Come join us as we chronicle our adventures refurbishing our sailboat, teaching ourselves to sail, kayaking, paddle boarding, camping, cross country skiing, downhill skiing, and just enjoying life to it's fullest!!!
Just 2 hours to go before I take my little Fiance's hand in mine and slip a ring onto it making my best friend my wife! I better get cleaned up and get down to the beach so Cindy can have free reign of the house and get ready herself. Being a man getting ready for a very casual wedding ceremony I was done in 15 minutes! I finalized plans with Jerry who was in charge of bringing Cindy down to the beach at a 8:10 PM. Amy was going to ride down with me to help me set up the easel with the sign that Cindy had made. Everyone else was going to arrive at the beach at 8 pm.
Amy and I arrived at the beach after helping Wendy, the officiant, find her way back down from the bluffs to the beach as she got confused on the location change. When we pulled up at the beach I saw one last surprise waiting on Cindy. High school friends of Cindy, Scott and Mary Brown who we went to Michigan the very first time to see and sail with, came up from Bear Lake MI to attend the service were at the beach waiting on us. Our photographer for the evening, Emily Leuenberger, arrived right behind us so it looked like everything was coming together. Just one small snag potentially developing. As we stood on the edge of the sidewalk and looked out over the lake to the northwest I could see a line of storms bearing down on us. A quick call to Jerry to let him know that arriving with my bride sooner than later might be best then we all hoped for the best.
The up side to the storms was that they made an awesome back drop!
Amy and I got the sign set up and luckily I had snuck my multiplier onto my belt as it got used on the sign. Never let the groom dress himself ;-)
Everyone arrived a bit early and soon it was time for the bride to arrive
After everyone got in place Cindy walked down with her daughter to meet me
This is when we almost had a boo boo. I am so used to kissing Cindy each time we meet and we were both so happy we almost locked lips when she got to me!
Then Libby, the Beach Patrol, jumped in and stopped us in just the nick of time!!!
That was close!!!! Wendy, our officiant was probably thinking we could not wait LOL! We regained our composure and proceeded on with the ceremony. Windy did an awesome job and even let us a hug a couple of times as long as we promised not to kiss. No fear as Libby had her eye on us the whole time!
When I was finally given the ok to kiss my beautiful bride I did not waste any time!
The guest could not throw bird seed so instead we had a sea gull fly over!!! They took to the sky just as we finished the kiss
Here is a group shot of everyone who helped pull off the surprise!
It could not have worked out any better and the rain even held off long enough for us to take pictures.
Here we are with Dottie who was the real reason the surprise even got started as she was really upset with me that she was not going to be there as originally it was just going to be Cindy and myself.
Emily took over and guided us through various poses with our guest and ourselves trying to preserve this very special moment in time for us.
Amy had made us a life preserver sign and brought it up for us.
We found a pile of rocks on the beach and together we made a impromptu prop in the sand
At some point the urge to pick up my lovely lil wife got the better of me ;-)
Cindy begged me not to drop her as it seems she did not think a wet dress would look that good in the pics
Emily wanted to get the sky in the back ground so she had us walk away from her down the beach
We wanted to get some by the lighthouse as we love lighthouses. I don't remember what Emily told us to do but at one point she told us to get a room LOL!
We were having a great time enjoying the moment and Emily was super to work with. This is one of my favorite pics as it captures Cindy peeking up over my shoulder and you can just see the happiness in her eyes.
Still no rain :-)
But it was getting closer
So we headed over to Joe's Friendly tavern to meet up with everyone for dinner and drinks. I had called ahead and got them to stay open late for us which worked out great.
I had Beth Schultz make a cake for us and Libby brought it up with her. I don't have a better pic of it than this as I had already released Emily for the night before I remembered the cake. It was an awesome cake and Beth did a great job on it!
I am not sure how the wedding could have turned out any better. Cindy loved the surprise and having her friends and family there made it so much more like a wedding for her. In the end I got all that I wanted. My best friend is now my wife and I can't wait to start making new memories as husband and wife! It was a long time coming but sooooo worth the wait!!!!!!
Life is uncertain,
Like a little boat rocking back and forth in the sea.
Good times are followed by tuff times,
And tuff times are followed by glee.
Unexpected obstacles will block your path,
You need to be able to change and adapt.
There will always be resistance,
Success requires persistence.
The key is to find a good partner, one who will stand by your side,
Who will sail with you through the changing of the tides.
With them tuff times are not as ruff and will eventually pass,
Then much longer the good times will last.
May you find someone who will never leave you shoreward,
Tackle everything as a team and always move forward,
For life is but a dream.
When I heard this poem I knew that no truer words have been written when it comes to the lady of my dreams. If this is all a dream my one hope is that I never wake, and that Cindy is by my side till the end of time. May we sail the seas of life, together as a team, till the winds of time blow no more.
Just 12 hours till go and counting! One last breakfast as a single man LOL
I made a pig of myself while Cindy went out for a run then I had to make another lap of the fruits once Cindy got back and set down for her breakfast. Can we say stuffed? They make the best breakfast for a B&B at the Cottonwood Inn that we have ever found. Being a breakfast person I am big fan! We are huge fans of the blueberry French toast casserole!!!
While we ate we run over the itinerary of what all we need to do before the wedding. First we have to run to Suttons Bay to pick up our marriage licensee, then to Traverse City to pick up Cindy's bouquet that she had made, then back to the inn to get ready before the service. I also needed to run down to Empire Surf Shop and see if I could find someone who could reserve a fire ring for us on the beach so we would be sure to have a place for a fire after the service.
So while Cindy got ready I went in search of someone to help us out. I stopped at the Surf Shop where Beryl, pronounced Barrel, told me about a young man just up the street a few houses. So I ran up there to see if he would be interested in making some quick cash. After talking to Sarah, his mom, she decided that since he was working in that she and her husband would make sure we got the fire ring that was closest to the grass as it was the best pit area. I greatly appreciated her doing this for use and felt much better knowing we were going to have a fire pit waiting on us after the service on the Bluffs. She and her husband just lived right around the corner from the beach so they set up beach chairs and went back several times through the day to move things around to make people think that someone was using them.
