July 20
We left Wawa about 8 am and reach Michipoceten Island six
hours later. We were catching solid one
meter waves on the port bow side for most of that time. It would have been on the beam but Rusty
adjusted the heading for a more comfortable ride, which then meant we had to
make another correction or we were headed for the middle of Superior. Luckily for us the winds were negligible and
the waves were not producing any white caps.
The only casualty was our weather monitor. It fell inside the cabin and bit the
dust. Fortunately we had a spare and it
is up and running.
Along the way the chartplotter’s alarm sounded. There was not enough voltage coming in. We surmised it had to do with a connection as
our batteries were indicating they were charged. But before we surmised, we turned it off and
navigated with the Navionics program on our Ipad.
Michipoceten’s Quebec Harbor is about 2.5 miles long and ½
mile wide. We anchored near the old fishing
village ruins. There is a salt lick on
land for caribou and sure enough the caribou came out. We went ashore and within ten minutes we had
seen what there was to see. However our
little girl was so excited with all the new smells that it took her forever to
do her business.
There were at least two other boats anchored in the harbor
both who came over to say hello. A group
of up to 20 boaters have made this harbor their summer home in the past but the
numbers have been reduced over time.
There is great fishing and kayaking possibilities and for reprovisioning
it is a six hour trip back to Wawa.
Water is not an issue as it is possible to take it from Lake Superior in
a pinch. There are a couple of outhouses
on shore complete with TP. With careful
management boaters are able to stay out 2-3 weeks at a time.
We had a delicious grilled trout for dinner. Rusty caught it yesterday evening on a
fishing expedition with Travis Buck.
There is no cellular or wifi
July 21
It was overcast the entire day. Rusty figured out that the connection between
the power cable and chartplotter was the culprit. It had been replaced once before by Garmin
due to poor design. Guess they didn’t go
far enough to fix the problem. So the
short term fix is to angle the chartplotter in a more horizontal position.
Ed and Judy Crook from Crooked Arc came over for a dinner of
ribs and chicken, parsley and buttered baby red potatoes, fresh peas, salad and
fresh strawberries and honey.
July 22
We woke up to winds blowing and rain falling. In between squall lines we let out another 40
ft. of chain. Winds reached 30 MPH. with 2.4 inches of rain total.
What else could we do but eat. Peameal bacon and eggs, toast
and coffee for breakfast. Homemade split
pea soup and grilled cheddar cheese sandwich for lunch. Pork chops, fried potatoes and peas and salad
for dinner. (As I read this I am aware
this is not the most healthy of diets but it sure does taste good)
We watched the movie, The Quartet, in the evening and were
so touched by the acting, the story and the music.
July 23
We left Michipicoten at 10:30 am and reached Old Dave’s
Harbor at Otter Island about 4:30 pm. We
looked at Otter Cove but it did not feel right to us. It was deep and not very well sheltered for the
north winds we were getting.
Old Dave’s Harbor has a tight entrance and not much room to
anchor so we tied a stern line to the old dock.
There is an assistant lightkeeper’s house next to the dock that is open
to visitors. Rusty took Gigi ashore and
said there is a trail that looks like it came from Hansel and Gretel. We will explore tomorrow.
Rusty decided it was time to refill the water tanks (from
the Lake) because he did not want to have to open the spare tank lines (located
behind our bed and necessitating some acrobatics). He added a cup of bleach. NO MORE ON THIS EXCEPT TO SAY THE COFFEE
TASTES FUNNY.
It was a good night’s rest although it was 41 the following
morning.
No cell or wifi
July 24
What an absolutely beautiful walk along the Hansel and
Gretel trail. It led to the lighthouse
and the lighthouse keeper’s cottage.
There are two helicopter pads to transport the park wardens in and
out.
Back at the dock we explored the two story assistant
lightkeeper’s cottage. There were
instructions to please leave the place better than you found it. I wish we could say we improved
something. There was a guest book where
visitors can leave comments. Kayakers
seem to be popular visitors judging from the comments. There was no garbage left in the house or on
the grounds. A few mattresses were
scattered throughout the bedrooms. The
square tiles were popping off the floor.
All in all, pretty dismal but in a heavy blow, it would be a place of
refuge for kayakers.
Our run today was to Morrison’s Cove where wild orchids can
be found. We got through the skinny
entrance but did not like the south wind blowing through. It was suppose to be a west wind so not sure
what that was all about. We looked at the
other end but did not like the narrow entrance and the waves, etc. etc.
We ended up anchored in White River, all alone again. Tomorrow we will take the dinghy up to the
falls and see if we can get up to the suspension bridge. That should be a thrill!
Two bars Rogers cellular but not enough to transmit or
receive.
July 25
It was a 2.5 mile dinghy ride up the river to the
rapids. The hilly sides of the river
were cloaked in a thick array of evergreen trees. Quite pretty.
We found the spur trail to the Coastland Hiking Trail which brought us
to the suspension bridge. It was a
sturdy all steel construction that hardly moved at all. We could see the inland lake where until 1960
lumber would be sent down the rapids and out to the mouth of the White River
where it was assembled into log booms and towed to Sault Ste Marie by Abitibi
Lumbering Company.
We signed the guest book located in a metal box and read
that many others have enjoyed the experience including a couple from France
just a few days prior.
The spur trail was not as well maintained as the main one
and at one point there was a 100 foot near vertical climb which is one thing
going up but not the reverse. Rusty
found a branch he fashioned into a walking stick and we were good to go. Gigi was a natural on the trails.
Rusty fished in the afternoon. We saw two fishermen from Marathon, a tour
expedition type boat, and a mega trawler all staying for a few hours. We were alone again for the evening. Rusty made an anchor trip line for those
moments when we are likely to anchor and hook a log or something similar.
Tomorrow it will be seven days without news, phone or
cell.
July 26
We thought we would have enough time to get to
Marathon. We didn’t. The rains with accompanying thunderstorms
appeared on the radar and starting closing in, so we headed for an anchorage at
Pulpwood Harbor. I don’t think we
travelled more than 45 minutes.
Once the weather cleared we dinghied over to Hattie’s Cove
where there is a provincial park camping/trailer site. They have an Artist in the Park program and
we saw some neat wooden puzzle type art.
The campgrounds are beautiful.
There was 3 bars Roger but it was not strong enough to send
or receive.
July 27
We decided to try to get as far as the Slate Islands. There was 40% chance of showers but the winds
were only to peak at 10-15 MPH so it seemed reasonable. As we exited Pulpwood Harbor, Rusty took ill
and for the next eight hours he took naps and ate alka seltzer tablets. We did have some rain and the waves and winds
were manageable. When we got to the
Islands Rusty preferred we tie up instead of anchor and so we went on to Rossport. Now it is 6 pm, Rusty is fixing himself a
toddy. I guess the stuffed pork chop is
all mine tonight. Poor guy. He thinks it is the start of a cold. I think it is the chlorine bleached water he drank straight from the faucet last night. Did I mention that whenever we take a shower the entire boat smells of bleach? Nose wiggling clean.
Rossport is a village with one B&B, two inns, one
restaurant, two artist studios, one gift shop, a kayak outfitter, one church,
one marina/firestation, and a caboose museum.
There is unsecured wifi. The marina has 15 amp power and water and two
restrooms.
We hope to get to Nipigon tomorrow. Laundry calls and so do the echos from an almost empty refrigerator.
No comments:
Post a Comment