Ontonagon to Houghton

Day 12, August 11

This day started quite early.  We plan to travel to Houghton MI as our next overnight stop and it is distance of about 50 miles.  There are really no good jumping off places between Ontonagon and the entrance to the Keweenaw Waterway which is about 42 miles so an early start will improve our chances of making it before dark.  We checked out of the marina, said our goodbyes to Harbor Master Bob and were on our way by 7:45. 

As we were preparing to leave, we were reminded that the water would be rough caused by the left over rollers of the past several days. On his radio Bob had called a fisherman who had gone out onto the lake early and that guy reported that the lake was rough with confused waves.  Bob suggested that we wait for a while for the lake to calm down, but that would add to complications at the other end of the trip.  I told him that we would motor out into the lake and if it was too bad, we would come back. 

Entering the Keweenaw Waterway

As we pulled out into the breakwater passage leaving the Ontonagon River, we were greeted with huge rollers that made the bow dip and dive fairly wildly.  Out into the lake, we turned east and those rollers made the boat roll from side to side.  The boat is fairly stable for a small boat and we decided that the boat could handle it and probably we could also.  And we did.  It took us close to 8 hours to reach the entrance to the Keweenaw Waterway and the boat rolled from side to side the entire way..  As the day progressed, the wind stayed virtually calm so the waves subsided, but it was still a long rough ride.  The motor performed well the entire way pushing us along between 5.5 and 6.0 mph.  Once inside of the waterway, the motor decided to start missing and ran on one cylinder for about the first 2 miles and then straightened up and ran well the rest of the way in.  The waterway was like traveling down a beautiful  river, a pleasant end to a rocky day.  

Huge Lift Bridge in Houghton/Hancock

One of the reasons that we were heading for Houghton was to join up with Mike Sullivan, a fellow Balboa 26 owner, who we met through our blog.  He stumbled upon it and we have been communicating back and forth throughout this trip.  He had sent instructions to tie up along the wall just past the huge lift bridge that connects Houlton with Hancock.  As we were coming into town, we saw Mike standing alongside the river waving his arms.  He was also waiting as we pulled up to the wall at the city park.  We made our formal introductions, spent time talking about our boat, and headed for the KBC, a local micro brewery.  We spent a good hour talking boats and when we mentioned that we were going to rent a car in Marquette to go back and get our truck, he said, “Don’t do that, use my truck.  I am on vacation and don’t need it for a couple of days and Duluth is only 4 hours away and you can leave your truck and trailer in my driveway while you finish your trip.” We spent time discussing details and decided that it was an offer that we couldn’t refuse.  We agreed to meet at the marina across the river from where we plan to spend the night.  I contacted the marina and they have a slip reserved for us for either one or two days. It is indeed another example of the type of fine folks and situations that have risen over the years as we have been venturing. 

Panache and Damn Dink on the Wall

Mike needed to get home so we parted but not before he gave us two pieces of strawberry peach pie that he had just baked.  WOW!  We took the pie back to the boat with promises to enjoy it after dinner and headed for the Ambassador Restaurant for dinner.  And, after dinner we indeed indulged in the wonderful pie.  What a treat.  Being full to the gills, we decided that we needed to walk but on second thought, we were tired and full and walking didn’t sound all that appealing.  So we went to bed!