Back to the Empire Inn to pick up my fiancé and then off to Sutton's Bay.
One our way to Suttons Bay we got sidetracked by a winery that was right on our way. How convenient? We enjoyed a glass of sweet white wine as we talked to the workers and shared the reason for our visit.
Nothing like being on vacation and drinking before 10 am! Soon we were back on the road to Sutton's bay. A quick stop by the clerks office and we had our license in hand. Down to 9 hours to go.
We turned left at lake and headed north up to North Point for lunch at a small lake side bar called
It was a beautiful setting at the north end of Grand Traverse Bay with a nice harbor area right in front of the restaurant.
We both agreed we needed to comeback and sail Grand Traverse bay! After lunch we headed back down along the west shore of the Leelanau peninsula en route to Traverse City. Once there we had to stop and shop at the Momentum store before picking up Cindy's bouquet. By now we are down to just 5 hours to go!
We headed back west to Empire but once again a winery got in our way and we had to stop and check it out.
It was a little after 4 when we finally arrived back at the Cottonwood Inn. We were just going to make a quick pit stop then run down to the beach and check on the fire pit to make sure all was good before we came back to get ready for the ceremony. We had to stop short as Keri's car was in the drive as she came back to the inn to water the flowers. We were just going to be a second or two so we just parked behind her in the drive and ran inside. Cindy led the way and once we passed through the back dining area off the kitchen Cindy stopped in her tracks. There, sitting in a chair, across kitchen, was her sister Dottie!!!!
Dottie was 10 days out of a knee replacement surgery and never did Cindy expect her to make it but she did! Then her other sister Peggy and her husband Gordon came out of the porch area behind Dottie! Then off our right we heard screaming as our friends Amy and Libby with their husbands Jerry and Bill came running out. They girls were all hoping up and down as Cindy started to weep. But wait! There is more! Off to our right again out walk T&T, (Cindy's son Trent and his wife Twinkie (aka Bethany))!!!!
Cindy looses it at this point and starts to make a puddle on the floor with happy tears!
Little did Cindy know but I had been planning this surprise since last October! I knew Cindy really wanted at least her sisters and kids to be there and of course her friends so I got with everyone and started planning the surprise. The only one I was not able to get in on it was her daughter Erika as she came out and asked if she could come before I could get to her and get her in on the surprise so Cindy knew she was coming. In fact they arrived about 5 minutes after we did and got to partake of the celebration before the wedding as drinks started flowing early ;-) Here are the three Besties
Here is my little Fiance coming up to thank me for her awesome surprise!
I am pretty sure that is her happy look! I still needed to spring a bit of a plan change for the wedding on Cindy as she was not aware that we could not have the ceremony on the Bluffs like we had planned all along. In the process of me planning the surprise I needed a place to hide everyone's cars at the bluffs parking area as the surprise was originally going to be sprung on Cindy there. I found a large parking lot for the park maintenance workers about 1500 feet east of the bluffs parking lot that would have worked great. Being a good guy I tried to get permission to park five cars there for one hour. After multiple phone calls to the Sleeping Bear Dune parks department I was eventually denied permission from the head of law enforcement for the park. I thanked him for his time and told him I would find someplace else. To which he answered me with a question about if I had a permit? Thinking he was referring to our marriage license I told him we were picking it up the day of the wedding. He then informed me that we needed a permit from the park to have a "organized gathering" in the park. I was like "Organized gathering? It is a small wedding with 15 people for a 10 minute service". It did not matter as a "organized gathering" was 4 or more people meeting at a set time at a set place in the park. Long story short, my application for a wedding on the bluffs was eventually denied because the bluffs were not an "approved site" for an "organized gathering" and I did not have 18 months for them to attempt to approve it. So I went with our second choice which was the beach at Empire, hence the need for the fire pit. After a quick phone call to the village clerk, I filled out a application and emailed it back to her, I had the signed permit returned to me the next morning. I knew Cindy would be fine with the location change especially since everyone was now going to be there. So I told her the change and of course she was fine with it. In the end it turned out to be a good thing as there was no way Dottie or Peggy could have walked the trail to the bluffs and this way they only had a short walk from the parking lot to the beach site.
Just 3 hours to go so with Cindy and everyone celebrating the surprise and the upcoming service I took a minute to catch my breath as the surprise worked perfectly! All the fears of someone slipping up and letting the cat out of the bag never materialized and it went off without a hitch. Cindy had no clue and was totally surprised. It will be a long time before I top that one. I though my surprise proposal in the snow, at midnight, on New Year's eve on a trail in the UP was a good one but this one took the prize.
While the others partook of libations Jerry and I ran down to get wood for a fire on the beach after the service and to check on the fire pit. The chairs were still there and all was good so back to the inn so I could get ready. Just 2 hours and 30 mins to go now!
Just 36 hours to go till our wedding and we are all loaded up and ready to pull out on our journey north to Empire MI!!! Hard to believe the day is almost here as we started a count down timer on my phone with like 256 days to go. It seemed so far away when we did that but one by one the days came and went.
We have the Memory Maker all loaded and prepared for our honeymoon sail on the North Channel, all the clothes we will need for the wedding and the next two weeks, plus props for the wedding. You could say we are packed to the gills.
Our wedding will be Empire MI on the bluffs overlooking the beach and Sleeping Bear Dunes to the north at sunset on the 14th of July. It is going to be a very simple service with just myself, Cindy, her daughter and husband, the officiant, and the photographer. We wanted to have a very simple service to match our lifestyle. I have been preparing and researching for this trip for the last year. I have done everything to the boat that I can think of in hopes of making this a trip Cindy will remember for ever. I have added things to our 20 foot sailboat that you would normally find on much larger boats in hopes of increasing Cindy's comfort level. I am hopeful we have a great time and make lots of memories.
