Lovely Leland

Back on Lake Michigan – Lovely Leland

Even though there are no anchorages for a visit to Leland, we were advised not to miss this little town.  The nick name for Leland is Fish Town – their claim to fame and symbol is the tug that still operates here plus a quaint little shopping area housed in old fish huts. For our entertainment the mini ferry to the Manitou islands operates out of this marina. On the main street up from the harbor the town flows around Lake Lelanau with shaded streets and the now familiar mix of art galleries, antiques, eateries, and bookstores.  Leland is the home to George Ball the owner of Good Old Books – a treasure trove of hardback used books.  The independent bookstore/coffee house is a hub of activity on the main street, and the library offers a free paperback to cruisers in our welcome package as a draw to get us to look at their 50 cent books. Some of the best antiques were the vintage cars which thankfully were not for sale. The farmer’s market again offered freshly picked berries and veggies plus local honey and handmade soaps. The local history museum had two interesting displays – one on the shipwrecks of the Manitou channel (fortunately all from previous centuries) and the lumbering and cottage communities on North Manitou Island. In the early 19 hundreds there was a summer cottage colony on the island. (Lots cost $75.) The cottages did not have kitchens since all the meals were taken in a central dining hall – now that is a true vacation! These days the island is for primitive camping only – how times have changed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our stop in Leland included another adventure which we would like to have avoided both times. Reading peacefully in the late afternoon on our first day, we watched a Chris Craft struggling to maneuver in the winds that had kicked up.  Too late we realized they were trying to get into the slip next to ours.  The post which should have been in between our slips was missing so this boat brushed our bow as the captain fought to control his bow while backing into his slip. The scrapping noise and jarring thud as they bounced off our boat made us jump – a little tardy – to push the Chris Craft away. The resulting crumples to our window should have taught us to be more proactive, but the next afternoon we were kissed once again by the next occupant of the same slip. At least this time, Steve was on the bow with a bumper ready – yet all too quickly the incoming boat bumped us once again. Fortunately, Steve and their crew, Linda, prevented any damage. Both captains were courteous and solicitously checked on potential damage. From one captain we were glad to hear this is not a frequent occurrence – this was only the second time he has hit another boat in more than 30 years of boating. This just suggests we were in the wrong place two days in a row, and we have a whole new definition for proactivity.

 

On a happy note – Steve finally located the problem with our new TV. I think we mentioned this upgrade to an AC/DC TV back in May as Steve birthday present. The original antique that came with the boat did not fully function and the plastic housing was literally disintegrating. The fancy new model that we saw on Dan’s boat in Cape May was ordered along with the new frig and delivered by Arch and Susan back in June. This sleek flat screen has a crisp picture, but was plagued by a gremlin. The remote sensor only worked now and then. Fortunately we were able to use the buttons on the top to tune it for the local channels but this required getting up from the prone position and using a flashlight.  Neither was conducive to napping in front of the evening news. Steve issued urgent text messages and e-mails to the US distributor (this machine is made in Australia) and a new remote was sent via Paul which finally caught up to us in Traverse City. Frustration continued as this remote did not solve the problem.  It didn’t work at all and the sensor light still operated on some internal schedule of its own. Another round of virtual communication and Steve was put in touch with a repair shop near Chicago.  The helpful tech agreed to send Steve the suspect “board” and this overnight package was waiting for us in Leland. When he disassembled the unit he alertly noticed the plug attached to the original suspect board was not firmly attached.  He fixed that without replacing the board and magic; it all worked just fine. The amazing Steve scores again, and now he has some spare parts. The new TV has also been mounted on a new false wall in the old cabinet giving me another galley storage space as a bonus. Everyone is happy!

P.S. Unless we have given the impression that all we do is shop and enjoy docktails, I include a few photos from our 15+ mile bike around Lake Lelanau – just a few hills and a wonderful lunch stop!

 

Exploring Grand Traverse Bay

Grand Traverse Bay

Most of the last week has found us visiting several towns on the western leg of Grand Traverse Bay – Northport, Suttons Bay and Traverse City. Sadly many cruisers on the loop pass this area on their rush south, so we were not entirely sure what to expect.  Our stops were suggested by Michiganites who cruise this area regularly and their advice has been golden.  We hopped over from Lake Charlevoix to drop the hook in front of Northport just off Lake Michigan at the mouth of Grand Traverse Bay.  The winds blew in a storm which rocked the boat, but did not stop our trip to town.  Between showers we walked the streets of Northport and found a great used bookstore as well as art galleries, a history museum and a rock store. People were friendly and helpful – the Visitor Center lady wanted to give us an umbrella so we wouldn’t get wet on the way back to the boat! In the history museum we learned that we were anchored in front of former location of the turn of the century luxury hotel– it burned in 1908. The house next door is still there although it looks like a few wings have been added. (The lady in the museum also offered her personal washer/dryer when we asked for a Laundromat!)Suttons Bay was similar in size to Northport, but much busier and more colorful. The shops are mostly in repurposed houses – many painted in wild colors. Traverse City itself proved to be a hidden gem.  Friends who are in the know said it was worth the trip, but we were unprepared for the treat. The marina is one short block from the happening main drag chock full of numerous restaurants and shops including big names like Talbots and Chico’s or Orvis which we have not seen for months. The best finds were the deli/markets just a short walk from the docks. Folgarellis on Front Street and, on the other side, Burritt’s Fresh Market  were brimming with specialty items, organic veggies, choice meats and fish, fresh  or smoked, plus cheeses to die for.  Choosing what we could eat before it spoiled was the biggest problem. We walked  through the historic district up to the campus of the old state mental hospital that is being reborn as the Traverse City Commons - a multi-use commercial and residential park. There we found the brick oven bakery to test our willpower. And of course, being Traverse City (the purported cherry capital of the world), all varieties of cherries were everywhere. Sadly, we had to leave before the start of the week long film festival – the schedule was impressive – multiple venues with offerings from 9 in the morning to the after dark show on the blow up screen at the bay front park next to the marina. With a 150,000 visitors attending this event, we were not too sorry to miss the crowds, but for film fans this is the place to be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We also found a couple antique stores and several independent bookstores. Bookstores do seem to be as popular as the art galleries around here.  Every little town has one or even two and in bigger towns like Traverse City, both new and used stores dotted the main street. Books were everywhere even in the antique stores and upscale boutiques. We also noticed lots of reading activities – and prominent ads for the local libraries.  Spending time in a community of readers is just about perfect for Erben Renewal.