It was another calm morning with an overcast sky but was quite warm. We moved up the Grand Traverse Bay, rounded the tip of the Leelanau Peninsula at the Grand Traverse Light, and passed Cathead Point on the way south. Win and Susan left later, but with a faster Tiara easily passed us and got to the Leland Harbor Marina first. We began to see evidence of the steep high dunes that lead to Sleeping Bear Dunes, which we will see by water tomorrow.
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| The Grand Traverse Light |
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| Cottage looking over the steep dunes along Lake Michigan |
Leland is located where the Leland (Carp) River flows into Lake Michigan. It was the site of a large Ottawa Indian settlement years ago because the river dropping down over the rocks formed a natural fish ladder. White settlers began to come here around 1830 and built a sawmill and 12 ft. high dam on the river in 1854. This increased the level of the upstream lakes and allowed transportation of goods up to ten miles inland by boat.
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| Downtown dam on the Leland River |
Around 1900, wealthy industrialists discovered this area and began to build cottages and eventually hotels. Today, Leland is largely a summer resort and a vibrant charter fishing location, welcoming tourists by car and by boat. It is a "must stop" for Great Loop cruisers coming from Charlevoix to Frankfort.
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| A quaint collection of restaurants, cheese, fish, art, and clothing stores |
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| Early restored fishing trawler |
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| Out exploring the shops |
After a relaxing day, Win, Susan, Anne and I went to dinner at the Riverside Inn, located two blocks east of the marina. This is an honest-to-goodness fine establishment with a real chef. The sea bass was very unusual and delicious.
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