Sunday, September 10 - Chicago!!!

Sunday, September 10 - Chicago!!!

This is the last dune of our trip.  There may be others on the south shore, but we are headed across the lake to Chicago so won’t see them.  Can’t say I will miss them.

The route across the southern tip of Lake Michigan was 35 miles, a LONG 35 miles.  The waves were 2-4 feet high, making for a very rough ride.  And steering was constant, never more than 4 seconds between times you had to turn the wheel.  Yes, I counted the seconds.  We could see the Chicago skyline from many miles out, and it never seemed to get any closer.

We had reservations at Columbia Yacht Club, right downtown and $40.00 less than the marina next door.  Turns out it wasn’t such a bargain.  The dock where we tied up, which was connected to a large ship that housed the Clubhouse.  We thought it would be protected from wave action, but instead the action never stopped!  More later. 

Ashley (Smith) and Owen and their two boys came down to see us, even picking up mayonnaise and peanut butter for us on the way.  It was wonderful to see them.  Our children make wonderful parents, don’t they?  Gabriel had an upset stomach, and the constant motion on the boat certainly didn’t help, so the visit was cut short. 

 

There was lots of action around our dock.  Police boats came through frequently, Park Service boats, water taxis, even a guy riding and flying on some kind of board attached to a jet ski.  He turned loops, went down into the water and popped back up.  It was quite a show! 

Docktails were at the adjoining marina, but we were pretty wiped out from our adventures so stayed on the boat and relaxed.