Water Levels are up in the Great Lakes

 

After being stuck home during Covid-19 and sheltering in place, my friend Linda and I were ready to drive up north, see some beautiful sites and have fun! Well, it was fun. We had a blast, but we also saw things that made us sad. That’s what is making this post the hardest post I’ve written so far. One minute we were laughing and having a riot on this trip and the next we might be hearing or seeing something kind of somber that made us sad.

 

 

This is one site that was shocking. This dock is under water and doesn’t look very safe for boats that might come along. There’s a channel that runs from Lake Michigan to Pentwater Lake. This is where this picture was taken. This gives a good idea of how the water levels were up.

 

 

The above picture isn’t far from that underwater dock. I love the above picture. It’s absolutely beautiful.

 

 

This is my friend, Linda. We had a great time.

 

 

 

We saw a gorgeous sunset.

 

 

Who is that masked man? That’s Tom, our driver. We went for a dune ride with MacWoods Dune Rides. If you haven’t done this before, it’s a must. This was my second time and it was a blast!

 

 

They stopped and let us walk on the dunes and look at the lake.

 

 

 

That’s me and Linda. I have my Covid bangs – cut by me. Years from now someone might think we have scarves around our neck to keep sand out of our face on the ride.

No, those are our Covid masks. They were required in the store and on the ride. You would think we’d get sand flung in our face on the ride, but we didn’t.

 

 

This was near the end. It was a great time. I highly recommend it.

 

 

The first night we stayed at The Lighthouse Motel in Ludington. This place was amazing. Keep it in mind if you plan on coming to Ludington.

 

 

This is a close-up of the beautiful flowers that were growing up a trellis at the Lighthouse Motel.

 

 

Whenever I travel in Michigan, I get friendly and amazing service. The only thing different about this trip was how extra appreciative the businesses were to have us come. All around the world, from the quarantine, businesses are hurting. Even now that they’re open, they’re not getting as much business as usual. With all the concerts, festivals and other events being cancelled, not as many people are coming. Also, some places are experiencing floods or other catastrophes.

If you have the money, time and desire to get away for a weekend – do it! You’ll have fun and you’ll be helping some very grateful people.

 

 

This is Leland, AKA: Fish Town. Down main street in Leland are your typical, wonderful tourist shops. They also have shops down by these docks. They’ve kept the outside of the buildings with the “fish town” look which makes it really interesting. I love coming here.

 

 

See that building on the other side? Notice how low that dock is to the water. I was told by a local that the docks were under water and had to be re-done. Also, a couple stores had to be lifted up. This amazes me that we have had all this water these last two years.

Around ten years ago, the Great Lakes water levels were so low that some people couldn’t get their boats out. It was too shallow and there were sand bars. To get out of their boat and on to the dock, they had to climb up. Nature is cyclical. Even though we have too much water now, that could change in future years.

 

 

Just some washed up debris.

 

 

 

Above is a video from the Manitou Island Transit. I had a day trip booked with them to go out to South Manitou Island. My first book, Return to Sleeping Bear, had a couple scenes in it that took place on South Manitou Island. I’m thinking about writing another book that is about the island and takes place back in the 1920’s.

All trips have been cancelled for this year. I won’t explain why because she does it so much better than I would. Please give it a listen.

 

 

Back to our trip. I always have to stop at Point Betsie. It’s a given.

 

 

Look at the debris! I have never seen this beach look like this before. It’s always been a beautiful, sandy beach without that debris.

 

 

I asked someone there why there was so much debris. They said there was a storm that had the water really churning. It uncovered wood, etc. that had been buried under the sand and water. It got washed up onto the shore. The high water level was definitely a factor also.

 

 

Some more of the Point Betsie beach. (Normally, it doesn’t look like this.)

 

 

I have never seen the water up to the top of these breakers before.

 

 

 

 

This is a part of the trip that really made my day. Seeing these young men able to enjoy their summer out at the beach is something I didn’t take for granted this year.

At least the debris did provide some entertainment. They used it to walk out on and jump in the water. If I was younger, I would have joined them!

 

 

 

 

 

Steady….. Steady!

 

 

Ready?….. Get set….. Go have some fun!