After our full day of sight seeing and relaxation in Put-In-Bay, we set off 91.4 miles to well north of Detroit, Michigan. We had made the conscious decision to by-pass western Lake Erie so we knew that we would be in for a long 12 hour day, but the weather was beautiful. We dropped the mooring ball and left Put-In-Bay at 6:10 am. YES, even I can be "urged" to get up early in the morning... However, as a reward, we were treated to a wonderful sunrise over Lake Erie (picture at right). The wind was southerly at about 7 mph with cloudless skies. Our decision to get into the area between Lakes Erie and Huron was also influenced by a cold front that was predicted to arrive after midnight. The waves on Lake Huron are expected to be 3 to 6 feet and not calm down for another day or two.Since we were headed directly to the entrance to the Detroit River about 48 miles away, we did not have much in the way of scenic views.
Once we were in the Detroit River, the viewing opportunities, such as the lighthouse at left, went way up. The Canadian side of the river was much less populated. On the American side the initial summer cabins gave way to very large homes as we approached Detroit. However, once we were in the Detroit River, we were going into a current as fast as 2.5 mph, which slowed our progress even more. As much as possible I tried to stay near the shore where the current was less.
On the southern edge of the city we passed under the Ambassador Bridge linking Detroit to Windsor, Ontario, Canada. The bridge is a classic suspension bridge with tall towers on either side of the main span. Since it is over the main shipping channel, it has a vertical clearance of 156 feet. Anyway, when approaching from the south, the initial views of the city are really spectacular.
As we were about to pass under the bridge, we got a great view of this large Canadian flag on the east tower. Not to worry because there is an equally large American flag on the west tower...
We also decided to bypass Detroit because the locations of the marinas did not seem either very convenient for sight seeing or very exciting (nice amenities). However, Detroit, as viewed from the water is quite a pretty city. The picture at the right is just a partial view of the skyline, which is a delightful mix of old and new buildings.
I guess that there is no doubt about where the Detroit Red Wings play hockey? The city has been working on re-developing the downtown area for many years, and their efforts show at least along the riverfront areas.
Certainly the most impressive sight along the waterfront is the GM Center. It has four round towers around a central core building (photo at right). The GM sign is actually a more modern one, which of course, flashes commercials (or at least other GM car logos). Actually, by today's standards the sign is rather small when compared to the giant screens in sports stadiums.
In order to see more of Detroit, we chose to go outside of the main channel and as a result we passed under the Douglas MacArthur Bridge with a clearance of "only" 35 feet. The bridge connects Belle Isle, Michigan (on the right) with the mainland (on the left). I forgot to count, but the bridge must have at least 7 arched spans like this one. As bridges go, this one is really quite scenic.
Detroit and the Detroit River have long been famous for boat races on the river. In the early days the races featured speed boats designed by famous racers like Gar Wood. Now there are hydroplane and offshore power boat races. These reviewing stands are part of the complex for race fans. Even though we travelled past here in very nice weather with waves well under 1 foot, there are still some larger swells mixed in with all of the other waves. Personally, I cannot imagine riding through here in a boat capable of speed over 150 mph...
No, I have not forgotten the Canadian side of the Detroit River. In fact there were some very friendly scenes on the Canadian side. In particular, one waterfront park featured these massive flags.
We also passed another long waterfront park that featured very large pieces of art. This elephant (photo at right) was one of the more photogenic pieces of the many that we went past. The elephant looked right at home in this beautiful weather, but I would think that it might make a rather strange sight in the middle of winter (?).
We did "share" the main shipping channel with shipping, including some massive lake freighters (picture at left). Fortunately, the shipping channel is very wide, and the areas outside the channel are often quite deep until very close to the shore. Thus, we were usually able to get outside the channel and give the freighters a break.
The photo at the right looks like a small lake freighter, but it really is a very large "boat shaped" barge that is pushed by a large tug. The tug fits tightly into a recessed area in the stern of the barge. We have seen similar ocean going barges back "home" along the Gulf Coast. The "barge" has some power supply since it is self unloading and has a bow thruster.
Having grown up along the shore of Lake Erie in Lorain, Ohio, I have always known that to get from Lake Erie to Lake Huron you go through the Detroit River the across Lake St. Clair and finally through the St. Clair River. I made that common mistake that "it doesn't look very far on a map". It turns out that the distances involved are about 28, 17 and 38 miles respectively. In other words, it is a lot further between the two lakes than I had thought... As part of today's long trip, we went through the Detroit River, across Lake St. Clair and 10 miles up the St. Clair River to Algonac, MI.
Soooo, after about 12 hours of travel, we pulled into the Algonac Harbor Club to dock for the night. On the way to our dock, I saw this wonderful sight! Thanks to the effort of the Admiral, we had a nice big pool and a hot tub! Whoop! Now that is the way to end a long day.
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