We could not have had a better day to cross Lake Michigan. The lake was flat, not a cloud in the sky topped with a wonderful coolness in the air. Pure bliss for us! We made it from Washington Island to Leland, MI in six hours. Ben was able to get some reading in and I may have napped a bit. There is something about the hum of the engines and the rocking motion from the waves that gets me everytime! But most important to us was that Sawyer seemed right at home. He napped both in his crate on the fly bridge and on "his rug" between the two of us. He was busy hunting flies and trying to stay awake too. Maybe boating has the same effect on him as it does on me because he spent a good deal of the crossing sleeping.
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| Sawyer safe sleeping in his crate |
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| Our first sight of land |
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| Manitou Islands |
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| Sawyer loves to snuggle with his dad |
A lot of people enjoy boating fast and for us the cruising part is the enjoyable time. Sure, we love playing tourist and hitting the towns but there is something calming about being on the water. I've always loved swimming and the sounds of water seem to bring me to my happy place. For Ben this is his heaven. So the fact that we cruise slow doesn't bother me, it gives us all time to ponder life and be one with ourselves. I didn't solve any big life issues on this trip, I was too busy sleeping but we have a month left! hehe!
We spent our afternoon and evening in Leland, MI which is one of our favorite stops. We enjoy the adorable historic fishtown for its fish dip, potato salad and some good shopping. Commercial fishing in Leland has provided the towns residents their livilhood for over 100 years. Many of the buildings that house the shops were constructed back then as fish shanties, ice houses and a smoke house which is still being used as such. What is so cool about Leland is that it is still a working fish town, something almost every Great Lake harbor had back in the day. Ben loves to visit the fisherman while they are cleaning their haul. There is something about seeing where your food comes from, which makes the smoked white fish dip I bought taste that much better!
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| Isn't this a cute town??? They have a great boat shoe store here but she closed early and I missed out! |
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| Leland River, also called carp river |
Sawyer learned to walk on a metal bridge. It took some enticing with treats to get him to cross (which was drawing a crowd cheering him on) but eventually he got over his fear and walked it like a pro. He enjoyed walking around town and realized in order to do that he had to walk the loud bridge. He was also really interested in people and dog watching from our flybridge, something I enjoy as well.
So, all in all the trip is going great! My biggest fear was Sawyer not enjoying...I have no more fears, he seems to love boating as much as us!!
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| Watching dogs walk by |
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| People watching from the fly bridge |
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