Days 17 & 18 - Presque Isle & Hammond Bay

Wednesday we took a bicycle ride to the "New" Presque Isle Lighthouse. It was built in 1870, which doesn't seem so new, but the "Old" lighthouse was there first. For $2.50 you can climb the 162 circular, wrought iron grille stairs and crawl through the hatch to the lookout at the top. It's well worth the climb for the breathtaking 360-degree view of Presque Isle and Lake Huron. Climbing back down for an acrophobic like me was a wall clinging, move one foot at a time, don't look down past the step, slow process. I had to sit down and let the shakes out at the end, but I'm glad I did it! There is also a museum that once served as the home of the lightkeeper and his family. The guide was a friendly, former educator who was happy to describe the process of restoring the home after its second life as a Coast Guard station.

In the evening, we walked with sailors, Jim and Margaret, to the Old Lighthouse to be entertained by five Native American women who sang traditional songs and played various percussion instruments including drums and a shaker made from deer toes and antlers. These ladies have to be given credit for performing outside their comfort zone. One of them told us "I haven't ever sung in front of a crowd this big. I hope I remember the words!" We were surprised also to see 80 or 90 people there. Presque Isle is not exactly a booming metropolis. The nearest city is 20 miles away! The crowd seemed to especially enjoy the song about the lovesick blues, which weren't lyrics any of us would have associated with Native American folk music.

Today, Thursday, found us motoring among gentle one-foot waves over 150 feet of water in northern Lake Huron for almost five hours to the tiny marina at Hammond Bay. The harbormaster and assistant greeted us enthusiastically as they helped us dock. Bruce offered us coffee and told us he was glad to have someone to talk to. He said Hammond Bay "...isn't a destination harbor;" they don't have a lot of visitors. I'm glad we didn't miss it. There is lots of room to roam. Bruce pointed to a large area where he said we could let Riley run free. I didn't because this little golden would have started running and not stopped until he found someone to pet him and offer him a treat. However, we did meander through the meadow, and Riley stopped to smell the smells while I stopped to admire the daisies and clover and other flowering plants. Roaming further, we came to the pine forest, dotted with bright pink wild roses and ferns that Mother Nature arranged more beautifully than any florist. We saw a heron take flight before we returned to Osprey for lunch.

The weather report for tomorrow includes the phrase," high near 63." High? That's not high at all! What ever happened to summer? It's supposed to be windy and rainy with moderately high waves for the next day or two, so we'll probably stay right in this cozy little harbor. Maybe we'll see a bear or fox or one of the eagles that nest here.

I was afraid when we embarked on this journey that we'd feel closed in in our little trawler, but instead, we feel a part of the vast and beautiful world around us.