Day 133: Leland to Arcadia, Michigan
Day 133: Friday, August 26th: We got underway in pretty weather and light breezes this morning. Just outside the Leland harbor we passed this point made of a huge sand dune that was slowly eroding away. This thing appeared to be 6-800 feet high:
We knew that just after the latest Ice Age all of the Great Lakes area was covered with a single giant lake (Lake Nippising). We guessed that these huge dunes were formed as Nippising receded, forming the Great Lakes. Since the prevailing wind is from the western semicircle, the biggest dunes formed on the east coast of Lake Michigan. Further north, the Canadian Shield kept the dunes from forming. Pure conjecture on our part.
Soon after leaving Leland harbor the lake flattened out and became glassy. The only waves were our wake, which made a pretty pattern in the still water:
We had hoped for a long run today but a few calls told us all the marinas were full or filling up. There were fishing tournaments going on this weekend, and everyone was out fishing. The state marina in Arcadia admitted they could probably accommodate us (they aren't allowed to take reservations - you have to show up and it is first-come first-served). We turned in at the breakwater, sad to lose the long run on this pretty day:
Arcadia is a tiny town on the shore of what was once an inland lake. They have dredged a channel into the lake to make a safe refuge for boats.;s It looks like this coming in:
There is one marina open to the public, Veterans Memorial Marina - Arcadia. We were afforded one of the last slips and were greeted by this family of geese. We were amazed at the size of Daddy Goose's feet:
It was still early in the afternoon, so Ruth walked the three blocks to the beach while Bill worked on the web site logs. This is the entry to the public beach (sorry, the picture is taken looking west, so the sun is reflecting on the water and the pictures aren't very good). The flowers were quite pretty:
And this sign greets the public:
They have placed swings along the beach:
Looking north, you see these erosion fences designed to keep the sandy beach in place:
Wait! Mr. Webmaster: Can you take the lady out of the foreground???
That's better!
To the south the beach is unencumbered. Not many southerners know that Lake Michigan has these sandy beaches; they're very nice. Ruth said the water was like ice water (it was 72 degrees):
Later in the afternoon We Be Blest showed up and anchored in the lake. We exchanged "Tag-you're-it!" greetings via radio.
That night we had a quiet dinner on board and hoped to make up for lost time tomorrow. Little did we know..
Position tonight: N44 29.413 W086 14.362
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