Day 4 - Heading Home

Last night at dinner, we shared that the weather wasn’t looking favorable for our return on Sunday.  So we pitched the idea that the Wielhouwer's take the train home Sunday evening and the Breens return home by boat on Monday.  We decided to wait til Sunday breakfast to decide, so right away when we woke up this morning, Scott and I started checking the weather.

It looked better than it did last night, but still not ideal.  However, we decided to make the run home.  Winds will be out of the north so we will be bucking the waves the entire way.  We are expecting four-footers which wont be a comfortable ride.  

We made a fast breakfast and were pulling out of the slip by 9:30am.  We had to run down to Burnham Harbor for a fuel up and were heading out to open water by 10:30 am.

 

The trip got progressively worse was we proceeded.  The winds were higher appx 20km from the north.  We were in 4-6’ waves with an occasional 7+.  It was sunny outside so most of us were able to sit on the back sun-pad and enjoyed the ride.  Scott took the brunt of it in the cockpit.  We couldn’t keep our heading toward Grand Haven as we needed to take the waves from the side. As we approached the Michigan shore, we were just north of Holland.  At this point, we had to slow our pace significantly and ran the slow 10mph the rest of the way home.  Tyler filled in so Scott could take a well needed break out back in the sun. We pulled into Grand Haven at 4:25 pm.

We pulled into our slip at 5:00 pm.  We packed up and said our goodbyes and were leaving the marina by 6:00 pm.

It was an incredible trip - one we all enjoyed and will not forget any time soon!

Day 2 - Air Show Practice

We agreed to be up by 9:00 am for breakfast.  So we slowly started trickling upstairs beginning at 7:30 am.  We served up scrambled eggs, bacon, and some amazing coffee cake that Mary made.  Shortly after we got cleaned up, the practice began.  The Thunderbirds performed first so we got a little distracted and stuck around until they wrapped up.  

Soon after, we pulled the lines and went out to the viewing area.  Laid out our anchor and prepped for the day.  We spent the next four hours or so enjoying the sun and floating behind the boat while enjoying the show.  

For lunch we had French Dip sandwiches, chips and veggies.  Then after a little more time in the water, we decided to head back to our slip.  

We took a short break on the back of the boat, enjoying the last few acts of the air show.  Then we got cleaned up and headed out to dinner.  We had an Uber scheduled to pick us up at the front of Navy Pier.  He drove us to RPM Steak.  It was our first time here are we were super impressed.  

We ordered everything family style and then shared it with the table.  Here’s what we ordered:

Appetizers: Pork Belly, House Rolls, Rosemary Popover Rolls

Sides: Japanese Sweet Potatoes, Vintage Prairie Roasted Sweet Corn, Rosemary French Fries, and a House Special Parmesan Risotto

Steak: 4 oz Chateau Uenae Snow Beef (Japanese Wagyu - So incredible!), 48 oz Westholme Wagyu Strip Steak (Best steak we’ve ever had)

Dessert: Sugar Donuts, Blueberry Cheesecake, Coffee Crème Brulee, Cookies & Cream Sundae, Carrot Cake

Honestly, it was an amazing meal!  None of us had ever had anything like it.  We were so satisfied afterwards.

JC loved the sauce that came with the donuts.  

After our meal, we grabbed another Uber and headed back to the marina.  Scott and I took a walk to find an outgoing mailbox. After going to three locations, with no mailboxes present, we stopped into the lobby of a high rise condominium community and the kind security guard let me use their outgoing mailbox.  

Then we headed back to the boat to enjoy the evening again on the back of the boat.  We decided to call it an early night and all the adults headed to bed before 9:30 pm.  Our bodies are tanned, our hair is wind blown, our tummies are full and are hearts are too.  It was another great day!

Day 1 - Lake Crossing

The Wielhouwers met us at the boat a little after 9:00 am.  We got them settled into their stateroom and then prepped to leave.  By 9:30 am, we were pulling out of our slip in Grand Haven.  We needed to stop for a full up before the trip, but there wasn't a line so we made good time.  By 10:30 we were passing the lighthouse and leaving the channel.  

We set course for a straight line straight to Chicago, estimating it would take approximately 4 hours to make the trip.  

We lost sight of shore a little south of Holland.  It was a beautiful day on the water with waves under 1 foot and a clear sky.  The winds are 5-8 mph so we aren't concerned about the seas for the trip.

Around 12:30 pm, I prepped tacos for lunch.  We stayed on course and up at speed so we didn't lose a second.  

It was a gorgeous ride down.

 

We caught sight of the tops of the buildings about 35 mins from shore.  I called ahead to see if we could get into our slip early and they were happy to accommodate us. 

The marina is brand new this year with slips directly off the north side of Navy Pier.  Each slip is 180' long and can hold several boats our size.  When we arrived another boat was in the back spot so we had to slide in to get ahead of them.  

As we were pulling through the break wall, we were greeted with the sudden roar of planes overhead, practicing for the airshow.  It scared me so badly.  I couldn't even hear Scott's voice as he spoke through our headsets.  It made docking really challenging - partly because of the sound, the startle but also the distraction.  They were so close!

We were in slip 6E and connected to power by 2:45 pm and were all gathered on back of the boat to watch the planes over head.  It was so cool!  If this is the practice, we cannot wait for the airshow!

We hung out on the back of the boat all afternoon.  It was comfortable temps and had a nice breeze.  The planes quieted down around 3:30 pm. but our conversation continued.

We had reservations at Offshore Rooftop, a restaurant on the end of the pier.  It was a beautiful spot with a view of the water and boats in all directions.  The food was good, the music was loud but we had a great meal together.

