Thursday, August 6, 2015
We had a pretty spectacular sunset last night. I was up
before sunrise but it was happening on another side of the ship so I didn’t see
it. I was up this morning before the alarm went off at 6:15am. It was very
still outside. The water was smooth and there was land visible nearby. It was
Manitoulin Island. This is the largest freshwater island in the world. It has
the largest freshwater lake on a freshwater island. In fact, it is riddled with
lakes. We docked right in the center of Little Current in sight of the 100 some
year old swing bridge. We saw a sign walking out of town that said the swing
bridge opens roughly on the hour for approximately 15 minutes. We didn’t check
what time we sailed through and had wondered if they had a schedule or opened
it for us on arrival. It seems we just showed up per their schedule.
Today was cooler than the last several days have been closer
to 70 than to 80F. It was still a very pleasant day. We have not had rain since
the first day when we boarded. Fingers crossed it holds out for the rest of the
trip.
So, we left the ship at 8:30am for the 2 buses just outside
the ship in the parking lot. We were blue bus still. The 2 buses drove about 30
minutes to West Bay or M’Chigeeng. There we visited the Immaculate Conception
Church which was rebuilt to represent a teepee. The parishioners sit in the
round on tiered seating. There is a thunderbird in the oculus. After a 20
minute visit there, we walked across the street to the Ojibwe Cultural
Foundation. There we were divided into groups of about 20 and given a guided
tour. It was interesting and informative and included a smudging ceremony in
their healing lodge. After all the groups had visited the 3 rooms, we all went
outside together to their partially covered amphitheater in the back were they
put on a mini-powwow. They had drumming singers and 6 dancers and an MC. It was
interesting. We reloaded the buses and got back into town at Little Current by
noon. The guide told us to walk out of the boat and take a right and walk down
the waterfront a little ways to the ice cream shop and show our keycards to get
a free ice cream cone on Lakeshore Excursions. Clay wanted to do that and to
look for a t-shirt. We didn’t find ice cream but we eventually found a t-shirt.
This is a very small town! They are famous for Hawberries. They are nasty
things that grow on Hawthorn trees evidently. Originally it was an insult to
call someone a haweater because it meant they were poor. Now it is a
compliment, a badge of honor and a gourmet delicacy. The boil the hawberries
and make tea or jams or jellies etc from the liquid and it is supposed to be
tasty. I have no idea. We looked and only found large jars since they didn’t
have a size we could eat in a few days we didn’t buy any.
Tomorrow we should be in Sault Ste. Marie at 11:30am. We
haven’t had a port lecture about that yet so I don’t know much. At the last
port talk which Clay attended he said someone asked about it and Ken hedged as
to whether we would get through the Soo Locks there for our brief sail into and
out of Lake Superior. The name of the cruise is the Five Majestic Great Lakes.
Five. We’ll see. We are assuming that the port talk with our instructions will
be either in the morning or in tonight’s delivered daily program for tomorrow.
Well, we are leaving the close and protected waters of the
North Channel above Manitoulin Island and I feel sick again. Oh, yes lunch. We
came back and ate in the dining room. It was Southern Fried Chicken. It was
tasty. I had a cherry pudding which was reminiscent of a sticky toffee pudding
meaning more bread like than pudding like. I liked it. Clay had ice cream.
After lunch, we walked about a mile out of town looking for the ice cream shop.
Clay said he had Googled it on his phone and it was the only ice cream in
Little Current. Of course, it was out on the road to the swing bridge and not
in town at all. Clay claimed it was down that road, but I don’t know. I balked
about a ¼ mile past where the sidewalk ended. He already had ice cream for
lunch! I didn’t want any anyway and it was stupid. No tour guide would have
asked anyone on our boat to walk up that hill and over and down and around the
other side by a busy highway. Clay walked on but didn’t get a cone or take a
photo of the swing bridge sign since he was now pissed at me for not going on. We
walked back to town and along the waterfront. Clay came back and asked the
security guard at the gate and he told us where to go. It was still tricky to
find but more or less where both men said. Then Clay got made because they
wouldn’t let him upgrade his baby cone to a double. I had a black cherry baby
cone compliments of the Lakeshore Excursions and was happy enough. It was good.
We think it was locally made ice cream.
I have to go on the starboard side now to look at the
Benjamin Islands of pink granite. I’ll be back! I’m back. I didn’t make it all the way up to
deck 4 to see out the front or the back. (Because last time Ken told us 2
freighters would be the only other ships we’d see all day on Lake Huron and we
glued to our port side cabin windows since he said they’d pass by on the port
side and nothing. We thought maybe if we had gone up to deck 4 with its
promenade deck that we might have seen them but maybe not.) Anyway, when Ken
announced starboard side today we assumed that was a 50% proposition so we were
trying to get where we could see all sides easily. I had to turn back at deck
3. The ship is in relatively calm water. Maybe 6 inch wavelets. Yet, the ship
is swinging/tilting wildly from side to side. I don’t know why we haven’t
deployed the stabilizers yet! I stood at the starboard side of deck 1’s lobby
and looked out for a while without seeing anything like what Ken described and gave
up. Clay continued up top. I guess if he sees something, he’ll have photos.
I will go ahead and try to post this entry now. If dinner is
noteworthy, I’ll post about it later. Oh, tonight was scheduled to be a lounge
showing of the movie “Somewhere in Time”. There is a sign at reception stating
that it has been rescheduled to Friday night. I have not seen or heard anything
about what tonight’s replacement entertainment is or if there is any. I’ll have
to post about that later too.
