Leland to Charlevoix

Leg 3 route

We arrived Sunday at the very nice Charlevoix City Marina at 3PM and settled in for a few days of admin tasks. On Monday we picked up our rental car and headed south to retrieve our car in Saugatuck. After depositing our car in the marina parking lot in Mackinaw City we headed back to the boat after 550 miles of uneventful driving. On Tuesday, the Caterpillar tech arrived at 8AM and began performing the planned engine maintenance we had previousley arranged. As a part of the maintenance we volunteered to transport some parts to the CAT shop in Kalkaska (about an hour away) where they could be cleaned. After a late breakfast at a local restaurant, we picked up the parts and headed back to Charlevoix. By the time we arrived, the CAT tech had just about finished the other tasks and was ready to reinstall the part we had in our possession. All work was completed about 3PM and we settled in to a very stormy afternoon and evening. We did, however, take in a movie at the local theater. On Wednesday we continued with admin tasks and prepared to leave on our next leg to Mackinaw City on Thursday.

Charlevoix Marina is probably one of the nicest in the area and is a very popular destination during the high season in July and August. They have great facilities, free Wi-Fi and cable, and a very helpful staff. Downtown is just a block away as well as most community events and concerts that take place during the summer. Below is a panorama view of the marina with Round Lake in the foreground and much larger Lake Charlevoix in the distance. Our boat is at the far right side of this picture.

Charlevoix Harbor

While I was with the mechanic working on the boat engine, Sheri took a walk to visit the famous Mushroom Houses of Charlevoix. These are unique to this area and a real interesting thing to see. Since I did not get a chance to see them on this trip, I'm attaching a few pictures I found on the web. You can also find more information at the following link  Mushroom Houses of Charlevoix .