Otter Head/Waterfalls/lLighthouse & Fish.

Cascade Falls

On Monday August 12, we pulled anchor in the rain and cruised along the rugged eastern shoreline and the Provincial Pukaskwa Park.  We are anchored now in the Otter Head area, there are other boats in the anchorage but it's big enough for all of us. There is a lighthouse on a nearby island that we attempted to dinghy to the first day, but we aborted the mission due to rough seas. There is also a series of waterfalls we passed on our way into the cove that we hope to get to, with Cascade falls dropping right into Lake Superior. The falls are located in an open area without much protection & the wind is blowing towards them so we'll see. We are secure in a big cove with 2 sailboats & 1 Nordic tug; ConnieB (Bill & Connie from LaPeer, MI.)

Tuesday, made it in our dinghy's with rain gear & explored Otter Island lighthouse & grounds. the blueberries are ripe & we don't think there are any bears

Now do you believe we've had cold weather?

around so we picked a container full-yum. If there were bear, I wouldn't want to take their food away from them. Didn't see any caribou, which are the only inhabitants on the Lighthouse island.  Paddled up a stream in our cove & found the hidden unnamed waterfalls in our cove. We could hear the falls from our boats. The waterfall is very pretty & bigger than we expected. 

Garry had bought a Canadian fishing license so he was making good use of it.  He trolled along in our cove & was awarded by catching 3 northern pikes, releasing the 2 smaller ones   & giving the 32 " big boy to a sailboat anchored nearby. He didn't keep it for us, because Northern Pike are very hard to prepare & get the bones out.  We are picky you know. But Garry had fun catching them. 

It has been a bit windy & wavy, so we were not able to dinghy & hike the Cascade Falls. We actually have been weathered in an extra day here due to a strong wind warning, so it is Weds & we (Waterford & us) are all by ourselves in this big cove. Doug & I kayaked the perimeter of the cove & it is over 4 miles around. We went up a stream & saw evidence of Moose & a busy beaver but did not see either. We did see 2 Eagles soaring & perched among these high rock bluffs around us. 

On our weathered in day, Jacque & Garry hosted a Movie matinee. Doug read a Jack Reacher novel this trip written by Lee Childs & is hooked.  Jacque & Garry were already fans & have read many of lee Child's, Reacher series. They even had a Reacher movie in their library on the boat, so we watched the movie "One Shot"  with Tom Cruise portraying Reacher.  Even though Jacque & I agree that Tom Cruise was not the perfect pick for Jack, it was a good flick. We even had popcorn! We don't rough it.

Pulpwood Harbor, Northeast corner of the Great Lake Gitchee Gumee

Still recapping our anchorages while we were wifi free. 

Sunday point lighthouse

Sat morn, Aug 10 all three boats, (Raydiance too) pulled up anchor & headed out. The sun was out but it was cool, so what's new? We arrived @ Pulpwood harbor, near Hattie cove & the Pukaskwa park. The narrowest entry yet, but with 30 ft of water. I could have reached out & touched the cliffs almost. Nice anchorage, no other boats anchored. We took the dinghy over to the next cove, Hattie's Cove & there is actually a visitors center & campground. It's the mainland & the border of the Ontario provincial park; Pukaskwa which spans 726 square miles with a 37 mile coastal trail. There are no other roads that come down to the shoreline in this park. There are hikers & kayakers around the park. We actually registered here because the guy @ the Visitor's Center told Garry & Jacque they needed to, but when we went to the office, the girls working there didn't know what to do with us because no other anchored boats had ever registered, so they charged us a day hiking fee so we paid $9.00/couple.  The water keeps getting clearer. Doug & I kayaked around the coves & islands; we couldn't go out into Superior, because it was pretty rough. 

Doug's next life phase

That's a fungus, we think

We were hoping to dinghy to the White River this Sunday morning,August 11, but the lake has decided to kick up it's heels for a day. We certainly can't complain so far about that, so we enacted Plan B, when boating it's always good to have a Plan B.  So the four of us hiked 10.4 miles to the White River, to view & walk over the coolest suspension bridge over a gorge & raging river-totally amazing. Doug & I had been here in 1997 and the bridge had been pretty rugged open wood slats, which we walked over then.  That was before Doug fell out of the tree & no longer is excited about high moving things, like trees, roller coasters & suspension bridges.  Luckily, after 5+ miles of hiking we arrived and  were pleased to see a brand new, very well constructed bridge. Our hiking trail had some pretty rugged sections that reminded us of the forest in Lord of the Rings.  Today was sunny & warmer and we actually got (dare I say it), hot once on the hike. No wildlife spotted :(

"I'm not going over that falls!!"

