Leaving Canada, Back to the US of A and We Say Congratulations and Farewell to Our Looper Friends Dash Away and Miss Norma

No more storms came over our island last night, and the water finally settled back down to look like we were floating in a mirror.  We got up before daylight to begin our last day of cruising in the Canadian section of the Loop.  The lines we used to tie the stern to a tree had to be taken up and stowed, and once all the gear was secure we idled out of East Grant Island anchorage and steered due west for the US border.  The sky was overcast with haze/smoke hanging in the distance, but the wind was directly on the bow and under 10 kts.  This made for a smooth ride for our 4 hour cruise out of the Georgian Bay waters of Canada and into the St. Mary’s River to De Tour Marina in Michigan.  We crossed the US/Canada border at approximately 0900 local time and were happy to be back "home".

The Canada section of the Great Loop was simply fantastic.  All the locks and parks along the way plus the great little towns where we spent time at marinas were fun and interesting.  The people we met, especially the students working at all the locks, were as nice and helpful as can be.  We were also fortunate enough to be able to cruise with fellow Loopers Dash Away, Miss Norma and Gypsy Spirit and share our Canadian experience with some truly great folks.  Dash Away and Miss Norma will cross their wakes here in Michigan, and we will be sad to say farewell to them.  We share a special bond with Loopers we traveled with for several days and weeks that will forever remind us of this great adventure.  It's the great people you meet on the Loop (and the Kawartha ice cream) that you will miss most when the day to part ways comes around.

We were keeping an eye on a thunderstorm developing in our path to the marina but managed to get docked just before it came over.  We checked in with US customs online and got that taken care of first thing.  We still had that fistfull of Canadian dollars in our pockets, so we walked to the closest bank and swapped them for a few greenbacks.  After eating a hamburger at the local bar and grill, we came back to Viridian just in time to beat another rainstorm that popped up over the area.


Not much to see here at De Tour Marina, but it is a great place to stop and take a rest before heading over to Mackinaw City Marina tomorrow to catch a ferry over to Mackinac Island for a few days.

That's the news and here's some views:

We are here

Today's cruise from East Grant Island anchorage to De Tour Marina, MI

Sunday - August 6, 2018

East Grant Island rolls up on the horizon

No wind in here!   Yet

Storm is coming

Finally starting to settle down

Stern tied to a tree to keep Viridian pointed into the rollers coming in after the storm

Most of the Billions of rocks that make up the shoreline here are fossils

All is calm after the storm moves on

 

Inside the natural harbor of East Grant Island, Georgian Bay, Northern Lake Huron Canada

Monday August 6, 2018

Just crossed the US/Canada Border

Good to be back