Afterwards we walked up Navy Pier to the stores and got Kilwins ice cream, Tyler's favorite, for dessert.  Then we walked back to the boat.  Tyler headed down to his stateroom for work while the rest of us relaxed on the boat and enjoyed the night air.

We grabbed some blankets as the sun went down and enjoyed the stories and laughter.  We did our best to stay awake til Tyler got done with work (10 pm) and soon after headed in for bed.

It was a fabulous day in so many ways!

Day 3 - Home from Chicago

 We were up at 7:30am for a quick breakfast.  We have today (Sunday) and tomorrow (Monday) to make it home so we have been watching the weather.  There is a large cell of rain coming up from the south and the sprinkles had already started over breakfast.  We weighed our options and decided to make the run today.  The waves would be from the S,SW for most of the ride so it could be a little bumpy if we went straight home vs following the coast.  

We pulled out of the marina at 8:15am.  

We could see the buildings on the horizon for quite a while before losing cellular service.  It was a pretty typical boat ride.  After over an hour had passed, the waves picked up to 3-4’ but with the wind direction and swells it created a motion that was unique (to put it lightly).

It wasn’t long before three of us were hanging out on the back bench staring down the horizon and we had distributed Dramamine and ginger to everyone.

We pulled into the channel at Grand Haven around 1:25 pm.  Once we slowed for the channel, I warmed up French Dip sandwiches and we all enjoyed a warm meal.  

We pulled into our slip around 2:00 pm and started the process of packing up. 

It was a great weekend.  A first for us to cross the lake and a bucket list at that!  

Chicago - Day 2

We slept in til almost 9:00 am!  Wow!  

As we began to prep our breakfast, we were thrilled to see the Thunderbirds fly overhead.  It was fun to see the stunts above and we even enjoyed the color smoke along with the acrobatics.

After we cleaned up from breakfast, we headed over to the Alder Planetarium.  We were able to see the sun through two telescopes outside and then moved in to see the exhibits.  

Once we finished up, we were headed outside to make a plan and were greeted by a large bank of rentable bikes.  We had talked about taking a bike ride today so we figured it was a good sign so we headed over and rented bikes.  

SO MUCH FUN!  Chicago has a long bike path along the lake, running parallel to Lakeshore Drive.  It is wonderful to be close to the city without having to stop for traffic, plus add the cool breeze off the lake.  AMAZING.  

We had a great ride up to Navy Pier and ate lunch at Harry Carey’s.  

After that, we grabbed bikes again and continued north past downtown and then turned back to the south.

We had a slight accident but everyone was ok.  Then we finished with a stop for Dippin’ Dots - Sam’s favorites.

We returned the bikes to a bank near the planetarium and then walked back to the marina.  We had a little time for rest in the AC before heading out for our dinner reservation at the Capital Grille.  

It was an amazing meal yet again!  Followed by a walk downtown to find a Shake Shack and a Starbucks for dessert.  Then we grabbed an Uber and headed home for the night.

I had a headache so I laid down and watched some TV.  Sammy spent the night in her room while Scott relaxed on the back of the boat.  Tyler hung out with me for a bit and then went outside to call Maddie.  Unfortunately, a bird dropped on him mid-call so he came back in squirming.  LOL.

It was a great day!  Lots to see and do.  We’ll definitely repeat the bikes on Lakeshore Drive.  It was a highlight for us all!

Day 1 - To Chicago

 We were looking at the calendar and found we are running out of long weekends this summer.  We have wanted to go to Chicago for some time but we were somewhat intimidated by the long travel day involving a lake crossing.  But our recent trip to Mackinac proved our abaility to go longer runs without issue and when the weather forecast looked favorable for this weekend, we decided to go for it. 

We left our house in Ada around 8:00 am. Stopped for a few groceries in Spring Lake and then were on the water by 10:15 am.

The lake was smooth.  It was a beautiful day!  Due to the angle of our course, we lost sight of land shortly after leaving Grand Haven.  And with it went the use of cellular and data on our electronics.  Its a weird feeling to be out so far knowing that you are disconnected.

It took around 4 hours to arrive.  We passed the time on our devices, reading books, I took a little nap, and the kids watched a movie.

Just after the halfway point at 12:15 pm, we could see the glimpse of tall buildings ahead.  As we continued, the city came into view and it was fun to point out some of our favorite places from the water.

The Burnham Marina is just east of Soldier Field and the Field Museum, next to Shedd Aquarium.  There are over 1000 boat slips available.  It is HUGE.  The upper half of the marina houses the larger boats… Each slip is 100’ long.  

We are docked here for the weekend.  It’s a beautiful spot and close to the walk/run path on Lakeshore Drive.

I made tacos for lunch since we were all hungry. And Coco got a quick walk and some lunch as well.  Then we took a couple hours to just relax. 

At 5:00 pm we called an Uber and headed to a new restaurant for us, the Franklin Room.  It was a great meal.  We split a couple 18oz Ribeyes, had Taro fries, Charred Brcollini, and Butternut Squash.  We all ordered dessert and then headed out for a little walk.  

We grabbed some grocery items from CVS and then called another Uber who drove us to the marina.  Unfortunately there is a big concert on the peninsula by the marina so the road to drop us off was closed.  The driver dropped us off a little further away so we started walking.  But a man with a rickshaw came by and we flagged him down.  

He dropped us off at the main entrance to the marina, still a bit of a walk to our slip… but it was a nice walk.

Scott and I sat out on the back of the boat with our coffee while the kids hung out inside.  Eventually I headed to bed for TV and fell asleep really quickly.  It was a big day and lots of fun!

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