Wow – it’s unbelievable that we have been living onboard our boat for 2 whole months. When we look back to where we started and to where we currently are, it’s truly amazing that we have had the opportunity to visit and to see such a variety of unique towns and cities! We finally had some good weather days and we took advantage of them. We left Grand Haven and trekked down to St. Joe’s. We rode our bikes around the town and up and over the bridge to find this bustling 2 story pizza restaurant right near the Amtrak Train Station. On the way back to the marina, we ran into 2 younger bikers who had a beautiful sail boat in the marina where we were staying. Once they discovered we were Loopers and heading to Chicago, they shared that they were going to sail their boat over the next day as well. We exchanged phone numbers and they sent us lots of information on where to go and what to do in Chicago. Kim Russo, the AGLCA Director had been there recently and provided a video with a variety of suggested sites, restaurants and activities, Ryan’s college roommate at Ohio State lives in Chicago and Pinto also provided lots of good information. He was also a champ and allowed us to send him some supplies for our boat that we would need for traveling down the rivers and through the locks. You need big Fender Balls to help keep you off the Lock Walls. We stayed at DuSable Harbor Marina on the waterfront which enabled us to access many of the sites that Chicago offers by either walking or biking. Chicago was fascinating and easily accessible from the marina.
Saturday we hoofed – 14,000 steps worth for Cheri! We walked along the River Walk past lots of little shops, bars, and small eateries. We explored McCormick Bridge Museum. It was inside an old bridge tower and it explained the history of how the Chicago River came to be and how the bridges all work. It also explained how initially Chicago was pretty wet and swampy and there was no real sewer system. And how the city has worked hard to ensure the sewer system has evolved and how today they are keeping the water supply safe and clean. We stopped at the Tiny Tap Restaurant along the river and watched the boats and the people go by as we ate. We took an incredible Architectural boat ride tour and learned about the various buildings that make up the cities buildings. There were actually certain areas that reminded me of Venice. Pinto brought our supplies to the boat by car and then rode his bike back over to get a tour of the boat. For dinner we hoofed with some Looper friends, all around, under some roads, up some stairs, down some stairs, near a park, but we finally found the Avli Greek Restaurant. It was well worth the trek.
On Sunday, Pete and I biked first to the Navy Pier and checked out the first lock that we would encounter when we left Chicago. Then we biked to Millenium Park twice. We were trying to find a safe place to park our bikes while we met our friend Ruthy’s sister Bobbie. We caught up with Bobbie over drinks and then we biked to what is known as The Bean/Cloud Gate. You can see yourself reflected multiple times in the Bean. We were also amazed at the amount of Green Space and parks that are located throughout the city. That night we went to dinner with our Aussie Looper friends to a Bohemian style restaurant called Beatnik. The menu was very eclectic and shared family style. The view was great as we sat facing the river and were treated to the sights and sounds of the city as well as tour boats passing by.
Monday we hoofed to breakfast to Wildberry Pancakes and Cafe. I got the Wildberry Bliss Pancakes. There was a stack of 5 pancakes and they were huge. We stopped at Mariano’s Grocery. It was 2 stories with an elevator! We got all our provisions for the next few days. We had Docktails with our Looper Gang whom we had been traveling with since we left Grand Haven. It was fun and bittersweet as we were splitting up and only 4 of the boats were leaving the next day to start our new adventure traveling down the rivers.
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