Keep UP, Will Ya! (Sheesh)

 Boy, are YOU behind.  

What have YOU been up to?  As WE write this, WE are in Lake Huron, headed up the east coast of Michigan.  By our reckoning, YOU are still somewhere back on Lake Erie.  (heavy sigh)  So, let’s get YOU caught up.  But be warned, you are SO far behind that this may take several blog updates to bring you up to speed.  Just deal with it, OK?

Leaving that wonderful Wolverine marina in Erie, PA, we made a bumpy passage west into Ohio to Geneva State Park’s marina.   North and West winds on Lake Erie are nobody’s friend.   Geneva proved to be a welcome sheltered port after slogging in beam seas for several hours.   We had a pleasant stay, despite more shore power issues and the need to run our generator to keep the AC running. 

ROCK's back 
door.

 The next day, we headed west on lumpy seas, bound for Cleveland.  We had originally   planned to skip the City of the Burning River, but heavy rains and flash flooding   temporarily closed our destination marina in Vermillion, OH.  So, what the heck, we   decided to see is Cleveland does still (per the “chicks with the crimson lips”) ROCK.     We made our way to the Oasis Marina at North Harbor, quite literally in the shadow of   the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and found ourselves surrounded by other Loopers.  A   happy change of plans, to be sure.   

 We invested three nights at Cleveland, allowing time for some Looper socialization   (including meeting C Sea Ryder from the Chicago area, whose captain in tuned out   attended the same Catholic elementary school in Palatine, IL  as Commodore Kathleen.   The Commodore also flexed her well-known negotiating skills to arrange a Looper  dinner for 20 at a Mexican restaurant that swore they could not offer us a reservation for more than 6.  (You go, girl!)  

We also made time for a visit from Mark, a certified marine electrician, who spent 4 hours diagnosing and correcting the shore power ground fault problem that keeps popping up (literally) at random marinas.  He ended up undoing improper work done at the time we bought the Lass.   The shore power problem is fixed, but our inverter has been temporarily decommissioned until we can invest time with another electrician to re-wire it, (properly this time.)   Thank you, Mark and Parker Marine, Inc. We now have a much better understanding of our AC electrical system.

So, it's one
louder, right?

Finally, we invested an afternoon to wander the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a total-immersion, turn-it- up-to-11, experience that left us tired, flushed, and ready to scream, “Long Live Rock!”   The final film of induction ceremony performances was worth the price of admission all by itself.

Long Live Rock!

Departing Cleveland in much-improved spirits and weather, we headed further west to Sandusky Bay, OH.  At this point, things started to get a bit weird.  We had always intended to visit the Sandusky area.  But we met a couple of recently retired Air Force vets, Rick and Jen, on Nauti Jeni, a 34’ American Tug,  back on the Erie Canal and, crossing paths with them on a few subsequent occasions, we enjoyed their company.  They convinced us to join them at the Cedar Point Resort Marina at the entrance to Sandusky Bay.   And as the coaster fans among you know, Cedar Point, while also the site of an excellent marina, is first and foremost the ground zero, high cathedral, top ‘o the heap, ne plus ultra for roller coasters.  And Rick is a lifetime coaster fanatic, anxious to introduce Jen and anyone else around to his passion.  So, good sense cast aside,  off we went to Cedar Point.  Sheesh.

Us with coaster-crazy Loopers Rick and Jen

Now, Cedar Point is a full-scale resort.  (Approaching it by water from the west, it rises on the horizon  from several miles away of a Federation spaceport of some kind.)  

"Spaceport" Cedar Point

 In addition to coasters to test the mettle of the hardiest of souls, they offer a beach, campground, hotel, restaurants, pools, RV Park, and a first-class marina.  All serenaded 12 hours a day with the mechanical clanks of coasters and the maniacal screams of coaster riders.  Right side up, upside down, vertical up, vertical down, smooth or rough, wood or steel, lean to the left, lean to the right, stand up, sit down, ( fight! fight! fight!). You name it, they got it. 

OMG!

From our assigned slip, we had a ring-side seat to watch one of the killer coasters hang riders over the edge before dropping them straight down a hundred feet or more.  At the appointed hour we entered the park to find Rick and Jen in an hour-long line for something call Steel Vengeance (in which we had no interest whatsoever).  Instead, we attempted to offset the cost of our tickets with a few minor rides.   But after our first choice left us both screaming like babies, so we spent the rest of our time on simple carnival rides, beverage stands,  and gift shops.  Suffice to say, the Cedar Point coasters ain’t for us.  But it is a first-class marina with a high-service fuel dock.  Neither to the scoffed at, for sure.  

From Cedar Point, we motored around the point to the OH town of Port Clinton.  Our memories there will center on a lovely Episcopal church and a shit-hole marina. Enough said.  We could hardly wait to set sail for …….

Oh, but just LOOK at the time!  My, My, My.

The rest of this tale will have to wait for next time.  Stay tuned!

 

Thanks for following.