We pulled out of the driveway and head north a little after 8 am. By 9 am you know who has decided it is time for nap.
Pretty typical as it is very seldom that Cindy can make it to Indy and still be awake. We continue our journey north and soon pull into one of favorite little beach towns, South Haven MI, for a break. Soon we are sitting at the outside bar at the Idler River boat
as Cindy sips on a nice cold glass of SHIT (South Haven Iced Tea) as the locals call it.
No trip to South Haven is complete without a selfie at the lighthouse
After a quick stop by Divana G's boutique we are back in the truck and continuing our trek north. We are in no rush as we just want to get to Empire by dark in hopes of seeing the sunset and we have plenty of time so we drive at a relaxed pace. The boat is riding fine and all seems to be going well, even if we are missing the Cirrus Satellite radio we normally have to listen to.
The sky becomes covered in stratus clouds as we get further north so seeing the sunset is probably not going to happen. We pull into the Cottonwood Inn about 9 pm and find a place to park the boat and truck. After dropping the trailer we run down to the beach in hopes of seeing a glimpse of the sunset but we missed it. But we did get a awesome shot of us with the moon!
Down to just 22 hours to go before two best friends become Mr and MRS!
Well it finally happened. Cindy kicked me out. No, not out of the house, out of the boat LOL! Last night was Cindy's first time to sail the boat all by herself without me in it. We will call it her first "assisted" solo as I actually started and ended in the boat with her but for quite a while she was the sole occupant of the boat. I guess in a way she stepped down from being the Admiral to lowly Captain status as she tacked back and forth out in front of me while I took pics.
I had been wanting to get pics of the boat with the new sails as the old sails just looked horrible. So we took Ding Dong, our inflatable dinghy I made, to the lake for her test pull and I thought that would give me a great platform to shoot some pics of the boat while Cindy sailed her.
Cindy did awesome although she did not understand the "need" to take the pics. It wasn't a need as much as a want. Luckily she humored me and was a good sport about it . So we heaved too so I could hop into Ding Dong and off she went!
She looks totally in control, which she was. I knew she would have no problem handing the boat under sail as 95% of the time we spend on the boat she is on the tiller and mainsheet.
Even with the new paint last year, the bagged out old sails looked horrible. It is like washing a car but not cleaning the windows, it still looks dirty. We both think she looks much better now plus she sails so much nicer with crisp tight sails.
I nearly got myself ran over taking this series of shots. I am not sure but I think she was aiming for me ;-)
Someone is no longer afraid to heel the boat over.
Cindy buries the rail with the best of them now!
As much fun as it was motoring around in the dinghy I was ready to get back aboard. But trying to catch Cindy under sail just wasn't going to happen. Ding Dong would keep up with her but that was it. She had too much of a head start on me for to catch her unless the wind died. With only 25cc pushing the dinghy it just did not have enough power to go any faster. Never thought I would see the day come I would say that we had a fast boat, but at least that day, the Memory Maker was the fastest. Luckily Cindy heaved too and let me back aboard the boat.
Ding Dong worked out very well considering what she is. I am going to make a modification to her and move the tow bridle d rings further back and down lower to help get her bow up. As we pulled her along above 5 mph her bow would dig in and she took on some water. I had no prior experience setting up a dinghy so I just winged their location, should have winged them a bit further back. Other than that it worked great. We even anchored and took a dinghy ride where were able to see a deer down getting a drink.
It has been our goal from the very start of our "sailing journey" to get Cindy to where she can sail the boat own her own. I knew she would have no problem sailing the boat under sail as she now has several seasons of experience under her belt. Now the next big step will be docking solo. That might take a bit more practice ;-)
We only have 26 days to go till the wedding and our honeymoon cruise on the North Channel! We are both really looking forward to our big day and exploring the islands in the Memory Maker and Ding Dong!
I know it has been a while since I have posted anything to our blog but we have just been so busy getting ready for our next adventure that I just haven't had time. Well today I am making time as today is a special day for us. As of today we only have one month to go before we start off on our next adventure, our adventure of a lifetime.
It isn't that we are off to some far off wild location, but instead this adventure will be the joining of two best friends into husband and wife. Cindy and I have been together for 4 and half years now and things have never been better. I would truly be lost without my bestie and cannot wait to take that walk to the bluffs her and make her mine forever.
As I think back over the last four and half years with Cindy is almost all seems like a blur it has gone so fast. It doesn't seem like it has been that long at all. We have done so many fun things together as we have worked on finishing our house(delayed only because of all the playing we have done along the way) all the while continuing to grow closer together with the passing of each day. It truly hurts me more each day to leave her in the morning than it did the day before. Cindy is the only person who I have met that I honestly could and would spend every moment of every day with. She is unlike anyone who has ever walked the face of this planet before. Just so beautiful, easy going, full of life, and fun to be with that she has created an addiction in me so much stronger than any drug could ever have dreamed of creating.
In addition to becoming husband and wife on this next adventure there is also this little trip to sail the North Channel in Lake Huron that we have been busy preparing for. Not many women, ok, none that I can think of, would ever suggest spending two weeks on a small sailboat in the middle of no where off the Canadian shores of lake Huron. I told you she was unlike anyone I have ever met. Doing something like this for the honeymoon is probably close to a lot of men's dream. The best part of is not only is this a "dream trip" for me but I get to spend it with a lady who is beyond my wildest dreams in so many ways. If you asked Cindy I am sure she would tell you I have a very "vivid" imagination. Even with that the life I get to live with Cindy is so far beyond anything even my "vivid Imagination" could have conjured up I am still half wondering if this has all been just a dream. If it is I hope I never wake up from it!
