Crossing Lake Michigan to Chicago

We got lucky. After a week of high winds on Lake Michigan where we have been stuck in the same town for too long, we hit a beautiful day to cross. Just gorgeous. Our intention was to make a short jump down the coast to St. Joe, Michigan, so we did not get up early. But the weather report was perfect, and it was going to get horrible again, after today. So at 9:30 this morning we left South Haven, MI, and headed the 90 miles across the lake to Chicago.

As you can see it was smooth. We had a hitchhiker join us. We noticed several small birds, smaller than a sparrow, but orange, landing on the back of the boat. Carla Smith would know what they were. All I know is that they were very tired out in the middle of the lake as they were headed south. So we had birds fly into the boat, and basically ride with us the rest of the way into Chicago. Glad to help.

Shelley made a picnic lunch and we enjoyed it on the front deck while the autopilot steered us on our course. We cleaned the boat, and I took the opportunity to polish half of the chrome. We have a lot of chrome, so I only got half of it done. 8.5 hours of cruising at 10 mph , burning 24 gallons of fuel, and we had a spectacular approach into Chicago. It was a fabulous day...one that will stand out in a trip of spectacular days, and one that Shelley and I will remember forever.

Shelley saw it first. We were still 46 miles out, and you could just make out the Sears Tower and the Hancock Tower over the horizon. Slowly the entire skyline filled in, and an impressive skyline it is. We are staying at the Burnham Park Harbor in the shadow of Soldier Stadium. The Adler Planetarium, the Shedd Aquarium, and the Natural History Museum are all within a block of the yacht harbor. So we will have lots to entertain ourselves over the next 4 days. The Bears are not in town, but hopefully we can see a Cubs game.

My roommate from law school, Lauren Hogan, lives here in Chicago. We are going to have dinner with he and his wife Joyce, while we are in town. This will be a great transition from spending the last month and a half in Canada and the pristine waters of northern Michigan, into the inland river system of the US. The Illinois, Mississippi, Ohio, Cumberland, Tennessee, and Black Warrior will take us from Chicago to Mobile Alabama. Wow.