Alizann surprised us & were anchored in the bay with us when we returned from hiking. It's always great to see them. Marty & Suzanne invited us for cocktails on Alizann & we caught up since seeing them @ Otter Cove. Cocktail hours are always so much fun; we have so much in common & we all have so much to share of our adventures.

Another mini Krogen Rendezvous!!

Back to Civilization: We have Wifi & cellular service/Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Hello again!! We are currently docked back @ the Soo, on the Michigan side of St. Mary's River, where we stayed on our way up to the locks.  I am going to recap our trip so the blog will be back tracking. 

Continued from last blog; August 8/9th.

While the small, small town of Rossport didn't have real bathrooms, it did have 2 gift shops. We bought a mug & small vase @ the pottery shop a mile from the dock. 

Friday morning August 9, Day 69, we had to wait till the dock guy opened up @ Rossport so Garry could top off his water tank. So I took advantage of being awake & published another blog, that's why the last 2 blogs were posted a couple of hours apart. In the morning, while waiting, it began to rain, so @ 9:15 when we left, we donned our rain gear & headed out from Rossport. We had 2-3 foot waves & our stabilizers worked well. We haven't gotten to test them out too much so far this trip. 

We continued along the north shore to a group of islands called the Slates. Scientists believe these islands resulted from the impact of a huge 19 mile sized asteroid or meteor a billion years ago. Now the largest herd of Caribou on the lake reside on these islands. We anchored in pike's bay @ the end of McGreevy Harbor. We had to navigate around an island through quite a narrow, shallow opening with rock shoals on both sides. Waterford was in the lead today, so Captain Garry with lookout Jacque successfully executed the course without incident.  

Waterford & Raydiance anchored in the Slates

Raydiance welcomed us. They were anchored all alone in this pretty bay & we barged in, sorry!! Tom was even nice enough to let us know where a deadhead lay just 2 feet under the surface in the middle of the harbor.  He also chauffeured Garry to tie lines to land for both Waterford & Day Dreams. Thank you, Tom. We have met the greatest people on our journey. First time we've tied to shore on this whole trip, when we've anchored up till now we just used one anchor & swung. 

Caribou grazing

We kayaked around the area, surrounded by beautiful rock cliffs & beaches. Tom & Linda invited the 4 of us for cocktails on Raydiance. As part of the party, we took our dinghies to a meadow close by, where Linda had heard the Caribou graze. We were able to watch a female Caribou lazily munch on the green grass. 

Waterford & Day Dreams anchored in Pikes Bay in the Slate Islands

The North Shore of Lake Superior; cold & beautiful/ Woodbine Harbor/Battle Island Lighthouse

Lamb Lighthouse

Wednesday, August 7th the fog was gone so we pulled up anchor and headed to yet another beautiful spot called Woodbine Harbor where we again anchored.  We now have traveled 1,269 nautical miles. We continue to have good water, not a mill pond but comfortable.  The weather is sunny with deep blue skies but cool as usual.



As we rounded the islands, toward Woodbine, we spotted Eagles in 2 different locations.  One was perched on a sheer rust colored rock cliff on Birch Island and the other on a dead tree that was still standing.

Eagle perched (he's that white dot)

There were no other boats anchored in this harbor, it was pretty & peaceful.  We kayaked to some cool caves and found the eagles nest.  That is one smart eagle, he or she made their nest high up in a huge hole in a rock face of a cliff.  Talk about safe and all weather protected.  We heard loons flying over us, they sing a different song when they are flying, than when they are on the water.  The evening was lovely, it actually was warmer today and we enjoyed dinner on the back deck and then sat out & took in the beauty of the woods, rocks and hills.  It was so calm & quiet, we could hear our own hearts beating.

eagles nest on left & caves 

Eagles safe haven

Battle Island Lighthouse

Thursday morning, August 8th, we pulled up anchor and cruised a couple of miles to Battle Island Lighthouse.  We anchored in the small bay & Waterford rafted off us.

