We left the Grand Haven Municipal Marina and headed up the Grand River into Spring Lake. Weather is rainy and windy and Lake Michigan would not be fun to travel in today. Seas up to 4 feet!
On our way we watched deer foraging in the shrubs and grasses that cover the sand dune on the rivers northern bank. Also saw 6 swans feeding close to shore. Further up we cruised through an industrial area where freighters tied up and could load sand and gravel. Was interesting to see the cranes and conveyer systems used to load the ships.
Crossing through the railroad bridge and under the US 31 Highway bridge, we turned into Spring Lake passing lots of marina to anchor off Smith Bayou in Spring Lake. Here the water is calm with minimum boat wakes and we are surrounded by homes each with its own dock. There is no real access to town from here, but we have seen all that Grand Haven had to offer.
Anchoring here made us understand why the locals keep their boats on the lake and then take their boats to the town wall or municipal marina for the weekend to go into town. Grand Haven has a wonderful boater friendly waterfront.
Spent the afternoon napping and reading. Was nice to get away and just relax.
Day 110. September 8. On to Saugatuck
Weighed anchor after consulting the weather once again and retraced our steps under bridges and through the Grand Haven channel and past the lighthouse into Lake Michigan. Had several fishermen trolling in the channel and it’s entrance that we had to maneuver around as we left.
Turning south, we hugged the shore passing the beaches and dunes south of Grand Haven. No one was on the beach today as it is a school day and 60 degrees, cloudy, but no wind.
The coastline is sand dunes from 50 to 80 feet with a scattering of homes when we are close to town. To break up the trip today Bill decided to do some dancing!
Ten miles later we pass Port Shelton and it’s great power plant and stacks.
Ten miles after that we pass the inlet channel to Lake Macatawa and the town of Holland and its lighthouse. Holland has some very tall dunes to its south.
Ten miles later we spied the entrance channel to Saugatuck our destination for today. The channel breakwater lead us pass beautiful beaches both north and south.
Originally a fur trading and lumber town, Saugatuck morphed into a port and ship building center, as well as a fruit distribution depot serving the nearby orchards. Saugatuck also made its mark as a noted artist enclave beginning in the 1890’s. The town was home to the famous Big Pavillon, a large dance hall built in 1909, that attracted bands and tourists from all over the Midwest. The hall burned to the ground in 1960, but the art galleries, artsy shops, marinas and beaches still kept tourists coming to Saugatuck. The town is also known for its 804 foot sand dune affectionately call Mt Baldhead. NOTE: The word Saugatuck is Indian for outlet for a stream.
We entered the channel that connects the Kalamazoo River to Lake Michigan. The south bank of the river is marshy and forested, but the north shore is being developed with very large homes.
Closer to town the north shore becomes lined with marinas and the south shore lined with homes. The river turns and then opens up into Lake Kalamazoo and we dropped anchor amidst the homes and marinas on the lake.
After lunch we launched the dinghy and explored the town- its shops, old buildings and restaurants and riverfront parks.
The town also has some very old trees with wonderfully gnarly trunks.
We ate dinner at Phil’s Bar and Grill, a local favorite. The wooden bar area dated back to 1910, with beautiful carvings and a old wooden ice chest. Also the food was delicious.
Day 111 September 9. Lay day in Saugatuck
Slept in on this beautiful sunny day and woke to 60 degrees. Will warm to 72 today, just perfect!
A dinghy motor alerted us to a visitor, someone we had met at Grand Haven that keeps his boat here in Saugatuck. Joe had threatened to come visit us by dinghy and he did. He has put in an offer for a Grand Banks 32 and wanted to see our boat and talk about cruising. Bill was able to get some good boat repair tips as Joe was quite handy with varnish and wood repair.
After a nice visit, we launched the dinghy to go into town once more. There we walked the riverfront and grabbed some lunch at a place with a river and lake view. While there, Bill met a friend of his.
We continued walking through downtown to the few stores we missed the day before and admired the lovely homes and inns in Saugatuck.
We walked back to the dinghy admiring the many boats along the river.
These were the tour boats and boat rentals we saw as we walked along the riverfront. This first one proved to be the most popular. Never seen a round boat like that before.
We took the long way back to the boat by touring the riverfront by water and were greeted by another potential Looper couple who was taking his boat out for the afternoon and evening. Didn't realize how many people are considering doing the Loop. They seem to be everywhere!
Here are some drone shots that Bill captured of Saugatuck, the town and riverfront. NOTE: The white ball you see marks the tower on the top of Mt Baldhead the 800 foot sand dune opposite Saugatuck on the north shore of the Kalamazoo River. We opted to not climb the 525 steps to Mt Baldhead's top!!
I liked!how this last shot shows the meandering of the Kalamazoo River and how it opens into the lake, where we anchored. Plus you can see Lake Michigan in the upper left corner.