The actual wedding will take place at sunset on the second day of this adventure on the bluffs south of Empire Michigan that overlook Lake Michigan. Cindy has her dress, that she won't let me see, and we have our rings. We will send off our application for our marriage license next Monday and pick it up the day of our wedding. It is going to be a very casual, low key wedding. That was my only real request, demand, in the process. I feel like weddings today have just gotten totally out of control, both in cost, scale, and stress levels and I did not want that. The past 4 and half years it has just been Cindy and myself, and really that is how I wanted to get married. Cindy's daughter did ask if she could come as she really wanted to be there, so how do you say no to that? So she, her husband, and two kids will be there. We needed two witnesses anyway. Beyond that it will just be us, the officiant, and photographer. I have gotten the feeling several times that this is "too simple" for Cindy as she is probably more used to the traditional style weddings. My thoughts have always been to keep things as simple as possible for maximum enjoyment. I asked Cindy to marry me as we stood on cross country skis, in a dark woods, at midnight on New Years eve, during a snow storm in the UP of Michigan, and neither one of us had showered for 2 days! It doesn't get much simpler than that and it was, in my mind, perfect. I am really hoping I go 2 for 2 and she says yes one more time!
As far as the trip goes, when this all started I never dreamt it would have take so much preparation. I have spent countless hours reading and researching the area, what we will need, what the boat needs, what to expect and do, etc. I spent as much time this spring making modifications to our boat as I did last year repainting the whole boat! Not all the changes I made were necessary but I wanted Cindy to be as comfortable as possible on this trip so I felt them to be "necessary" in order for that to happen. With now just 30 days to go we have started packing some items like our dry foods stores as we will be spending up to 4 days on the boat at a time with re provisioning. It is our hopes that I can catch our dinners out of the lake, especially since I just spent 80 bucks on my Canadian fishing license! But knowing that there is no guarantees to catching our dinners, I want to have food on board as a back up. Since we have never spent more than 24 hours on the boat at a time, mostly due to our schedules and not because we did not want or could not have due to the boat, this trip will be a new experience in a lot of ways.
Knowing the possible pitfalls we could encounter with trailering a boat that far I have made modifications to the trailer and boat to hopefully prevent as many problems as possible on the journey there and back. I have installed new radial tires on the trailer that will run cooler and carry more weight. I repacked the bearing, again, and installed double lip garlock axle seals. I fabricated a motor mount on the trailer that the outboard motor for the boat will ride on keeping it out of the tow vehicle and adding some more tongue weight to the trailer. I have made new supports and holders for the mast to better protect it for it's long journey atop of the boat. I have redone the wiring on the trailer and added a storage tube to the trailer for our mast raising equipment. We are renting a new 3/4 ton quad cab truck from Enterprise truck rental. There is no way to prepare everything that could possibly go wrong but no one can say I did not try.
Once we get on the water we plan on going which ever way the winds carry us. We can go east to the Benjamins or we can go west to Long Point cove and stop at anyone of the hundreds of islands along the way. We are both so looking forward to just be able to totally relax for a change. To live our days, if just for a short time, with no time schedule. We look forward to hiking on the islands, exploring the islands in Ding Dong (the dinghy I made), picking fresh blueberries, naps in the cockpit under the cockpit tent I made, bon fires on shore at sunset, staring off into the stars, and peaceful nights sleeping as the boat bobs up and down on the hook. As lovely as that all sounds we have also had to prepare for the flip side of that as the weather on the channel can become quite treacherous at times. So if we get stuck on the hook for a day or so till calmer conditions prevail we have the Fire we can watch movies on in the cabin between naps and, well, you know. It is our honeymoon ;-)
Cindy's only real request or stipulation for this trip was that we get to shore every 3rd day or so which I was totally agreeable to. How could I not have been as she was the one who suggested this idea to begin with. I have made reservations for two nights at a B&B just up the road from the Spanish Ontario Marina where we have a slip reserved for our boat. I hope it is nice as that is about it for accommodations in the area. Remember when I said the middle of no where? So we will break up our sail with a night at the B&B then refresh ourselves there before we head back to the States.
Once we cross back to the US, we have a couple of options. Cindy thought it would be neat to sail on Lake Superior as well so if the weather and time permits we may launch into Waiska Bay on Lake Superior and sail there for the day before heading down to St Ignis where we plan to spend a couple of days sailing around the Mackinac area. We both look forward to sailing under the Mackinac bridge and over to the island. I originally hoped we could get a slip at the island but our visit just happens to coincide with the finish of the Chicago to Mackinac sailboat race and the yacht club hosting the race has all the slips reserved. So we have a slip at St Ignis reserved for 3 days. If we can't get one of the few visitor's slips on the island we will just take a ferry across to the island and spend a day exploring it as I am sure Cindy would really enjoy seeing it.
If this all sounds like a lot of work to you then you are absolutely correct. We will rig our boat maybe 4 times on this trip which while I have made it as easy as I can it is far from easy. I can totally understand why more people do not sail. It is dying sport for a reason, because it is so much work. Most people today do not want to expend that much time, energy, and thought on their off time. That is a shame too because when it all works as it should it really is a thing of beauty. The fact that I get to enjoy with me incredible lil Admiral Cindy only makes it that much better. There is nothing more relaxing or enjoyable than being able to set the sails for a nice 5 mile run down the lake, then leaning back into the rear pulpit, and having Cindy lean back into me as she snuggles up for a relaxing trip back to the slip. Almost magical is how I would describe the sensations of being pulled along by the two large sails stretched out on opposite sides of the boat with only the sounds of the water burbling up from behind the stern breaking the silence as I soak it all in with my soul mate in my arms. With us sailing with the wind behind us we loose reference to the speed we are traveling and it is like time is standing still when in reality we are actually moving along at a pretty good clip. Moments like that make us forget all the work it took to get there as we just enjoy the experience and each others company. Sadness typically describes my feelings as we near the slip and we have to return to manning the boat in preparation for docking. Moments like that never last nearly long enough. Maybe I am just greedy. Even if the run was 500 hundred miles instead of 5 I would probably feel the same way as I could hold Cindy in my arms forever!