 We all kayaked in and walked to the unmanned lighthouse.  We could walk all around the grounds but not into the structure.

We then left there and a few miles later landed in Rossport @ a dock. I can't call it a Marina, there is just one pier and a small office without a bathroom. We are tied to the fuel dock and staying here tonight, it fits both of us.  They do not have fuel so it's ok that we are docked here. We met 2 super nice couples who lent us their van to drive to the next town called Schreiber that had a grocery store & a Napa auto parts store where Garry bought a fishing license.  Thank you so much, Tom & Shelley from Minnesota.

This will be my last blog probably for 14 days, so don't worry, we are fine.  We will be cruising the rest of Lake Superior's North shore, then the East shoreline and then back to the Soo.  Talk to you then! Love & kisses

Out on Anchor; July 31-August 6, 2013/Thunder Bay, Loon Harbor & Otter Cove

Today is Thursday, August 8 & we are in the small town (pop 100) of Rossport, Ontario for the night to get fresh water & pump out, luckily we don't need fuel, because they don't have a license and they have portajohns, that's it!  Needless to say, we leave in the morning, but we do have a slow, slow wifi. I will back track from where we've been since last blog. Thanks for your patience.  

Continuing to back track; 

Left Isle Royale Weds morn, July 31st, later than planned due to fog this morning. You just never know when it will appear. Yesterday was sunny with very low humidity. We left @ 8:30. Air temp 54 & water temp 43. 

Trow Bridge lighthouse built in 1910, 25 foot tall on top of the Island, still has its Fresnel lens.

Cruising along a spectacular group of islands, cliffs, lots of different elevations. 

     Pie Island light elevation 1460

Pie Island Lighthouse, elevat 1460

Getting closer to Thunder Bay, air temp up to 73, water temp 56-yahoo, maybe summer will stay this time. Our cruise to Thunder Bay was awesome. 

Arrived @ Thunder Bay around 2:00. The dock hands; Kevin & Brendan were really nice & helpful. The pump out was the coolest yet. It had an elbow for attaching the hose & it flushed automatically in the same hose. The Harbor Master, Kevin even picked us up from the grocery store, the next day.  I spent the most I have ever spent @ a grocery store & didn't even fill my refrigerator. It is definitely more expensive for goods in Canada. 

We docked along a wall on pier 3. The Marina is very spread out. The office & comfort station was a long walk. The wifi was acting up-aghhh! They had a nice laundry set up, just had to pay the harbor master $4.00/ load, so I just had him charge my card $20 and I did 5 loads, I didn't have to scrounge up $20 in Canadian quarters. Alizann met up with us here. They squeezed into a 60(no Doug, not a 100) foot space on the wall & did an excellent job. Everyone was so nice. Offering us rides, asking if we needed anything. Always impressed with those Canadians. 

Alizann invited us over to their boat for cocktails & we accepted. We were there catching up for hours, then we walked into town across a pedestrian bridge & enjoyed dinner @ the Prospector. 

Thursday, August 1, we were there to do chores, grocery, liquor & laundry stores, so we could be out @ anchor for the next month. Waterford hosted Docktails for the 6 of us, then in between the rain drops we walked up to a restaurant very close to the Marina, called Bight, dinner was very good, but their corkage fee was a tad overpriced; $20/bottle. 

Porphyry Point Lighthouse est 1873 on Edward Island, Ontario

Left Thunder Bay on Friday August 2, morning, good water, partly sunny, great 6 hour cruise. 

Sleeping giant island, 1800 elevation.

                                                      Arrived @ Loon Harbor around 2:00 PM, we anchored in a well protected spot. We are all alone today. We put the kayak down & went exploring. Lots of green & rock cliffs-gorgeous. This area of islands is just called the North Shore, I think they should have a more creative name that captures their beauty. 

We are as far north as Vancouver in relation to lat/long.  We enjoyed dinner on Waterford, Jacque made yummy comfort food: beef stew & muffins. The wind picked up some & it's quite cool. Some stars are out. The landscape is rolling mountains of various elevations with a mix of tall straight pine, cedar & aspen. Smells are fresh, clean & refreshing. 

