Wake up - Get up - Start a new adventure

• We played a game of poker run. In your dinghy you have to go to 5 different marinas and get a card. At the 6th marina the dinghy with the best poker hand wins. I filled a dozen or so balloons with water and was all set to go. Most teams were couples; one had several men, I guess their wives didn't want to play. The men had it all planned with super soakers. One of the guys actually went to a store for the water guns. We had 2-10's, 1-J, 1-A and a 4. We didn't win, however, we were soaked and did have fun.
• We zigzagged our way through a maze into a cove called Bustard Islands. This time there were other boats, but you could not see them until you were right next to them. We dropped anchor; Mike took the dinghy and tied the stern to a tree. We took a dinghy ride along the shore and explored the sheltered channels. You know God had his hand in this, his fingerprints are all over. During the night there was a thunder storm. The wind howled and the lightning made the sky look like the 4th of July. We were glad we had both bow and stern anchored. In the morning you would not have known it even rained.
• Some of the channels are so narrow and long; with the turns and rocks, you can not see the other side. Before you enter you have to go on channel 16 and say "security-security-security", say which direction you are going-"33ft. power boat going east to west in Roger's Gut in 2 minutes." Then you hold your breath and hope no boat is coming the other way. There is not enough room for 2 boats to pass.
• We went to Byng Inlet to a restaurant called Little Britt Inn. The owner was Jim and he did not serve you if he didn't like you. He told great stories - he was Mike's hero. A genuine character. They had a long conversation. Mike explained that his ambition in life was to be a character, just like Jim. Jim said, "I think you made it." P.S. The food was great.
• The North Channel - the outpost of civilization. We had a flat, beautiful ride from Kagawong to Meldrum and then to Drummond Island. We played golden oldies, lots of rock and roll, and sang off tune and danced. We were happy that no one could hear us. We talked about old times and what each song made us think of. All together it was about 9 hours. When we arrived at Drummond Island we had to check in at customs. We had our passports, drivers license, documentation and decal number ready for the agent. This time it only took 10 minutes. We decided to ride our bikes to Mass and do some grocery shopping. The next stop would be Mackinac Island and that's supposed to be expensive. When we left the IGA store I asked if there was a shorter way back to the marina. The clerk said, "Just follow the main road and make the 1st right". Yeah right! We only rode 2 miles from the marina to church and then to the store. Heading back we were already about 3 miles - all up hill. We came to the 1st right, and rode at least another 2 miles; we did see the water but no marina. I thought Mike was having a heart attack. The sweat was pouring off him like I sprayed him with a hose. He said ##@** to me, it was all my fault, I asked for the short cut. We came to a house, the front door was open, the car was running. I knocked at the door, I could hear a young mother coaching her 3 year old to make on the potty. I knocked again, I hated to interrupt the potty process...I remember what that was like. Finally I heard "good girl" you can have your M&M. When the mother came to the door, I explained my situation, she understood, after all she was married. She laughed at two adults being lost. The right way to head to the marina was to go back the way we came. However, we could sneak into some grumpy couples yard, cross a field go over a fence, follow a gravel path, go down a hill and come out on the main road in half the time. We very quietly went into the grumpy couples back yard, we started to cross the field when we were attacked by black flies. (The size of the carpenter bees at the club.) When they landed on you, you felt like you were hit with a ball. We carried our bikes over the fence, followed the gravel path, went down the hill and finally came to the main road. We left our boat at 4 p.m. to go to 4:30 Mass, pick up some groceries and it was now 8 P.M. So much for our shortcut.
• There are only 77 slips on Mackinac Island. We made a reservation, one of the few we made. Because of this we had to go whatever the weather was. We woke up to thunder and lightning and light rain. The Coast Guard said there would be a small craft warning in the afternoon. It's 8 a.m...do we go or not? We broke our own rule, we went. The wind was blowing, we were protected by small islands on both sides. We got to DeTour Harbor and the current and the wind were right in front of us. It started to get a little bouncy, I had my life jacket on and Mike did me a favor and had his next to him. As we cleared land and entered the open lake the little chop turned into 5 ft waves coming right at us. The Hail Mary's started. We rolled and I held on the way one of Count Dracula's victims might cling to a cross. We kept going 47 miles. It started to lay down about half way across. It's amazing how the water changes on the lakes. We see land-Yeah!! We docked and Mike had a beer. It turned out to be a beautiful day....
• Mackinac Island is only 3 miles long by 2 wide. There's lots of ferry traffic and they don't worry about you. This is one of my big attractions, ever since I saw the movie "Somewhere In Time." It is enchanting with horse drawn carriages and colonial homes. Lots of B&B's. No cars are on the island; only transportation is by horse or bikes. There's a pungent odor on the streets or as my sweetie says - it's stinks, it's horse shit!
• The Grand Hotel with the world's longest veranda is high on a hill, you can see it from everywhere. It overlooks the harbor. It's regal and the prices are as grand as the hotel.
• We took our bikes on an eight-mile trip around the island. The path is flat, which we loved. There's a military reenactment, with the bugle and drums. Every so often they shot off a cannon. Just like at the club - your heart skips a beat and you jump when it goes off. There are many shops and places to eat. There had to be 20 fudge stores. We spent 2 days here just strolling and loving it.