I just want to say thank you to you, Cindy, for making the last four and had half years the best ones in my life and I am so looking forward to spending the rest my life with you as my wife. Soon 30 days will have turned into 30 years or more and I hope when we get to that point we can look back on them all, in each others arms, and say what and adventure we had! I love you Babe!
I finally got a chance to sit down and catch up on our blog. Where to begin. It has been a very busy month with two more trips to ski in Michigan. So far this ski season we have managed to ski 8 1/2 days, 6 of which were down hill. I only counted our trip to Michigan in November as a 1/2 because we only got to ski about 3 hours before the snow got too soft. I don't think I will get anywhere close to last years 19 days but considering how much driving we have had to do this season I will take all that I can get.
Three weeks ago we started planning a trip to Bittersweet in Otsego MI. I had puppy care and mom care arranged, just needed the weather to hold out. Well, it didn't. By Wednesday of that week it was clear that they were going to get rain and be warm for the days we would be there. Well crap. So I canceled the trip about noon. About 6 that evening I got a text from Captain Scott who was going to go up to their cabin on Bear Lake MI to check on things. He invited us to come up and crash with him and then go ski at Crystal Mountain. At first I did not think we could since I had just cancelled everything but after thinking about it for about a minute, I made some frantic calls and was able to un cancel our puppy sitter! We were going to Michigan!
I had everything loaded up Friday morning and dropped my lil Lady off at work then went to work myself. I had to fly but was able to get back to still pick Cindy up as soon as she released the buses. Off to Michigan we went. Bear Lake was about 3 hours further north than Bittersweet so they were not forecasted to get above freezing and no rain. the drive up went well and we rolled in to Scotts Cabin about 10:30 or so. We stayed up and talked till almost one before we all crashed.
Up early the next morning not wanting to let a minute of our time in snow country go to waste I headed over to the local restaurant and brought breakfast back for everyone. With full tummies Cindy and headed off to find Crystal Mountain. It was a short 20 min drive before we pulled into the parking lot that was already quite full. It had only been open about 10 mins so they must have a lot of snow lovers in the area. We wasted no time in getting suited up and ready to hit the slopes.
We skied over to the closest lift and waited our turn. This was a new setup for us as there was a magic carpet that you slid down onto and then it took you to where the lift chair would pick you up. Luckily with two other couples in front of us we were able to watch them and see what to do. All went well but I did notice the chair was really low. Not thinking anything of that we proceeded up the hill. Well the low chair would wind up having the last laugh as when I stood up to ski away the low chair had sat down on top of the back of my ski boot. I leaned forward to take off but went no where, except down. AS I laid there on the ramp I could hear Cindy talking to me as she thought I was right beside her. I tried to roll out of the way fast enough to not have them shut the lift down but it was too late. The operator must have seen me go down and hit the stop button right away. He stuck his head out and asked if I was ok to which I had to stop laughing long enough to assure him I was. Back on my skis I went in search of my playmate.
We took a few runs to try and figure out the lay of the slopes. The snow was great and the runs were really nice. Crystal Mountain has 55 runs versus the 8 we are used to back home at Paoli so we worked on hitting them all. It took a little bit to figure out how to navigate around all the different lifts but we soon had the front side figured out about the time the back side opened up at 10. WE alternated back and forth between the front side and back side run the rest of the day. While it was busy it was by no means overly crowded. We were able to go from area to area and for the most part did not have to wait very long at all for a lift chair.
While there were a lot of different runs to choose from the ones on the back side were not very long in length. That is just part of skiing in the Midwest. We both felt like skiing at home on the ice at Paoli was good practice as neither of us really had any issues skiing at Crystal Mountain.
Cindy did take a nasty tumble on one run on the back side that while not extremely steep was very lumpy for lack of a better term. It almost seemed like it had not been groomed for a few days and was like skiing moguls at the top. I went down first and once I got out of the rough section I pulled over and stopped to wait on Cindy. I could not see the start due to some trees so I waited and waited. then I heard someone ask if they were ok. I heard Cindy reply yes. Not good. She finally made it down to me and had snow packed in the vent sin her helmet it was sitting lop sided on her head. Never a good sign. She said she took a hard hit and from the looks of things she did. Cindy wanted to take a break which was probably a good idea but by the time we got back up the lift she was ready to try it again. Really should have taken that break.
We really enjoyed the Cut Off run as it was a pretty run down through the trees on the front side. It was not extremely difficult other than it was very narrow. It was probably the tightest run we had been on to date. We both did fine our first time down which looked like this when thing go as they should.
Well our next trip down that run Cindy took a pretty good spill. She was fine but left a pretty good divot in the snow. The next pass down she made the mistake of pointing out where she wiped out at on the previous run. This is what happened.
I got laughing so hard I feel over backwards! Sadly I turned the camera off while I helped put Cindy back together again. I took a gnarly spill at the bottom when to avoid another skier I turned right with out enough room and my right ski shot up the hill towards the trees. I had no idea my leg would go up over my head, but now I do. It was one heck of a wipe out!
We continued on even though I think both of our legs were starting to wear out. Seemed the spills were coming with a bit more frequency than they did earlier in the day. Cindy had a head ache, still suffering from her first spill on the back side. Here is a collection of a few spills we took.
As we are still laughing it is all good. I wonder if matters if the person laughing is not the person on the ground? As long as one of is laughing it's all good LOL!
After that last spill it was time to head to the bar. We headed back to Bear Lake after having a refreshing beverage in the bar. It had been a great day with almost non stop skiing. Other than a break for a coke and cookie we were on the slopes.
We enjoyed a nice dinner in Bear Lake with Scott before going over and playing cards with afriend of theirs. I am proud to say that Cindy and I are now the Winter 2016 Bear Lake Euchre champs! Still waiting on those t shirts to get here.
