entrance fee being charged between the hours of 4:00 and 5:30 for the Irish Fest. Gale drove back to the anchorage to bring Blue Heron over to the Discovery Center dock located next to Festival Park. By the time Gale had moved the boat, Kelle had already had enough of the Irish Fest so he went back to the boat while Gale joined Maureen in the park until after dark. At 9 pm, all of us walked over to the Discovery Center’s lakefront where they were showing a free movie, Pulp Fiction. We checked out the crowd, stayed for a little while and walked back to the boat for the night where we listened to the Irish music as we drifted off to sleep.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

After everyone was up and about this morning, we walked to Kelle’s car and drove to the neighborhood grocery store, Groppi’s Food Market. The store carries a little bit of everything, including many brands we were unfamiliar with. We took the vehicle to the yacht club parking lot and walked back to the dinghy with our groceries. After the groceries were put away, we had a nice lunch and then cruised out into the lake for a short sail before motoring into the McKinley Marina to fill our fresh water tanks and take showers. From here we motored back to the dock at the Discovery Center and took a walk around the Art Center grounds and over towards Festival Park where we could hear the Irish music. After our walk, we grilled chicken breast dockside. As the sun began to set, it was time to head back to our favorite anchoring spot for the night.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

It was a relaxing morning and we spent some time running Lucy on the beach (she ran – we didn’t!). Before we knew it, the day was getting on into late afternoon so we pulled anchor to cruise along the shore looking for a strong Wi-Fi signal. We didn’t have much luck there, so we headed over to the Discovery Center on the downtown lakefront where we were quite sure we could tie up to the dock for awhile and catch a signal. Maureen spent an hour or so posting entries to the blog while Gale took care of a few little chores. Soon, a family aboard a sailboat docked next to us and we learned that there was a free concert going on tonight here at the Discovery Center. In fact, every Wednesday night during the summer season, there is a free outdoor concert. Tonight’s band, Blarney, is a male trio who play various instruments and sing Irish songs. During intermission, a local dance school specializing in Irish dance put on a program showcasing its students. Milwaukee has some kind of festival – often ethnic heritage – every weekend during the summer season. This weekend, the Irish Fest will be the feature at Festival Park.

After enjoying the singing and dancing, we motored back to our anchorage for the night to await a call from our youngest son, Kelle, who was coming in for a weekend visit. Kelle had just spent a few days with his brother, Casey, in Seattle and flew into Moline tonight at 6:30 pm. Kelle is in his third year at the University of Iowa and was taking a break between summer school and the fall semester. The drive from Moline to Milwaukee took about 5 hours and when Kelle called, Gale took the dinghy to shore, walked up to where Kelle was parked and brought him out to the boat.