Author Archives: JH

Remember to keep checking Old Pink! We are updating this often!

After raining for most of the day, this is what came of it!

Remember to check the Old Pink post – it was updated today. It took a bath!

For the first time on the trip, it is raining. That is actually a good thing because we stayed an extra day and toured around. We got a ride from an elderly gentleman – Bill – who took us to Kagawong. We checked out the Bridal Veil Falls. The falls does not have as much water as it used to but it was still fun to go in. The town of Kagawong has made a lot of improvements – there is a new staircase, which is very well built, to get down to the falls. There is also a walking path that will take you back to Kagawong if you choose.

We toured the village and then Bill took us out to the lookout via a road that was closed, but we went anyway – it was somewhat bumpy but we did manage to get through to the other side. Bill was a good guide though and knew a lot of history of Manitoulin Island. We were also treated to a drive-by of the former Gore Bay turkey processing plant which has been converted into a funeral home.

Dennis bought a very tiny folding bike and he drove around town for a while. It is kind of cool – it comes in a duffle bag. I tried it and if you are just interested in bombing around, it is great! Obviously my bike is much better for going any distance but it is really not that handy for driving around town. Surprisingly, I haven’t used the bike much since I discovered jogging. It is certainly not as fun to jog, but you get a better workout in a shorter period of time, so for me, an hour’s run is equivalent to a two hour bike ride. I haven’t mastered the art of getting a good swim workout yet, so that is next.

Dennis met up with a couple from Goderich, Ontario who live on their homemade trawler full time. They winter in Goderich and spend the summers in Gore Bay. I can’t imagine enjoying a real winter on a boat but they seem quite happy. I was hoping to wrangle an invitation onto the boat, but the captain is sleeping (it’s raining so he may as well…).

We are going to watch a movie tonight – The Girl With The Dragon Tatoo – I unfortunately downloaded the Swedish version with English subtitles, so it might not be that great!

Here are a few photos of Bridal Veil Falls and Gore Bay.

The following pictures show where we’ve been. Notice the lovely shirt!

We had a wild sail from Harbor Island to Meldrum Bay yesterday. The boat was really going fast in the strong wind (not that we would know the speed – sigh…) but we had lots of fun. The end was not great though when we were trying to bring the sails in – lots of lines whipping across the boat. I’d hate to be hit by one of them!

We were forced to go to the dock to speak with the Customs officer – on the phone. That seemed a bit bizarre as we could have just anchored out and rowed the dinghy to the dock. We would have avoided the black black tire mark on the side of the boat but the cabana boy polished that out very quickly once we were safely anchored.

We decided this morning to leave at 7:30 for Gore Bay. The wind was perfect – right behind us the whole way. Waves were six feet but we weren’t pounding into them, so it was fun – kind of like riding a small roller coaster. We sailed the entire way and were safely docked at 1:00.

We went to the laundromat (very necessary) and then did the shopping. I had three trips to the grocery store and filled up on lots of produce plus a case of club soda.

Tomorrow, it is supposed to rain so we are not sure what we are doing. We would like to get to Bridal Veil Falls in Kagawong and Dennis found someone who might drive us. Should be another adventure, I’m sure!

I always thought that Mackinac Island was my favourite place to visit but I now think that Petoskey is much more interesting and certainly not as touristy. There are tourists of course, but they seem like normal people, not the usual “Disney World” type.

First of all, docking was very easy. Someone actually greeted us and caught the lines – that was already wonderful especially since the dock is very high and I wasn’t looking forward to jumping off and falling into the water!

Secondly, the dock people were very efficient and gave me a nice little package that included a map of the town (how novel!), the washroom codes, and the internet password. I usually have to beg someone for the code and am not sure why it is such a big secret!

Thirdly, Petoskey has the greatest bike path! I rode along Lake Michigan on a paved pathway for 20 km. I could have gone to Charlevoix but didn’t have the time or energy.

Finally, the shopping was excellent! I got everyone’s Christmas gifts in one swoop! The restaurant we went to was also good – the service was quick and the food excellent.

The only thing that was not so great was the shower. It was clean and the water was hot but it was low flow. However, that was a minor inconvenience, and I was still able to get nice and clean!

Tomorrow we are literally leaving at the crack of dawn! We are going to try to make it to Government Island which is about fifteen miles past Mackinac. I think it will be a long day!