I don't think either one of us moved during the night, either from being too sore or very tired, either way I slept like a rock. After saying good by and thank you to Scott we headed north to Empire MI where were will be returning to this July to get married! We wanted to get in a early wedding practice. After a short 30 min drive we arrived at the parking are for
It will look a bit different when we return in July, as in no snow! We brought our snow shoes in case we needed them but there had already been people walking the trail so it was packed down nicely. Our snow boots would be all we would need. We came to the first overlook and had to stop and take a few pics, like we always do when we stop here. Here is the view of Empire beach with Southbar lake to the right and Sleeping Bear Dunes in the background.
Of course it was a prime spot for a selfie
Cindy is so photogenic. Never seen a camera that doesn't love her. Funny thing, Cindy commented that she did not think they had much snow. Well this bench is buried so I would say they had 20" of packed snow right there.
I would kill to have 20" of packed snow at home! We continued on the path and soon we were at the overlook where we will hopefully be married this July, weather permitting.
Here is Cindy braving the wind as she looks for the benches. they have to be around there somewhere. Thy were buried as she was standing over them on the snow! Here is the view from our wedding spot.
It is much prettier in the summer when the sun is setting. We walked back to the car talking about how the next time we walk back to the car it will be as husband and wife!
It was time to head home so we pointed Pearl south and headed for home. Like every trip we have ever taken to Michigan, the worst part is leaving. Luckily we would be back the next weekend!
Michigan trip #2
The week between our trips flew by and before we knew it the time to pack had arrived again! Once again I dropped Cindy off at school and went to work only to return a few hours later to pick up my lil Lady and head north!
We were heading back up to the Higgins Lake area to cross country ski. We had hoped to finally get our good friends Bill and Libby on the snow and to XC Ski Headquarters as they have not been either this season but due to weather they were not able to make it. So we soldiered on without them. This drive was a bit more time consuming than our last trip up due to bands of lake effect snow that came and went. We made one stop for fuel in Fort Wayne and made it the rest of the way nonstop. I had given Cindy her Valentines day gift early so she was being entertained by movies on her new Fire tablet. The drive wasn't bad till the last 10 miles or so when we ran into snow covered roads and blowing snow. Even then it wasn't bad till some impatient arse had to pass everyone it the left lane. It left us with zero visibility. Luckily I had given the car in front of us plenty of room as I had no idea where he was for probably 15- 20 seconds.
We rolled in to Higgins Lake with 20 miles range left on the gas gauge and 15 mins left to get a pizza at the Streamside restaurant. I called to place a order to go only to learn they had closed early that night. ARGH!!! They told me they stayed open till 11 when I called earlier. Must have been a slow night. We were not starving so we just decided to wait till breakfast.
Jim left our key in the room and had the heat on for us when we arrived at the North Winds Lodge. The wind was still howling and it was cold out so I made quick work of unloading Pearl and shutting the door to our room. Cindy turned the tv to HGTV which is where it pretty much stayed the whole weekend. We went to sleep watching house flippers.
I woke up early the next morning and ventured out to get gas and pastries for breakfast the next day.I could tell by the sharpness of the air that it was cold but fortunately the wind had laid down. The thermometer in Pearly said it was -15. I won't lie, it was cold, but there was no wind and the sun was out. This was going to be a great day to xc ski!
Back in the room I broke the news to Cindy who shivered and said BRRRRRRRRR! I told her not to worry as I had a game plan change. We would go say hi to Donnie and do some shopping at XC Ski Headquarters, then go do the breakfast buffet at Fred's Place, then go ski at North Higgins lake state park after it warmed up a bit. She was good with that so off we went.
My legs were cold by the time I walked from the car to the front door of ski headquarters. After saying hi to Donnie the wonder dog, I went in search of real xc ski pants as I was basically wearing warm weather running pants. I found some that fit and along with new sock liners I was ready to brave the cold. Cindy found a few items and we were on our way to Fred's.
Breakfast at Fred's was awesome! The French toast was to die for and the hash browns must have been fried in bacon grease they were soooooo gooood!!!! Yes, we ate like pigs, but we were going to work it off skiing. At least that was our logic. After waddling to the car we headed off in search of the park.
We arrived at what we thought was the spot but it turned out to be the Higgins lake winter festival. Once we found out we were on the wrong side of the road we put our skis back in the Skybox and took a quick look around. It had not started yet but they sure had a beautiful day for it. They were going to have snowmobile drag races, broom ball, ice skating, and a ice fishing tourney. There was a chili cook off at the conference center as well.
After a short drive across the road we were at the trail head for their ski trails. We geared up and headed out into the woods. XC skiing is much different than downhill in that you actually burn calories xc skiing. As you burn calories you generate heat. While you may start off all bundled up you have to remove the layers as you heat up to keep your sweating under control. If you don't you will wind up drenched in sweat and then freeze when you stop. It was not too long into the trail that I was skiing in in just my sweater and base layer. It was up to a balmy 3 degrees at this point but the sun was overhead and there was no wind. It was really nice skiing. We had a note on our car when we go back that said "Please don't walk in the ski trails". Lets see, we had a skybox on the roof, ski tracks all around our car leading off to the trails. What part of that made her think we were walking on the trails???
From Higgins Lake we headed east to find the trail head for the Mason Tract trail. I have read about it for about 5 years now and Jay has skied it several times. I have been wanting to ski it for quite a while but it just never worked out. Well today it was going to. The wait was worth it as it was a very pretty trail. Probably not the best skiing conditions as there was not as much fresh snow on the trail and someone in snow shoes had walked on the ski track but the beauty of the trail made up for it. I referred to it being a very intimate trail in that it was a single track trail and the pines and cedars gave it a warm cozy feeling. Even though it goes along side the Ausable river you only catch glimpses of it due to the thick pines and cedars. It felt like skiing in a natural Christmas tree farm.
Here is Cindy on the trail just before she disappeared into the pines. We skied up the trail from the south till we got to high spot where the wind was now blowing. Between the wind and the fact that it was getting late in to the afternoon we turned around and skied back at this point. We stopped along the way to go down and check out the river.
The Ausable river is known for its great trout fishing and it looked PRIME! With its shallow waters and rock bottom I could just imagine hooking into a rainbow or large brown. We will definitely have to venture back up this way in the summer with fly rod in hand!!!