Sat morning, August 3, we slept in, overcast day with some wind. Kayaked 4 miles, returned to boat, ate lunch,napped then took the dinghy along w/ Garry & Jacque in their dinghy & went exploring. We found a sauna that Bonnie Dahl had written about. Very interesting. The skies cleared after a quick rain so we were able to have our campfire & s'mores. During the day, the same 2 sailboats (USA) that crowded us in Isle Royale, entered our harbor & crowded Waterford this time. It's frustrating because there is so much water & snug spots that we would not have to be near another boat, yet they choose to anchor irresponsibly close. It is like close talkers who get into your personal space. 

Sunday morning, August 4, beautiful sunny day-yahoo, already 65 degrees @ 10:00 AM, which feels warmer due to the wonderful sun!! We pulled up anchor to cruise a short distance to Otter Cove. 

Arrived Otter Cove, had to be look out on bow coming thru the narrow channel but it was worth it. Raydiance was anchored in the east cove & he called us on the radio & welcomed us & informed us that there was good water in the west cove but there was a sailboat anchored there, but lucky enough the sailboat was just leaving. We were leading today so we moved in, close to the end & the stream which leads to Cascade waterfalls. Then Waterford followed us in & stayed closer to the mouth. Keeping a respectful distance b/t the 2 of us. 

We put the kayak down & Waterford got their dinghy down & we went up the stream following Tom & Linda from Raydiance who had headed that way while we were anchoring. We beached our crafts & followed the path & sound of the waterfall. The waterfall was raging & high. We have pics of it when we were here in 2001 & there was hardly any water going over it then. The path took us higher & then to a lake. It was pretty rough terrain, but we made it and it was worth it. 

We invited Tom & Linda (Raydiance) to join us for cocktails on Day Dreams. They are in process of traveling the Great Loop but have taken a detour to cruise Lake Superior (great idea). They have many good stories of their grand adventure. It was a pleasure to meet them. They hail from Missouri. 

Monday morn, august 5, Raydiance headed out & we were all alone.  It was an overcast day, so Doug was completing some chores & I was listening to music from my hard drive that my good friend Barb had given me. My vantage point was looking up the stream from where I sat. I kept an eye out & I was well rewarded with a Moose spotting. I quietly yelled to Doug then we attempted to get Waterford's attention, luckily they had their marine radio on. We got in our kayak, Garry & Jacque rowed in their dinghy & we stealthily moved closer to the moose. We were able to get some nice pics. 

The other great highlight of the day was Garry fishing & catching 2 nice fish; a big rainbow trout & a smaller but decent sized Lake Trout. He released the lake trout.  We had purchased a Cutco fish filet knife for Garry for his birthday, which is August 6, (tomorrow) & we told him if he caught a fish he would receive his gift early, well he had one day to go, but he did it. Jacque & Garry shared their fish with us; nothing like fresh fresh fish for dinner-yum!

Tuesday August 6th-Happy Birthday Garry!! And we are fogged in. The plan was to leave and head to Woodbine Channel, 27 miles away. We kept changing our minds all morning and just as we were out on the bow to pull up anchor a trawler pulls by Garry close enough to talk & they said it was still very foggy out, so we stayed put & that rude trawler actually squeezed in between us.  Not only can I see what they are wearing, I can see their facial expressions. There were no other boats in the whole cove, yet he chose to crowd us. I guess we are in the minority, wanting a bit of privacy & safe distance. 

Alizann in Otter Cove

Alizann pulled in during the afternoon, they had a short ride from Loon Harbor in the fog. Glad to see them. Invited them over to have a birthday cocktail party for Garry. 

It was cool most of the day, then it rained. We had put the kayak up cuz we thought we were leaving, so we didn't bring it or the dinghy down. Everyone came to us. Alizann didn't stay for dinner, but we enjoyed running into them & hope to again.  (No, we do not think you are stalking us, lol) We grilled lamb chops & Jacque made delicious strawberry shortcake. The fog rolled back in for the evening. 

 We do not have a good cell phone signal, which I paid extra so I could talk in Canada, but just know that I am thinking of all of you & miss you.

Belated Happy Birthday wishes to nephew John & my friends Doris & Melinda.

Happy Birthday today to Craig, sending you a hug & kiss!!

Early Birthday wishes to my friends Karen & Linda!

 We are truly enjoying our Adventure!