August 27, 2019
<sigh…someday we will go back and fill in the details, but we are going to start fresh, at the south end of Lake Michigan>
We’d made a great choice to head out of South Haven, Michigan and down the lake on Monday, as a stretch of high winds were coming that would have locked us down for days. A quick overnight at Michigan City, Indiana, and then onward for a quick pit-stop for fuel in Hammond before we pressed on for Chicago. At the bottom of Lake Michigan now, we were now heading due west, into the wind and waves.
We were able to make out the Chicago skyline from almost 30 miles away, and the waters started to get a little busier with commercial traffic around the port of Calumet, from which cargo could be sent down the Calumet River to the Gulf.
We stayed at the Monroe Harbor mooring field – easier and more secure than anchoring, and cheaper (but less convenient) than a marina. With a tender service that would come out and pick us up at the boat, we had a great location from which to explore the City. What a view!
The weather was spectacular the week before Labor Day, other than windy (but hey, it’s the Windy City, right?) and we were able to take in the Navy Pier, deep-dish pizza (Gino’s East), go to a skyscraper for the high perspective, Chinatown, the Bean, and the Art Institute of Chicago, during our three-day stay.
In preparation for taking our own boat through downtown, we took an architectural boat tour; the docent did a great job pointing out the historical context of many of the highlights, and we took many pictures, knowing that we might be just a tad occupied when we had the wheel ourselves.
We enjoyed the final Wednesday night fireworks show, put on at Navy Pier, from the deck of our boat, and enjoyed the night skyline.
Love your photos so much! As well as the narrative! You two know how to travel *well* 🙂