We headed back to the room to change and get ready for dinner, again at Fred's Place. It is really the only place to eat in Roscommon. Luckily it is really good. But before we could eat we had one more place to ski!
We skied at Hartwick Pines State park the last time we were up here and noticed they had lanterns for night skiing. Well, as luck would have it, tonight was the night for it! So off we went back to the northeast to ski the lantern trail. The moon was out when we got there and between the moon and the lanterns we did not even need to turn on our LED headlights. It was very pretty but hard to capture in a photo
The lanterns were placed about every 100 yards and the moon was casting enough of a shadow that we could see just fine, even in the woods. It was very pretty. There is just something magical about being in a snowy woods during the night. I remember a cold but magical night in the UP where we were out skiing on dark trail and came upon a pine grove where the trail was being lit up by a bunch of tiny tea lights. As Cindy stood there with most surprised look I have ever seen her have on her face, I drooped to one knee and asked her to marry me that night as the wind howled through the trees tops above us. Hard to believe that was over a year ago now.
Cindy was getting cold by the time we finished our first lap of the lantern trail so we packed away our gear and headed back to Fred's for our Valentine's day dinner. TO say that it was packed was an understatement. I think all 450 residents of the town were there. Lucky thing I made reservations.
We finally got our table and were informed that they had a pipe freeze under the building and they were having to use plastic silverware and plates. Pretty cold when pipes freeze in MI as they are supposed to be used to the cold up there. Dinner, like breakfast, was really good and we waddled out of there one more time.
So far the worst part of every trip to MI has been leaving and once again this held true. We ran out of the snow cover about 45 minutes south of Roscommon and drove in brown till about Fort Wayne, IN. Cindy amused herself with movies on her fire but had to cover up to shield her screen from the sunlight.
By the time we got close to Muncie IN the snow was coming down pretty good. We had slowed down to about the speed limit LOL but few others did not see the need. I really wish I had video of the truck in front of us as he lost it and fought it as it slid across the road 5 times. Luckily there was enough room between him and us and the semi beside us that we were able to give him all the room he needed. We still don't know how he kept from collecting the guard rails on either side of the road but he finally got it slowed down and off to the side where he got it under control. He got in the right lane and drove 45 mph till we passed him. We gave him two thumbs up for the show but he had a death grip on the wheel and probably skiddies in his undies!!!
The snow was stacking up and I knew it was just a matter of time before someone screwed the pouch and the interstate was shut down. This is Indiana. Sadly there are more idiots on the road than proficient drivers, it just happens. I got off as soon as I could which was south of Anderson and we came down county roads till we picked up HWY 9. It was a good thing too as Indy was a absolute mess with roads closed and wrecks everywhere. We had no problems on the county roads as it was not that bad.
We made it home about 7 and prayed for a snow day, which Cindy got! I took off work about noon and were off to ski again! This time down hill back at Paoli for what was probably the best conditions we had there all season!
Sadly that was to be the last ski of the season. It turned warm and the rain came. Our schedules did not have room for anymore trips up north even though they continued to ski right up to the scheduled closing dates. In fact, Nubs Knob closed with all the runs still open! Were going there next season!!!!
Finally, were back on the water!!!!! It was a long winter and a busy spring getting the boat all ready to launch. With our up coming honey moon sailing trip to the North Channel there was a lot we wanted to do to the boat and it seemed like it took me forever to get it done. But finally, we hooked up to her and returned her to her summer home.
Of course no boating trip would be complete without a long list of things that went wrong. It just seems to go hand in hand with boating. This trip was no different although I am proud to say we survived, no one got hurt, and we had a great time.
Well to start with I had to work, imagine that. So right from the start I was behind. I finally got home about noon and picked up the tow vehicle. As I was heading up the driveway in the 4Runner the second little issue arose, or should I say fell?
This large limb fell out of a large oak tree literally right behind me as I drove up the drive. Had I been just a few seconds later the 4 Runner would have been hit for sure. I wasn't so upset that the limb fell as much as I was that I did not have time for this. Back in the house to change clothes and then get the chainsaw so I could cut it up. It was about 12" round at the base so there was no dragging this one off to the side. Luckily I have been down this road before so I keep a chainsaw ready at all times.
Cindy pulled up the drive just as I was finishing up and was curious why I had the chainsaw out when I was originally getting the boat ready to go. Once she looked at her phone and saw the pic her questions were answered.
We finished loading things up and no sooner than we had the last of the gear on board the rain started. Of course it would rain. This is Indiana and it is May, or Maysoon season as I like to refer to it. Rain or no rain, we were going to the lake.
The drive over was trouble free other than more rain. We stopped to get gas at 446 and 50. The chicken sandwiches are still as tasty as they were last year. As we headed north on 446 the sky was looking pretty ominous. It cut loose about 5 miles south of the lake. For the next hour we had a steady to hard rain but no real wind so it was tolerable. Luckily Cindy found me a Frog Togg's rain suit so I broke it out as soon as we got there. I started rigging the boat in the rain and had the mast ready to step as it tapered off. Cindy ran to the restroom just as I was ready for her help. With the new mast raising pole I made I was able to step the mast all by myself. I was just putting the front pin in the mast base when Cindy came walking back up. What took me so long to make that pole???
We finished rigging the boat and installed our new sails. It wasn't long before we were ready to splash her in. The launch went smoothly and I picked Cindy up at the dock. As we motored out of the ramp area into the main lake Sailing Season 2016 had begun.
Then the next issue arose. Really it wasn't so much an issue but just more of how it is when you sail in Indiana. The wind died! I did all this flipping work, 1500 bucks in new sails, rigging her in the rain, and the flipping wind just dies.... Such is life. It was good just to be back on the water so we just motored out to the southwest as we tidied things up and got used to the new motor.
