Inland Waterway with Schneiders

After months of anticipation, the day arrived for our trip down the Inland Waterway with John and Sharon. We met them at the K-Mart, left our car there, and drove with them to the new marina on the south end of Cheboygan.

The weather was ideal - sunny but not too hot. From the marina we cruised the Cheboygan River into Mullett Lake and sped across Mullett to the Indian River. The trip down the Indian River is at no-wake speed, so we had plenty of time to enjoy the wildlife and scenery on the flat, marshy expanse of the river that flows under I-75. Of course there are plenty of cottages, too, along many sections of the rivers and lakes--from humble cabins to crowded party pads to grand old estates and everything in between. On Burt Lake we stopped for lunch and took a swim, then back on board for the reverse trip. We spent about ten hours on the water and were pretty well pooped by the end of the day.

I took lots of photos--these are just a few to give an idea of the things we saw along the way.

Second mate Kenny assisting first mate Sharon with the canopy

Captain Schneider

The Cheboygan River downstream of the marina

Entering Mullett Lake

The Pontoon Captain confers with the Speedboat Captain

The loons in the Indian River were quite blase about the boat traffic

First mate/navigator Sharon points the way

Entering Burt Lake

This shot is fairly typical of the more populated areas along the route

Approaching the Hack-Ma-Tack

Loading the boat onto the trailer at the marina ramp

Tired but happy at the end of ten hours on the water. Perfect day.