Mike and Beth's Adventures

Welcome to Alton Illinois. This is where the Illinois River meets the mighty Mississippi River! Alton Illinois The Alton Marina is protected by a tall rock breakwater, over which the you can just see the tops of the boat sheds.  This is a good spot to stop, provision, top off fuel, do laundry and complete your preparations for travelling down the Mississippi to the Ohio River. The entrance to the Alton Marina is on the downstream end of the breakwater.  That would be to the right in this picture. We were so happy we were assigned a covered slip.  We were experiencing a hot spell and it was wonderful to be in the shade!  As soon as we connected to shore power, the air conditioner quickly brought the cabin temperature down to a comfortable level. The "Walmart Grocery Delivery Caper" Our friends on Currently used their online app to order their groceries from Walmart and have them delivered to the marina.  The drill is the driver calls from the parking lot, you met...

Harbor Entrance in St. Jo / Benton Harbor Michigan I'm sure we did a dis-service to the portion of Michigan between Grand Haven and Chicago.  We were so excited about getting to Chicago, that we blasted through as quickly as possible with our eyes set on the goal of visiting the windy city.  I hope we will be forgiven.  We didn't even get out of the harbor at our first stop in St. Jo, just across the river from Benton Harbor.  We understand this city has a great amusement park.  Did we see it?  NO!  Why? We had a long travel day, ate dinner, and went to bed so we could depart in the morning for Chicago!  Unfortunately, the afternoon winds did build to an uncomfortable level and we called an audible, and ducked into Michigan City hoping the weather in the morning would be more to our liking. This is a snapshot of all the Looper boats in transit down the eastern shore of Lake Michigan in our immediate vicinity.  This is the mariners equivalent ...

Light House at Entrance to Grand Haven Channel Grand Haven is a lovely town.  One in which it is easy to linger.  Recreation, at least in the summer time, has clearly become an important part of it's story.  From talking to locals, they shared that refugees from Florida's summer heat also migrate to town and then return to Florida for the winter.  New loft apartments are under construction along the waterfront.  Perhaps to serve this population.   There is also a sizeable Coast Guard Base in town.  Grand Haven loves their Coasties!  Every year there is a Coast Guard Festival which draws a large number of visitors.  If you are in the area during the Festival, stop by and honor those that serve. We arrived in Grand Haven after a 68 mile run south from Ludington.  This picture was sent to us by another Looper who got the shot from their drone as we were in transit.  It was very nice of them to send us a shot of Amy Marie underway...

Lake Michigan Weather Resources I built this page to give better access to weather resources for planning our boating trip south, down the east side of Lake Michigan. Seagull :  Great Lakes Observation System Wind Speed - Lake Michigan North Manitou Island Sleeping Bear Dunes Buoy  - near Leland Point Bestie Buoy  - near Frankfort Muskegon Buoy - near Muskegon Port Sheldon Buoy - Between Grand Haven and Holland National Weather Service - Great Lakes Great Lakes Portal  Great Lakes Forecast by Zone Great Lakes Marine Forecast Summary Lake Michigan Open Lake Forecast (Beyond 5 miles from shore) NWS Forecast Office Gaylord Michigan NWS Forecast Office Grand Rapids Michigan NWS Forecast Office Chicago Illinois Other Resources  NOAA Significant Wave Height and Direction Model Great Lakes Water Levels Michigan Department of Natural Resources: Lake Michigan Boating 2022 Harbor Operations and Fee Schedule Windy Predict Wind Waterways Guide   Additional  G...

Lighthouse near Little Current Ontario Little Current We tied to the City Wall in Little Current and walked into town to re-provision at the local market.  Everything you might need is available within easy walking distance and at "normal" prices. You can ask the Harbor Master if you can tie up on the east end of the wall by the stairs that lead to the super market.  This will make your return trip easier if you are heavily laden with provisions. Little Current's waterfront has successfully transitioned from it's industrial beginnings to support of recreational boaters The city wall is quite long with plenty of room for visiting boats. Fuel and pump out are available. The Benjamin Islands After leaving Little Current we headed west to the Benjamin Islands.  These are located along the northern edge of Georgian Bay We found a nice protected cove in which we dropped our bow anchor and then tied a line from the stern of the boat to shore.  By doing so, we re...