We were down in the narrows when Mike and Kathy texted us. We decided to head back to Moores Creek to see them but got detoured when the wind started to pick up. It didn't last long but it was awesome as the new sails fill with air and the boat accelerated under sail. We played as long as the wind allowed before meeting up with Analogue in the middle of the lake. Mike had already dropped sails as the wind died and storms were coming. We followed them into anchor and prepared for the rain.
Once tied up to the Analogue's starboard side I raised the pop top and installed the pop top tent I spent more hours sewing on that than I ever imagined it would take me. In less than five minutes the tent top was all set and we settled into the cockpit to catch up with Mike and Kathy. I still don't know how it got to be 11 pm so quickly but we were tired and we could hear the next storm coming so we said our good byes before heading off to the next cove to anchor for the night.
It was dark but there was a lot of ambient light so seeing was not too difficult. Once in the cove I went forward to drop the anchor. But this year I did not have to drag the anchor, chain, and rode with me as I finally built our own anchor locker in the bow and man is it sweet!
It was just a simple matter of getting it out and throwing it over the rail. No more accident waiting to happen scampers to the bow just waiting on the anchor to crash down on the deck or my foot, or worrying about falling in the lake because I had my hands full. It was so much nicer and safer.
Once the anchor was deployed I had Cindy put the new motor in reverse with a simple flip of the lever and back us off the anchor to get the rode out. Once we had enough rode out I asked her to put it in neutral, and I went to tie it off to the bow cleat. Funny thing, as I was tying off the line I noticed the boat was moving forward again. So I had Cindy back us off again. Back to neutral, tie off the line, and again the boat is moving forward. Repeat. Again the boat is moving forward. After a brief discussion of how neutral is in the middle and how reverse is "Up??" when the lever moves forward and back I gave up and went to the cockpit to show Cindy that she was going to far forward with the lever and putting it back in gear. Back to the bow, back it down one more time and then into neutral. This time we set there as I went aft to set the stern anchor. All was good and no one was hurt or swimming.
By now the storm is almost on top of us as we got ready to go to sleep. We had planned on watching movies on the Fire in the new mount I made for it on the back of the new anchor locker,
but due to miscommunication, or just plan lack of, it was still sitting on the coffee table at home. Oh well, Mother nature provided us with a great light show! The rain came and came, and it was still raining when I finally succumbed to sleep.
I awoke to a familiar sound about 6 am, thunder. It was not long before the rain started again and after looking at the radar on my phone I could see it was there to stay for several hours I curled back up with my lady and went back to sleep. To say that we sleep well on the boat is probably a understatement as it was 10:30 when we finally came to life! It was still raining but not near as hard as it had been. The pop top tent got a good first test and we loved it. I did need to respray the top of it with water proofing spray as it finally started to bleed through a bit but it was not bad. I had concentrated most of the can on the seams and barely misted the top of it. I am sure there were a few puddles on top that finally soaked through.
It was 45 degrees with a breeze out of the north east so it was a bit chilly on the boat. We stayed warm in the night but now that we were up we were both wishing we had a heater. I fired up the cook stove to make some coffee and tea and it took the chill off pretty quick. Here is the slick little collapsible tea pot I got for the boat
It worked great and collapses down to about a 1 inch tall. Pure genius to the person who come up with this one. I made us a quick breakfast of eggs and sausage as the cabin continued to warm up from the stove. Were currently looking at our options for some sort of heat as Cindy doesn't like to be cold. Who does? I doubt we are out in weather much colder than this but it would be much cozier if it was a tad warmer in the boat.
We did not have long to enjoy the morning as it was Mother's day and they were having a get together for Cindy's mom that we needed to get to. It was misting and drizzling so I put the rain suit back on and went topside to motor us to our slip. Mike texted and said there was a surprise waiting on us when we got there as it seems the geese liked hanging out on the slips when there were no boat there. Great, goose poop.
On the way back I snapped a pic of a simple solution for where to tie the topping lift off while sailing. I wanted it close at hand so I could reach it quickly and decided tied off to the aft stay was the best place. So I wrapped a small Gear Tie around the aft stay and made a loop in the end.
I had marked the aft stay with a sharpie so I knew where the loop needed to be. It worked great! I would be lost without my Gear Ties!
I also snapped a pic of the tent top that we left on hoping it would dry out a bit. Cindy was down below staying warm in the cabin as I braved the cold
It did not turn out too bad considering I had no clue what I was doing. I wish I would have sewed the outside of the zipper first as it puckered a bit when I sewed the outside but it still works fine. I rolled up the screen so Cindy and I could chat. Our new compass is just left of the screen in the bulkhead. Our gps/chartplotter is hiding behind the tent top. Normally the top won't be on when were moving but since it was still wet I was hoping it would dry off a bit on the way to the slip.
We made it to our slip and Mike was wrong, there wasn't a present, there were lots of presents waiting on us!!! I had to really watch my step when I stepped off the bow onto the slip to tie the boat up. We added a boat hook to the boat but it was on top of the cabin under the tent top so I could not try it out. No issues though as we tied and up and then I washed the presents off into the lake with bucket I use to wash the boat. Much nicer after that was done.
All in all it was a great first night on the water. All the upgrades we made worked great. The furler is so nice and I do not miss going forward to deal with the head sail. The new sails look so much nicer and I am sure once we get to try them in the wind we like them even more. The anchor locker, well, I love it! The tent top give us so much more volume and Cindy can stand up in the cabin now. It is just so much nicer having the extra space. We even get a little extra storage space on top of the cabin right behind the mast that came in handy. The windex lights up nicely from the anchor light so we can see it in the dark very easily. I still need to epoxy the transducer to the inside of the hull but the chart plotter is going to see a lot of use.
As far as the rain and storms, that is all part of it. You have to take the good with the bad or just stay at home. I am just so lucky that my incredible lil best friend/fiancé loves storms too. Cindy was actually excited that it stormed. Not many women would be excited that it was lightening and raining cats and dogs outside while on a boat but my lil lady was!
We are hoping to over night again this Friday and they are forecasting more storms. We can't wait!!!!
