Leland, MI

A nice little cruise of 34 miles, and we arrived at Leland, MI. We are seeing very tall sand dunes on the coast as we head south along the east side of Lake Michigan. This is a REALLY big lake! Because the lake can get so rough, there are protected harbors every 20 to 40 miles.

There were at least six "looper" boats in Charlevoix, and we all left on Tuesday morning. Four of the boats comprise a "looper train" and usually travel together. All six of us arrived at about the same time at Leland. The harbor at Leland is behind a big breakwater. Leelanau Lake is just a bit inland from Lake Michigan, with a difference of 10 feet in water level. There used to be a lock to lift boats into the small lake, but shoaling made that impossible after a while. The lock was made into a dam, which creates a pretty little waterfall.

The winds were expected to be higher on Wednesday, so we planned to stay two days. That gave us time to spend some time doing laundry and grocery shopping in addition to sightseeing. Our favorite part of Leland was the Fishtown area. Fishtown is a historical area that was once the heart of the fishing industry here. Along the narrow river leading to the lock (now the dam), there are little fishing shacks - literally shacks - that have been turned into shops. It was lots of fun browsing through this part of Leland.

At the end of Fishtown, next to the dam, we had a great lunch at a local restaurant. There were more shops and restaurants outside of Fishtown. Leland is a small place, so it was all close to the marina. The candy shop was one of my favorites, not because of the candy but because of the crafts. A fish (Sweet-ish Fish) in the window drew us in, but I found a gargoyle weathervane, a "woody" wagon and a basket pig as well. The grocery store was awesome! Lots of really fresh local fruits and veggies. We missed Sisson's Bakery Wednesday afternoon because they had already closed, but they advertised "made from scratch" goodies - so I got there at 7:00 this morning to pick up some cinnamon buns and muffins for breakfast. Yum!

We got an early start today in hopes of getting to Frankfurt before the next round of weather sets in.

On the way to Leland

The "looper train" up ahead

Getting close to the breakwater

A big rock breakwater in front of the marina

These hills are sand dunes

A sailboat jumped into our line - not cool

This is for my friend Darlene - this boat is from Hamilton, Ontario

A shop in Fishtown

The docks at Fishtown

The fishing boats are enclosed - it can get cold up here!

Another moose for Chris

A view of the dam from the restaurant

This was a great restaurant

We've got to find some of this rum

This is the outside of the grocery store

OK - look close - this is a squirrel

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The "Sweet-ish Fish"

Is this a pig or an aardvark?

Love the gargoyle!

Check out these two old motors

This is the spare

Gemini at the Leland Marina

And guess who? the dog who is in the dog house

She made a mess again!

The marina office and amenities

Check out this T-bird!