Buffalo to Dunkirk, NY: We left the calm waters to venture onto Lake Erie. Lake Erie can be very temperamental due to its location, shallowness, and prevailing west winds. Our cruise to Dunkirk was a little bumpy today, but doable. Dunkirk is another sleepy town with not much to see within walking distance. There were a couple of beach kind of restaurants nearby with bar food on the menu. We did walk down to the beach and onto the pier around the marina. We talked with another Nordic owner and swapped stories of our adventures. That night the wind really howled which made our boat rock most of the night. That should have given us a clue of what the next day on the water was going to be like.
Erie, PA: What a ride!!! When Tim says “it may be uncomfortable, but the boat can handle it” I should’ve known what to expect. It was a very rough ride, but we made it to Erie. Erie was/is a very protected city marina. We actually ended up staying at Wolverine marina which was behind the convention center and had very nice facilities. There was a maritime museum across the way, but it was closed the day we arrived. We did walk up the hill into town twice that day and got our steps in. Seems like the biggest employers in this area are the college/university and the hospital that overlooked the bay. We enjoyed a great meal at a very popular Mexican restaurant just up the hill from the marina. We intended to attend the music in the park that day, but it was cancelled too and in its place a movie was to be shown. We decided that staying until dusk wasn’t in our plans, so we headed back to the boat for an early night. Our only regret at this marina was we didn’t discover the laundry facility until the next morning….bummer. Hopefully, the next place will have laundry facilities for us to use.
Ashtabula, OH: Never heard of this town but it’s just like the other small towns. It’s very sleepy since the major employers are no longer here. We found Kister Marina and Campground. We waited for the lift bridge with many other fishing boats and followed them up the river to our dock. The marina is located along a river with mostly fishing boats. We docked next to a very nice man who had actually done the loop many years ago. After getting settled on our dock, we walked back into town to the lift bridge to see what the town was about. Most everything was closed because it was Tuesday. We walked along the river and then found stairs up the hill which took us to an overlook of the lake/river/city. There were many historic type houses on that street. Also an Airb&b that we need to remember for future reference. We made a big circle around the campground in our walk, shopped at Save-Alot & the Ace Hardware store, and then back to the boat. For supper we walked back to a diner we had found that was open and enjoyed a nice meal. We did find that the marina had laundry facilities which we took advantage of. I really enjoyed this stop as it was really quiet and peaceful. I was kind of sad to leave this spot, but Cedar Point is waiting….
Cleveland, OH: Our cruise to Cleveland a long day as we had to tack a couple of times because of the direction of the waves. It was a relief to enter the breakwater of Cleveland Harbor which is 5 miles long. We got a pump-out at the marina before docking on a T-head. Soon after tying up at our slip another Nordic Tug owner stopped by to say hi, then another boat owner on the next slip over came to ask Loop questions, as they are planning going around in 2024-25. We had lunch at the restaurant on site which was so-so. Scott Brinks just happened to be in Cleveland so we gave him a tour of our boat. He then gave us a ride to the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame. We then ate at a restaurant just down the street the Rock ‘n Roll. We ubered back to the marina for a relaxing evening. We had high hope of seeing lots in Cleveland, but apparently there isn’t a lot to see within walking distance.
Lorain, OH: Short day on the water. Docked on E Dock which was a long walk to land and the bathrooms. Before we were finished docking the boat a gentleman came from the next dock over and and offered us a ride to the store if we needed. They had a Meijer in town , so we took the opportunity to stock up. They did have a beautiful tiled walkway from the marina office to the breakwater…felt like a mile walk. We ate at the restaurant on site which was reasonably priced for the amount of food we received. We stayed two nights. The second day we had some rowdy boaters behind us which made that evening not so fun. That Saturday we spent doing boat projects/cleaning.
Cedar Point: Lake Erie lived up to its reputation today. Huge swells. Fortunately the wind was behind us as we surfed most of the way to Cedar Point. Those boats coming from the west weren’t so lucky and had to point into the waves and had a rough time of it and had many stories to tell of their pounding. On our cruise over from Lorain, we noticed a boat going very slow. We changed course so we could radio them to make sure everything was fine on “My Lily Pad”. Of course everything was, but a good deed doesn’t go unpunished. These same people (future Loopers) were headed to Cedar Point Marina, just like us, and offered use of their season passes to the park. We took advantage that night and walked around the park, ate a meal and rode one rollercoaster that flipped over many times. All I could do was hang on tight and hope the ride got done sooner than later. Maya and I will have a fine time just walking around the park tomorrow. We arrived at the park Sunday. Monday we slept in, ate at Famous Dave’s, did laundry and just plain hung out. Kids will be arriving tonight, for fun in the park tomorrow. Maya is coming.
Tuesday: Kailey, Brady & Maya arrived that evening (Monday). She is so big–almost 6 months old. The kids and Tim spent the day in the park starting at 9am for the early-bird entry. They took a break at noon on the boat for lunch. That afternoon we all rode the train with Maya thinking that she would be OK with it. She got scared when the guns went off along the train track and cried I guess that wasn’t such a good idea. Dinner at Famous Dave’s. Of course the kids & Tim went back into the park for more rides. I spent the day with Maya which was very special.
Wednesday: The kids left late morning for home. We put our boat back together, cleaned up and prepared for our departure the next morning. Evening we went back into the park to test a few rides for our next trip there with Maya.
MICHIGAN–our home state
Toledo Beach Marina (La Salle, MI): Waves were not in our favor to head to the Detroit River which was north west. So we hugged the southern shore of Lake Erie and docked in Toledo Beach Marina. Got a pump out–always a good thing to do when one is available. We docked on a transient wall with the bath house close by. Good food at the local restaurant. The marina was out in the middle of nowhere, but very quiet. Had some drama at the marina as the emergency crew was called because someone at fallen off a boat and was in the water. Ended up being a false alarm as the person was already rescued, but nice to know that when needed help is there.
Detroit River/Lake St. Clair (Jefferson Beach Marina): Lake was relatively calm–the best we have seen since Lake Erie. Going north on Lake Erie was uneventful. Cruising the Detroit River was slow going because of the current. Now we are dealing with other boats and ships in the river….I miss the Erie Canal. We eventually entered Lake St. Clair which was bigger than we imagined. We followed the shipping channel until we exited towards our marina. This marina is the homeport of Nagui Matta — a fellow looper and friend. Lots & lots of boats and people. We met up with Bob Crump, Tim’s college roommate/friend for dinner and visited into the late evening. Good to catch up with Bob (Bob had lost his wife, Linda, earlier this year). The next day Nagui took us to lunch and also to the Henry Ford Museum. We only spend 4 hours there which was NOT near enough time for Tim. That will have to be a future stop in our travels. After provisioning at Kroger’s, our time with Nagui ended with a celebration with Looper Little Beers (which Nagui had never had). We celebrated our friendship and Nagui finishing his loop as a SOLO looper. That’s a monumental accomplishment for anyone. Later that evening we walked around the marina enjoying a warm summer evening by the lake.
Nagui Matta on Boundless – We met Naugi in Niceville, FL even though we started from MI at about the same time. We travelled together across the panhandle of Florida. We took different routes across the Gulf but then met again in Sarasota and traveled to Ft. Meyers area together. We met again in Jacksonville, Fl and traveled south down the St. Johns River, then back north and up thru all of Georgia and S. Carolina.
Light Houses of Lake Erie
Tim & Martha's trip around the Great Loop 