Lots of fireworks tonight
I took the opportunity to try out my tiny firepit
I didn't think the neighbors would worry about a little bit more fire and smoke tonight
It did work by using the extra air holes to burn the smoke
but you can't fit enough wood in there for more than a small quick fire
Another great day for sailing
despite the rain
One good thing is that no matter how much I drink
I've sobered back up by the time I've sailed back up to the dock
I went to REI to find some extra camping supplies
I ended up paying more than $200 for a sleeping mat and a thermos container to keep things frozen
I wasn't expecting to spend so much, but I guess inflation is a thing, and REI is not the cheap place to shop
I expect I get what I pay for, and that it's quality stuff that will last me a long time
I left the house at 4am and got to Leland at about 9:30am
I would have gotten there earlier, but my car decided to give me a 'low tire pressure' warning , so I had to stop and put in some air
I got the 'good parking spot' and waited around until 2pm for the boat to leave
It was very windy today, and the waves were splashing water into the front of the boat
There were a bunch of kids on the boat having fun getting soaked
After the park ranger's orientation, I immediately began walking around the island
I brought my river-rafting-tube, which I planned to have carry my gear in the water, while I walked on the shore
But the tube kept getting stuck on the rocks
So, I jumped in the water, and pushed the tube along
I stopped about 25% of the way around the island before it started getting dark
I found a rocky beach a few feet from the water
Dinner was vegetables and rice
I did my best to pack the ingredients, but I'm going to look for a pre-cooked dinner for next time
It was a full moon tonight and the light looked very pretty shining off the water
I feel that I should have been much more excited about it, but just kinda meh
The night wasn't as warm as I would have liked it, and the wind added to the chill factor
I would have been uncomfortably cold, but my raincoat acted as a windbreaker, so all was well
I tried to bring more beer, but one 'midnight beer' was enough
My bed consisted of a tarp, my mosquitto hammock, the inflatable pad, the towel for a pillow, and a blanket
I folded the tarp over, so I slept on and under it, with the crease facing the wind as another wind breaker
I was tired, so I slept enough, but the "pillow" didn't elevate my head enough, and there wasn't much ventilation under the tarp
I never seem to wake up with the dawn when camping , or rather I do wake up , but go right back to sleep
Hot cereal for breakfast
Jumped in the water, and started walking
Last time I was on the island, I found a spot to play on the south side of the island
I think the rocky beach was near that spot
There's a bunch of tall white (dead?) trees in which cormorants roost
I didn't make it past that point last time, so this was all new territory for me
The first thing I saw when I got past those trees was the shipwreck
I was amazed at how big it was
I always assumed it was submerged under the water, but it was completely out of the water
I don't understand how somebody got such a big ship stuck where it is
I always thought that the west side of the island was a big beach
but it turns out that it's actually all high dunes , and there's no path down from the top
I was expecting there to be a bunch of people on this side of the island , but I had the whole place to myself
I decided to get naked while walking through the water , which resulted in me getting some toasted buns
I kept re-applying the sunscreen, but it kept washing away in the water
Two weird things happened when I made it to the north side of the island
The water temperature dropped by a lot
The water was relatively not-cold on the other side , but I'm thinking that a cold current runs between the islands
And I didn't get bothered by any bugs when I was in the water , but a swarm of biting flies suddenly showed up and hung out on my tube
I attacked them with the bug spray , but it was a losing battle
After eight hours of walking, I made camp near the northern point
I quickly put on my pants and hoodie , to act as armor against the bugs
I set up my "tent" again
but there was much less wind tonight, so there was much less ventilation under the tarp
I almost ended up sleeping on the tube just to get some more fresh air
I thought I had enough time in the morning to make it to the dock before the boat left
I was wrong
The last leg of the journey was walking along the inside of the cove
I could see the dock the whole time
The distance across the water was 1.5 miles
but walking along the shore was 3 miles
During the whole trip, I was averaging about 1.5 mph
I saw the boat coming , and checked the time
It was after 11am already
I started "running" through the water
The boat docked , I was still too far away
A few people got off , I was still too far away
A bunch of people were getting on , I was still too far away
The people were stowingh their gear on the boat , I was still too far away
The last of the people were on the boat , I was just close enough to start waving my arms for them to wait
The boat immediately took off . . .
There were people still waiting on the dock , so I assumed there was another boat , and that they wouldn't leave me stranded on the island
I got myself cleaned up and dressed
I knew it would be a few hours before the boat would be back , and I didn't want to get sunburned , so I hid under my raincoat
I chatted a bit with the people on the dock
I feel that people should have been more impressed with my accomplishment
I think I am the first person to ever travel all the away around the island , in the water , while floating their gear in a tube
I was only slightly worried about getting on the boat
When I told the guy my name, he said "yeah , we were expecting you at 11am , no problem , get on"
It was another wet ride on the front of the boat
Last time , on the drive home , I was ravenously hungry
This time I decided to get some food in Leland for the ride home
The city of Leland is odd
It's a tiny little tourist town whose only claim to fame is that there used to be an iron factory around there
It has the Manitou Island Ferry , is near Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes , and has "Fish Town"
I wanted a souvenier , but I know better than to buy a random item that has the name of the place generically stamped on it
I want an item that is unique to the place I've visited
There were A LOT of touristy souvenier shops , all selling things with "Leland" or "Fish Town" stamped on them
I ended up getting a t-shirt from the ferry shop , with "Manitou Island Transit" on it
That seemed most fitting for the activity I was in
I didn't get on the road home until after 5pm , and I knew that it was a five hour drive home
I should have gotten home about 10pm, but I was fighting with Google Maps and my car's GPS on the best way to get home
I wanted to get onto I75 as soon as possible without going through Traverse City
I got myself onto many back roads
I never thought about how many tiny towns dot Michigan's landscape
I gave up on getting any of my weekend chores done -- shopping, dishes, food prep -- and just went straight to bed , after a shower
I don't know if I'll ever go back to Manitou Island
If I do , it'll either be with an extra day , so I don't feel pressured to sprint through the water
or to take a boat to the west side of the island for some naked time , preferably with some like minded females
tucking your shirt into your underwear . . .
I've always assumed that this is something a stereotypical nerd would do
but reddit says to do this so your dress shirt won't come untucked
This week, I've been tucking my undershirt into my underwear so the band on my underwear won't rub on my sunburn
This morning there was a lot of cop cars and sirens going down Allen road
I walked down there to find out what was going on
There were hundreds of cop cars , from precincts as far away as Canton
It turns out that this is a funeral procession for a Melvindale officer who was shot in the line of duty
This is the first time I've ever seen something like this
So it got me thinking that if they do this for every officer, then there can't be all that many deaths